Help! After Macrium 6 Restore Process I Get Bootmgr Not Found Error

Have spent better part of two days trying to restore my macrium backup image to a new hdd
The new hdd is a replacement for a failed one on my Dell XPS 9000 desktop using W7

I am using Macrium 6 and after much difficulty I finally was able to access the saved macrium image backup file on an external backup drive, and start the restore process which took several hours.

Upon restarting my PC I got a "bootmgr missing" error.

Can anyone help me solve this frustrating problem??

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

The error suggests you have restored your image to the wrong disk partition, but is your replacement drive partitioned?

 

Thank you for your reply. I was under the impression that Macrium restores to the original disk drive partition configuration and that the new hdd will not need any formatting or partitions created. Is this wrong?

 

It depends on the choices you made when configuring the backup. When creating an image you can choose the partitions to be imaged or you can create an image containing just the partitions required for Windows to boot. Which did you choose?

 

I need to disappear for a while but I suggest you boot to your Macrium rescue CD/DVD, browse to your image file and click Open. On the next screen click Browse Image and on the next put a check against the first partition and OK. You are now looking at the boot partition and it should contain a file called bootmgr. If it does not then try and post a pic of it.

 

OK started Macrium
browsed to my image file see below
Pls explain what I should click on to proceed
Thanks much for helping me solve this frustrating problem!

 

You are doing fine. In 3291 click on Browse Image and pick up in the second line of my #5.

 

I'm not familiar with the way Dell set up disks but if you don't see bootmgr in the first partition try looking in the second and third. If you find it I hope someone else can help you set that partition as the Active partition as I am logging off very soon but I'll be back tomorrow if you are still not booting.

 

I found the 375kb bootmgr file in partition 2 recovery. What is the next step I should do??
Thanks for yyour help and patience!

 

OK, we can see that your image file does contain an image of all partitions as they were on 1/3/17 and we can see that partition 2, the partition containing the bootmgr file, is the Active partition. That's good, so next we need to see the state of the replacement hdd to which you believe you have restored this image, and as we can't boot we need a boot disk that will enable us to examine it. On your working computer download and install Partition Wizard and create the Bootable CD. With that we can boot the non-booting machine and examine what is on its hdd. This is necessary before we go any further.

On the evidence so far you have done everything correctly and the restored machine should boot. We need to establish why it does not.

 

Thank you I am very happy we are making some progress is there any alternate free partitioning utility Partition Wizard cannot create a bootable CD unless you pay $39 for an upgraded version?

 

I didn't realise that had happened, PW is one of those programs you may only use once so I'm not up to date with it - the CD used to be free. Be patient, there will be a way around this. Back in a while.

 

I've sent you a download link. Check your Conversations.

 

OK booted from the burned PW disc Below is what PW found
This is the result

 

I simply don't believe your new hdd is 'new', i.e. never previously formatted. Your image has restored, but not at all as it should have done. I suggest two actions - first run Validation on your image to prove it, and then use the PW disc to remove all partitions from the hdd. Then restore your image again using the Macrium Rescue CD. Good luck.

 

The C:drive has not copied -- Is the disk larger than original ?- partion total appears so.
Sometimes imaging to a different size hard drive is not very successful.
As you have Partition Wizard, now, why not use that ? It will copy to a different size hard drive, and you can select to fit as is, or, to fit to full size of new disk.
It is a hard tool to beat, and the free version does it all- just click on the drive to copy, and then when asked click the new drive, click apply, and wait- it has never failed me.

 

The original drive no longer exists.

 

Then , as you said, the macrium image needs to be run again, exactly as Eathling said --I misread the part with the first images shewn- I thought that was the old drive.

 

Thank you for sending me the link for PW!!
To clarify, are you saying the new hdd was never formatted by me, or during the process of restore. I am curious to know what stood out in that PW image to raise the question? J
When you say to run validation to prove it do you mean on the backup image on the external hdd, or the image on the new "restore" image on the new hdd?
How do I remove all partitions using PW. Do you mean to re format it, and then restore the Macrium image on the external backup again.
Thank you Earthling for patience in trying to solve my problem

 

Nothing like that. I'm saying that your supposedly new HDD may have had partitions on it before you installed it and that those pre-existing partitions may somehow have managed to prevent your Macrium image from restoring correctly. That shouldn't be possible though so I remain utterly mystified by the incorrect and incomplete way your image has been written to the disk.

Yes

You can delete any partition on a disk with PW. Just delete them all one by one, remembering to commit each action before going on to the next. You should end up with your new HDD showing all unallocated space.
Providing the image file validates OK you should now boot the Macrium rescue disk and restore your image file to the HDD.

 

I have just had a thought that might possibly explain the odd way your image was written to the disk. By any chance did you restore each partition separately? Probably not, but next time be sure to tick all the partitions before going ahead with the restore.

 

Is the validate process done within the Macrium software? If so how?

 

It's the Verify Image button in pic IMG_3291 you posted earlier. I'm beginning to understand why so few ppl get into imaging - clearly the process is not at all intuitive.

 

I'm off to bed now and hoping you are booting when I check in tomorrow

 

This is not possible.
First a partition needs to be created.

 

Where do you get that from? You can restore a disk image to an unformatted disk.

 

Well I just learned something.
Thanks.

 

I have used Macrium for years and never have I come across a more confusing method of tracking down and installing a backup. I have restored to a new drive which I have previously formatted with no problem. I do notice from the images that the OP does not use the TSSTcorp referenced drive rather he uses PO-HL-DT-ST referenced CD/DVD. I have two drives shown on my restore and I always use the TSSTcorp drive and the restore takes 11 minutes at most. The OP is doing something wrong somewhere and I wonder whether it is his choice of restore drives. The image is shown correctly as .mrimg and if he has selected that and the TSSTcorp drive he should have no problems.

 

The two drives are both CD/DVD drives, one a DVD-RW recordable drive, the other DVD-R is read only. The OP hasn't said how long the restore actually took but that's entirely a function of the amount of data to be restored and the speed of the drives. Mine are typically 10 minutes too. The 'over an hour' reference was the time his system took to download a Partition Wizard ISO I gave him and was not connected in any way with the Macrium restore process.

EDIT - ah I see he did say it took several hours so yes, he is definitely doing something wrong.

 

In fact, if you create a partition before restoring a disk image, the very first thing the restore does is to remove it

 

I am doing the verify image process now and am crossing my fingers. I had one read failure at 13% but will try it one more time

Will get back to you later

Two questions that came to mind when I woke up this morning

1-I read on another thread that if you have an OEM W7, there's away of downloading an iso file of W10 and entering my W7 key to create a W7 OS recovery. Does this ring true?

2- Is it possible to use my W10 laptop's Macrium 6 image to restore it to my Desktop's HDD?

Thanks Earthling for all your kind efforts to help me

 

Second verify image fail at 13%

 

As the image won't verify that explains its failure to restore correctly. You cannot use your laptop's image instead so you are faced with a fresh install, either of Win 7 or Win 10. I'll have to leave that to others to assist you as life is now getting in the way.

 

Thanks much for all your help over the past few days !!!

 

I don't know whether that is true or not but don't see how a Win 7 recovery disk can help you. You need an installation disk. Have a look at THIS, and there are many more on offer.

 

If you have your key, you can download an iso file for Windows ,
http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/microsoft_windows_iso_download_tool.html