first time using macrium


smoothnobody

Well-known member
Local time
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137
OS
windows 11
when creating rescue media i noticed an option for windows boot menu. does that create a partition so i don't have to use a USB to restore an image? can i make my image hidden or put it in a folder or does it have to be in root directory?
 
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windows 11
OS
windows 11
i also noticed an option for windows boot menu. how does that work?
All that does is to add the option to boot from a source other than Windows on C: drive. See photo and in the 'Boot' tab there would be a second line of text under the 'Windows 11...' text. This would probably be the USB rescue media.
I selected 'No boot menu' since I want Windows to boot normally 99.9% of the time. I don't want to have to select 'Boot from Windows' 99.9% of the time that I switch on the computer.
If I want to boot from USB rescue media I insert the USB media and switch on the PC pressing F9 immediately repeatedly (On my other device it is F12 that I have to press so yours may be different). This causes a menu to show listing boot source options. Selecting the USB media will launch the Macrium WinRE UI.

System config.webp
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProAMD Ryzen 9 8945HS32GB DDR5 SO-DIMMIntegrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    GMKtec K11
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 SO-DIMM
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated AMD Radeon 780M (4.00 GHz)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 2250HM
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    1920 x 1080
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    1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeIntel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAMIntel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED 14" Laptop - UX3405CA-QL192W
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 - 255H processor
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Arc 140T onboard graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 (16:10 WUXGA resolution) OLED Touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD
It's good idea to have bootable Macrium Reflect rescue media just in case you can't boot your computer to boot menu.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655Intel® Core™ i7-14700KG.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
    OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-14700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z690-PLUS WIFI BIOS 4505 11/29/25
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11 25H2)
    SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe 25H2 DEV/Games
    SK hynix P41 2TB NVMe (x3)
    Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM850x Shift
    Case
    Antec Dark Phantom DP502 FLUX
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    Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 320
    Mouse
    Razer Basilisk V3
    Internet Speed
    350Mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Winows Security
    Other Info
    MR 8.1 Home

    System 3 Specs
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    ASUS PRIME Z370-P II BIOS 3004 7/12/21
    Intel Core i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
    32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8)
    iGPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655Intel Core i7-11700F64 GB DDR4MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi (BIOS 2803)
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster Audigy Fx V2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung F27T350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
    Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair HX750
    Case
    Cougar MX330-G Window
    Cooling
    Thermalright Frozen Edge 240 Black AIO
    Internet Speed
    350Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Even if one adds Macrium to his boot menu, one should ALWAYS create a Macrium recovery usb drive. And it is very important that after you create this drive that you make sure you can boot from it.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
when creating rescue media i noticed an option for windows boot menu. does that create a partition so i don't have to use a USB to restore an image?
As others have said, it adds Macrium rescue to the boot menu. No. it's not another partition, the boot files are put in C:\boot\Macrium. You should always make a USB too in case the drive fails completely.


can i make my image hidden or put it in a folder or does it have to be in root directory?
You can make the image files anywhere you want. I put mine on an external drive with a folder for all the images, and inside that an individual folder for each of my PCs.

The only restriction is that you cannot put the image on any of the partitions you have chosen to image.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
I've used Macrium Reflect for a number of years and decided not to have a Windows Boot Menu. I might choose the Macrium Boot option maybe once out of a hundred bootups. Having to make a menu boot choice every time I start my computer is too much of a nuisance. If I want to restore a Macrium Image, it's easy on my Dell to simply tap F12 and choose to boot from my USB drive.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/sIntel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 DA16260
    CPU
    Intel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H
    Memory
    64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 3.2K Tandem OLED Infinity Edge
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 2000 16:10 236 PPI
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    NPU delivering 67 TOPS
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft Office 365
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NP...32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/sIntegrated Adreno GPU
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Adreno GPU
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.8″ PixelSense Flow touchscreen 120 Hz 600 NIT
    Screen Resolution
    2304 × 1536 (201 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft Office 365
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2026
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Microsoft Sysinternals
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
The Reflect boot menu option loads more quickly especially if you have a SSD. However, the files are stored on your system drive (C:) so you still need the Reflect USB recovery drive in case your system drive C: fails. I set the boot menu delay to 3 seconds using msconfig so the boot menu is not displayed very long.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProCore i7-13700K64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self build
CPU
Core i7-13700K
Motherboard
Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
Memory
64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
Sound Card
Realtek S1200A
Monitor(s) Displays
Viewsonic VP2770 & Dell (secondary)
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440
Hard Drives
Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
PSU
EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
Case
Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
Cooling
Noctua NH-D14
Keyboard
Microsoft Digital Media Pro
Mouse
Logitech Wireless
Internet Speed
80 Mb / s
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Defender, Malwarebytes Free & AdwCleaner
The Reflect boot menu option loads more quickly especially if you have a SSD. However, the files are stored on your system drive (C:) so you still need the Reflect USB recovery drive in case your system drive C: fails. I set the boot menu delay to 3 seconds using msconfig so the boot menu is not displayed very long.
Instead of having the dual boot menu, you can create a 2GB parttion, FAT32 format on another internal disk. Copy the content of the USB rescue disk to it so any time you want to boot from macrium rescue, select it from boot menu just like you boot from USB stick.
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2, Linux Mint 21.3Intel Core i9-14900K @5.8GHZ64GB (2XG Skill F5-6400J3239G32G) @6800Radeon (TM) RX 480 Graphics (8 GB)
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2, Linux Mint 21.3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Build Feb.2024
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-14900K @5.8GHZ
    Motherboard
    MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk Max WiFi 7
    Memory
    64GB (2XG Skill F5-6400J3239G32G) @6800
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (TM) RX 480 Graphics (8 GB)
    Sound Card
    Intergrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    1 - Crucial 705 1TB GEN5
    1 - Crucial 705 2TB GEN5
    2 - Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    PSU
    750W EVGA-G3
    Case
    Antec NX410
    Cooling
    H2O Thermalright
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech Master 2S
    Internet Speed
    600 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    WD
  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro & Linux Mint X64Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770K CPU @ 4.20 GHz32.0GB Dual-Channel CMY16GX3M2A1600C9NVIDIA GeForce GT 740
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro & Linux Mint X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI Z77 MPower (MS-7751)
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770K CPU @ 4.20 GHz
    Motherboard
    Z77 MPower (MS-7751)
    Memory
    32.0GB Dual-Channel CMY16GX3M2A1600C9
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 740
    Monitor(s) Displays
    40" Samsung
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    WIN10 - 111GB Samsung SSD 840 Series
    WIN11 - 223GB Crucial CT240BX500SSD
    2X931GB Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 900
    Cooling
    H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 2S
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Instead of having the dual boot menu, you can create a 2GB parttion, FAT32 format on another internal disk. Copy the content of the USB rescue disk to it so any time you want to boot from macrium rescue, select it from boot menu just like you boot from USB stick.
Good idea.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProCore i7-13700K64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self build
CPU
Core i7-13700K
Motherboard
Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
Memory
64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
Sound Card
Realtek S1200A
Monitor(s) Displays
Viewsonic VP2770 & Dell (secondary)
Screen Resolution
2560 x 1440
Hard Drives
Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
PSU
EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
Case
Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
Cooling
Noctua NH-D14
Keyboard
Microsoft Digital Media Pro
Mouse
Logitech Wireless
Internet Speed
80 Mb / s
Browser
Chrome
Antivirus
Defender, Malwarebytes Free & AdwCleaner
My Macrium-resque is on a Ventoy-stick , with Macrium, AoMEI, Hasleo , etc. on it .
Fast boot , and possible to select a resque-program ........... :wink:
 

My Computers My Computers

  • At a glance

    Windows11 Pro 25H2i732GBnVidia
    OS
    Windows11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    z97k
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVidia
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Hard Drives
    3
    Cooling
    air
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ESET
  • At a glance

    Windows11 ProIntel i516GBIntel
    Operating System
    Windows11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    ASUS Basic
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung
    Hard Drives
    one intern , 0ne extern, OS on SSD
    Cooling
    air
    Keyboard
    wireless Logitech
    Mouse
    wireless Logitech
    Internet Speed
    1GB
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    ESET
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