Macrium Reflect Rescue Media Issue (WinRE or WinPE ADK 11/10)

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

Good morning. I'm currently running Windows 11 (upgraded from 10) and the latest version 8 of Macrium Reflect Workstation. When I attempt to use the MR Resque Media builder it errors out with the following.

Boot menu Wim build
Failed to generate WinPE WIM:
Failed to load the xml definition for the PE components.

View log files (-> bootlog.txt, rescuemedialog, waiklog.txt)

When I review the log files the only issue, I can see is in waiklog which tells me the following:

Initialisation failure - failed to load resource
Beginning wim build - 1/24/2022 5:22 PM
=======================================

Failed to initialize.
Unmounting the wim - 1/24/2022 5:22 PM
"C:\WINDOWS\system32\dism.exe" /English /unmount-wim /mountdir:"C:\boot\macrium\WinREFiles\mount" /discard

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.22000.1

Error: 50

The request is not supported.

So the WIM isn't being mounted but I can't see why. The Dism log doesn't reveal any issues that I can see. And finally, it doesn't matter whether I'm trying to add the option to the boot menu or build a resque CD or USB.

I've tried all the obvious things ... clean boot Windows and turn off AV, do a system file checker (SFC) scan for file issues, use reagent to disable and re-enable. I've removed MR from the system and reinstalled it. Nothing seems to affect the error reply.

I've even reached out to Macrium Reflect Tech support who've asked me to try the obvious and they now seem to be at a loss as well (at least at the tech support level I've reached so far). So any suggestions would be very much appreciated as I am on day 4 of trying to get this issue solved.

DigitalGoat · Jan 25, 2022

This may or may not help, I suggest you read thoroughly to make sure you understand what you are doing.
[Solved] DISM Error 50 on Windows 10
Error 50 is a common DISM error, but may occur for a variety of reasons.

hsehestedt · Jan 25, 2022

What's odd is that I see mixed messages. Some are related to WinRE and others to WinPE.

First, it's saying that it failed to generate the WinPE WIM but later references paths related to WinRE.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you need to download the WinPE components, if your goal is indeed to create PE based media rather than RE.

Start by going to whe Windows ADK download page located here:

Download and install the Windows ADK

Instructions on how to download and install the Windows ADK

docs.microsoft.com

Under the heading "Download the ADK for Windows 11" you will see a link to "Download the Windows PE add-on for the Windows ADK". Make sure to install that.

Note: Usually the WinRE media would be sufficient, in fact, it provides the capability of supporting WiFi which WinPE does not.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
What's odd is that I see mixed messages. Some are related to WinRE and others to WinPE.

First, it's saying that it failed to generate the WinPE WIM but later references paths related to WinRE.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you need to download the WinPE components, if your goal is indeed to create PE based media rather than RE.

Start by going to whe Windows ADK download page located here:

Download and install the Windows ADK

Instructions on how to download and install the Windows ADK

docs.microsoft.com

Under the heading "Download the ADK for Windows 11" you will see a link to "Download the Windows PE add-on for the Windows ADK". Make sure to install that.

Note: Usually the WinRE media would be sufficient, in fact, it provides the capability of supporting WiFi which WinPE does not.

What appears as mixed messaging might be because I've tried to create the resque media using the WinRE and WinPE types. Also it appears the Reflects Media builder generates the same verbiage whether you're trying to use the Recovery Environment or the Pre-Install as I've just attemped to try both methods again.
I already had Microsoft WADK and the PE add-ons installed on my computer but I removed them and downloaded "fresh" copies again with the same results.
And I do have the downloaded WinPE file from Macriums support. The files all seem to be in place in the appropriate folders:
C:\boot\macrium\WA10KDrivers
C:\boot\macrium\WA10KFiles
C:\boot\macrium\WA11KDrivers
C:\boot\macrium\WA11KFiles
C:\boot\macrium\WinREDrivers
and
C:\boot\macrium\WinREFiles

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

DigitalGoat said:
This may or may not help, I suggest you read thoroughly to make sure you understand what you are doing.
[Solved] DISM Error 50 on Windows 10
Error 50 is a common DISM error, but may occur for a variety of reasons.

I will read this fully, thanks

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

Following Occom's Razor, I'll try the easiest solution first ... the DISM refresh

Dch48 · Jan 25, 2022

I had issues with the default RE environment and chose the Win 10 PE offered as an alternative in Macrium instead. That worked fine.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

Dch48 said:
I had issues with the default RE environment and chose the Win 10 PE offered as an alternative in Macrium instead. That worked fine.

Thanks ... another suggestion from the Macrium support tech which lead to the same result unfortunately.

hsehestedt · Jan 25, 2022

While not a fix, do you have another computer that you can use to create your recovery media for now? At least that would give you some rescue media while you continue to troubleshoot.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
While not a fix, do you have another computer that you can use to create your recovery media for now? At least that would give you some rescue media while you continue to troubleshoot.

Yes I have several. I can create the Macrium Media from another, but I was hoping to get the Windows Boot media working on this particular PC.

hsehestedt · Jan 25, 2022

I have something for you to try.

I do a lot with DISM and mounting / unmounting images. I had forgotten that I sometimes get some really weird things that happen, especially if an operation gets aborted while an image is mounted. Those mounts can be really aggravating to get rid of. So, after much trial and error, I came up with these steps...

First, run these commands from an elevated command prompt to see if it shows any stale mounts:

DISM /Cleanup-WIM
DISM /Cleanup-Mountpoints

If it indicates that there were any mounts, that should close them. Then, go into the folders noted by those commands and clear the contents.

That should normally be enough. However, if there are still files in a folder that you simply cannot clear, run these commands:

Note: Replace "C:\Project" with the appropriate path.

C:\windows\system32\takeown /f "C:\Project\*.*" /r /d y
icacls "C:\Project\*.*" /T /grant %username%:F

Finally, clear the contents of the recycle bin. Yes - even deleted files folders from a mounted WIM can hod references to a stale mount and cause problems. It took me a long time to figure that out.

Bree · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
I do a lot with DISM and mounting / unmounting images. I had forgotten that I sometimes get some really weird things that happen, especially if an operation gets aborted while an image is mounted. Those mounts can be really aggravating to get rid of. So, after much trial and error, I came up with these steps...

Good tip, I was unaware of this feature in DISM. Being a cautious type I would first want to see what may be mounted before running any commands that can change things. On investigation, that would appear to be satisfied with this command:

Dism /Get-MountedImageInfo

You may well have the answer to the issues @tlkohler is seeing. All my machines can build the Macrium WinRE environment without issue, so it appears to be a Windows issue rather than a Macrium one.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

Bree said:
Good tip, I was unaware of this feature in DISM. Being a cautious type I would first want to see what may be mounted before running any commands that can change things. On investigation, that would appear to be satisfied with this command:

Dism /Get-MountedImageInfo

Yes thanks

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
I have something for you to try.

I do a lot with DISM and mounting / unmounting images. I had forgotten that I sometimes get some really weird things that happen, especially if an operation gets aborted while an image is mounted. Those mounts can be really aggravating to get rid of. So, after much trial and error, I came up with these steps...

First, run these commands from an elevated command prompt to see if it shows any stale mounts:

DISM /Cleanup-WIM
DISM /Cleanup-Mountpoints

If it indicates that there were any mounts, that should close them. Then, go into the folders noted by those commands and clear the contents.

That should normally be enough. However, if there are still files in a folder that you simply cannot clear, run these commands:

Note: Replace "C:\Project" with the appropriate path.

C:\windows\system32\takeown /f "C:\Project\*.*" /r /d y
icacls "C:\Project\*.*" /T /grant %username%:F

Finally, clear the contents of the recycle bin. Yes - even deleted files folders from a mounted WIM can hod references to a stale mount and cause problems. It took me a long time to figure that out.

Thanks for your suggestion, I don't know enough about "DISM" to feel comfortable in what the commands are attempting to perform. And I don't want to sound ungrateful but it will take me a little bit while I research this so I can understand what is happening. I'll report back after I've done so. And thank you again.

hsehestedt · Jan 25, 2022

Absolutely understood!

I like to research things myself before blindly jumping in. However, if I may, let me just provide a little more info...

You can think of a Windows IMage file (WIM) something like a ZIP file. It's a container that holds other files.

When you work with these images, for example, to add or remove files or modify existing files, you must extract the files to a temporary location. Again, imagine extracting the contents of a ZIP file to a folder on your HDD.

Now, you make all your changes. When done, you commit your changes back to the original WIM file. Again, it's like taking your temporary folder and committing everything back to your ZIP file.

The problem is that if a program is interrupted while it is extracting files, committing changes, etc. you can end up with files that you can simply not delete or overwrite through normal means. So, if you restart your program and try to work with these files, it will fail. The old files must be cleaned up first. They are temporary files so it's 100% safe to yeet them.

That is what Macrium does - It takes a Windows PE or Windows RE image, extracts the contents, modifies it, then repackages it.

Again, I encourage you to research, but I can tell you that the commands "DISM /Cleanup-WIM" and "DISM /Cleanup-Mountpoints" are 100% safe. They simply look for stale images / mountpoints for those images that were left in an opened state. It cannot harm anything.

I've had to deal with these images a lot. I have a program I've written that works EXTENSIVLY with these WIM files and operations on them sometimes take 30 minutes. When I'm testing code changes, I simply can't wait 30 minutes every time I make a change, so I'm forced to interrupt the program leading to the issues noted above. I finally ended up building the above commands into my program so that it auto cleans up after itself when I start the program.

Let me know what your research turns up or if I can answer any questions. Hopefully the above information simply makes it a little clearer what you are working with.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
Absolutely understood!

I like to research things myself before blindly jumping in. However, if I may, let me just provide a little more info...

You can think of a Windows IMage file (WIM) something like a ZIP file. It's a container that holds other files.

When you work with these images, for example, to add or remove files or modify existing files, you must extract the files to a temporary location. Again, imagine extracting the contents of a ZIP file to a folder on your HDD.

Now, you make all your changes. When done, you commit your changes back to the original WIM file. Again, it's like taking your temporary folder and committing everything back to your ZIP file.

The problem is that if a program is interrupted while it is extracting files, committing changes, etc. you can end up with files that you can simply not delete or overwrite through normal means. So, if you restart your program and try to work with these files, it will fail. The old files must be cleaned up first. They are temporary files so it's 100% safe to yeet them.

That is what Macrium does - It takes a Windows PE or Windows RE image, extracts the contents, modifies it, then repackages it.

Again, I encourage you to research, but I can tell you that the commands "DISM /Cleanup-WIM" and "DISM /Cleanup-Mountpoints" are 100% safe. They simply look for stale images / mountpoints for those images that were left in an opened state. It cannot harm anything.

I've had to deal with these images a lot. I have a program I've written that works EXTENSIVLY with these WIM files and operations on them sometimes take 30 minutes. When I'm testing code changes, I simply can't wait 30 minutes every time I make a change, so I'm forced to interrupt the program leading to the issues noted above. I finally ended up building the above commands into my program so that it auto cleans up after itself when I start the program.

Let me know what your research turns up or if I can answer any questions. Hopefully the above information simply makes it a little clearer what you are working with.

First off I'd like to thank you again for the time you've committed here and I appreciate your sharing of knowledge.

The commands were pretty straight forward. After the "/Get-MountedImageInfo" to verify there was nothing mounts that shouldn't be I performed both the cleanup commands. Nothing mounted that needed to be cleaned up. So I'm still at a loss.

hsehestedt · Jan 25, 2022

Ah well, it was worth a shot. Maybe this evening I'll sit in front of my machine with Reflect and see if any other ideas spring to mind.

tlkohler · Jan 25, 2022

hsehestedt said:
Ah well, it was worth a shot. Maybe this evening I'll sit in front of my machine with Reflect and see if any other ideas spring to mind.

This is just so weird. It seems like the RE/PE files aren't available for Reflect to use Dism and Image to do its work but when I look they are where they should be ... I'm at a loss (& apparently Macrium Tech support is as well since I've not heard back from them in over a day now)

Bree · Jan 25, 2022

tlkohler said:
This is just so weird. It seems like the RE/PE files aren't available for Reflect to use Dism and Image to do its work but when I look they are where they should be ... I'm at a loss.....

See if this description of how it's supposed to work helps....

Rescue Media Builder - Knowledgebase 8.0 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase

knowledgebase.macrium.com

Dch48 · Jan 25, 2022

You know, on the one machine I use Macrium on, I had problems with V8 and went back to V7. All the problems disappeared. I'm just saying. That one device is a strange one anyway.