Currently Reflect uses WinPE in all its incarnations of Recovery Media, including Local BOOT.  This requires external loading of the recovery OS as well as Reflect itself for the recovery process.

I would think using the actual LIVE OS prior to Windows being loaded would be a faster process as well as a process that would be using the exact same OS as the one being restored.  A minimal NT API is available at this time point in the BOOTing process and most likely all the necessary building blocks for a successful restore are also available.  Also Windows itself has not been started as of yet, only the API is available so available Volumes are not yet LOCKed.

I would think this to be a very efficient restore process and also one which would be even more timely than what exists today.  Of course the external Recovery Media (CD/DVD/UFD) would continue to utilize WinPE as its basis for a recovery operation... something very necessary if the OS has been tampered with or a bare metal restore is required.

Any reason why such an approach would not work?

Interesting suggestion.  Sounds somewhat similar to what Windows does when it requires a restart for update installations, except that usually involves prep work during shutdown as well as the early (pre-GUI) start-up processes.  Do I understand correctly that you would propose this as an alternative to Reflect's existing "Add Recovery Boot Menu Option", but not as a replacement for the WinPE rescue media build itself?

Regards, Richard V. ("Arvy")

Morning Arvy!  Yep, that would be my suggestion.  The existing  PE creation options can remain the same, including the LOCAL BOOT option, it's just that Reflect would not use any of them for its Automatic LIVE restore requests.  I don't know this for a fact but it appears that during a LIVE restore request of a locked Volume, Reflect only looks to see if the Recovery Menu Option is in place before it directs the user in using the Automatic BOOT function, otherwise it suggests using a version of the Recovery Media.  This area would have to change a bit but probably not very much.  A LIVE Windows restoration request is already defined prior to the shutdown to accomplish this so that when the re-BOOT is done, the directives would be in place for the process to use when it kicks off at this level (maybe a full Command Line operation?).  Many processes other than Windows update use this level of the OS... Norton (God help us), ChkDisk, pre-BOOT defragging by some apps, etc.  The mostly complete I/O environment is available at this time so the restoration may run unencumbered.

The Rescue Media may continue to be WinPE-based AND available for LOCAL BOOT or external BOOT (CD/DVD/UFD) but would be used for MANUAL operations only, not the AUTOMATIC restorations initiated under the LIVE WIndows/Macrium environment.

This approach would not be a  lot different than the way they do it now, especially as far as passing directives on to the Reflect process... but would be a lot more efficient (speed) and a lot less troublesome as far as various PE environments are concerned (you'd be using the same System for restoration as was used for imaging on that very same piece of hardware).  I'm biased here because I'm primarily a snapshot user (Local BOOT using RDR) and secondarily a System protection user (why not... I need both functions and Reflect works very well at both jobs).  But I believe a lot of users use the LIVE Windows recovery option and this would surely benefit all involved... especially ME 

Hi Froggie

The native Windows Pre-boot environment has a limited set of drivers and api functions available. For instance, no network is available and the local disk and USB access is limited to that provided natively by your OS. You can't access USB 3.0 if you are running anything less than Win 8.

The advantage of Windows PE is that you have full access to the Windows API, you can launch a more recent version of Windows which provides better hardware support, you have network access and in our tests booting into WinPE restored much faster.

That said, with RDR there may be an advantage if the image is actually accessible. We may well re-investigate this.

Kind Regards

Nick

Macrium Support

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I really like the concept as you've explained it, Froggie, especially as a possible alternative to the current passing of directives for an automatic WinPE reboot that requires the "Add Recovery Boot Menu Option" to be enabled and that won't work if it isn't.  I hope the Macrium gang may be able to find some time to consider the possiblities further.  If it means dropping support for WinXP, I think I'd be willing to accept the "sacrifice" myself.

Regards, Richard V. ("Arvy")

It would be great if Reflect sees the image holding disk as being "available" for use at the "NT Native API" and institutes that type of restore... otherwise it can use what exists today.

I'm startin' to shake just thinkig about it