Solved Laptop Will Not boot from Windows PE-Can't restore

[ChristophM]

The problem is my laptop will not let me run Windows PE whether it is on a memory stick SD card or DVD. What am I doing wrong? I have no support disks and want to swap the hard drive for a new one as the current one is failing.

I am trying to instal a new SSD Samsung EVo 850 into my laptop. I cannot it clone due to bad sectors and managed to create an image using Macrium Free. I also created a WINDOWS PE version on my memory stick again using Macrium.

If I take my current hard disk out and add in the new 850 and boot, the laptop does not recognise the Memory Stick and PE and shows the message missing bootmgr press alt ctrl delete. If the old HDD is in then all functions fine. (So I suspect that it was not booting from the memory stick?).

It appears to me that the laptop is not finding my memory stick can anyone tell me why not and how I can make it do that, please. I also created a DVD and and SD card image of Windows PE. Nothing worked. I have no disks anymore. The laptop is 5 years old? If I can install Windows PE then I will be able to restore my image and continue life. I have spent so long on this I am hoping that someone will have the simple solution. At boot up I tell the system to look at the USB for the boot sequence.

Thanks for any help.

 

[paul1149]

Why not put the SSD on a USB adapter, boot to the existing hard drive, then clone the existing hard drive to the SSD.

 

[ChristophM]

Can't Clone

Paul, I have already tried to clone and the cloning will not work due the number of bad sectors.

 

[paul1149]

Sorry I missed that. But I'm still not clear on what's going on. You used Macrium from within Windows to create the image, then restored the image to the SSD via USB? That is how I would do it. Then pull all other drives, sticks, etc. and try to boot from the SSD. If it doesn't work run a WinRE repair disk to repair the boot. Sorry if I'm missing something.

 

[ChristophM]

Paul, Thanks for your time on this. All that you wrote is what I was trying to do, but once I had swapped the old disk for the new I need to boot the laptop from a usb stick (using winpe) and that bit was not working. I found the answer which was create an mbr (master boot record) for the stick and everything then worked a treat.

 

[paul1149]

ok, glad you found the answer.