Hello,
It sounds like the issue lies with the boot configuration not properly transferring over when you restore the image, which prevents the boot loader from initializing. This is often a problem when cloning or restoring an image to a new drive, especially if it's a different make or model than the original one. Here are a few steps to help preserve the boot menu:
Use Disk Partitions Carefully: Ensure that the drive you're restoring to has the same partition layout as the original drive (especially for system and boot partitions). If the drive structure differs, it can cause issues with the boot loader.
Run Boot Repair via Command Prompt:
After restoring the drive, boot from your Windows installation DVD.
Select Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt.
In Command Prompt, run these commands in order:
bash
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
Restart your computer and see if it recognizes the OS on the restored drive.
Use BCDBoot:
While still in Command Prompt from the installation DVD, you can use the bcdboot command to recreate the boot files:
mathematica
bcdboot C:\Windows
Replace C:\ with the correct drive letter of your Windows installation.
Check the Drive for EFI Mode:
If your system uses UEFI, make sure the drive is formatted as GPT, not MBR. You can check this by running diskpart, then typing list disk and looking for an asterisk (*) under the GPT column next to the drive.
If the restored drive isn't GPT and UEFI is required, you may need to convert it.
Make the Restored Drive the First Boot Option:
After restoring the image, enter your BIOS/UEFI settings and ensure the restored drive is set as the primary boot device.
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