ACER laptop reset PC from BIOS/UEFI menu

[ChrisGreaves]

Is my memory failing? I would swear that on either a laptop or a desk top I used to see an option during the reboot process, before Windows (version?) was loaded, whereby I could reset the computer by interrupting the boot sequence with a function key.

On today's ACER Aspire 3 A315-23 series Model number N18Q13 I have wandered through the firmware menu and can see no sign of any form of restore or reset from a recovery partition.
Perhaps that is why I saw no such thing on my dead HP15 laptop a week ago?

This afternoon I power on, let Win11 install, and managed a factory reset from within Windows settings (took 30 minutes with the Windows updates).

My objective is to create a bootable Macrium installation DVD and a bootable Macrium USB key, two strings to my bow. I still dislike NOT having a recovery means that is tangible and separate from the laptop itself.

My goal is to use this Acer Win11 system to get back into the dead HP15 system.

<F2> during reboot gets me into the firmware menu, where only one boot option (Windows) is shown.
<F12> during reboot gets me directly into the menu where only one boot option (Windows) is shown.

Question 1: Once I create a bootable DVD should I expect to see an extra item in this ACER boot menu?
Question 2: Once I create a bootable USB key should I expect to see an extra item in this ACER boot menu?
Question 3: Has technology advanced to the point where nowadays one can boot only from the Windows partition?
Question 4: I have a Macrium boot key from the dead HP15. Can I use that at least to see if it shows up in the boot menu <F12>?

I ask these four questions because my track record is not very good in this area.

Thanks, Chris

[stuck]

...I have wandered through the firmware menu and can see no sign of any form of restore or reset from a recovery partition...

The only times I've done a factory reset was on my Acer One netbook. I don't have the machine any more so I can't check / refresh my memory but using Alt F10 as shown here:
    https://community.acer.com/en/kb/articl ... on-startup
sounds familiar.

Ken

[Rebel]

"<F2> during reboot gets me into the firmware menu, where only one boot option (Windows) is shown.
<F12> during reboot gets me directly into the menu where only one boot option (Windows) is shown.

Question 1: Once I create a bootable DVD should I expect to see an extra item in this ACER boot menu?
Question 2: Once I create a bootable USB key should I expect to see an extra item in this ACER boot menu?
Question 3: Has technology advanced to the point where nowadays one can boot only from the Windows partition?
Question 4: I have a Macrium boot key from the dead HP15. Can I use that at least to see if it shows up in the boot menu <F12>?"

Ways to access the boot menu: 4 ways to access the boot menu
Ways to access the Acer Recovery Partition: Acer Recovery Partition
Question 1: I don't believe that you will see this option in the Acer boot menu unless (see below)
Question 2: I don't believe that you will see this option in the Acer boot menu unless (see below)
Both questions 1 and 2 can be answered however by creating the DVD and USB keys. They should appear (from what I can remember) if you have reordered the boot sequence in the BIOS AND you have either a bootable DVD or a bootable USB key inserted into your DVD player or USB port when you power on the computer.
Question 3: No.
Question 4: See answer to question 2. The Macrium boot key should show up IF you have reordered the boot sequence in the BIOS and you have the Macrium key inserted into a usb port when the computer powers on.
I believe these answers are accurate, but it's been a long time since I've used Windows boot menu. The only way to know for certain is to test it Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

    https://community.acer.com/en/kb/articl ... ows-on-my-
acer-computer-using-alt-f10-on-startup sounds familiar.

Thank you Ken, especially for re-assuring me in my first question "Is my memory failing?". It is a function-key sequence like this Alt+F10 that I remember.
I read your response last night, fired up the new Acer laptop, Alt+F10 and saw it work through those pale blue 2"x1" buttons as far as the factory reset option, which is how I remember doing it, then powered down before I did any damage; and had a very sound sleep last night.

I have said for years that the power of a BBS lies not just in its ability to warehouse knowledge in text form, but in its ability to mine the brains of its members.

Morning. A fresh mind. And i am ready to explore my old HP15 to see if I can make my way to Factory-reset from firmware using the Alt+F10 key. The old HP15 is my goal in all of this.
Thanks again.

[ChrisGreaves]

Ways to access the boot menu: ...

JP>> Ways to access the boot menu: 4 ways to access the boot menu Ways to access the Acer Recovery Partition: Acer Recovery Partition

John thanks for these two excellent links. The first link gave me suggestions to access recovery partitions in Acer; Asus; Dell; HP; Lenovo and Samsung. The second link was such a good search that I stole it, changed “Acer” to “HP” and found “Alternate method for opening the HP Recovery partition (for select models only) Press f11 while the computer is starting. Or, press and hold f11 as you press the power button.”
I may now be very much closer to my goal, of recovering the HP.

JP>> Both questions 1 and 2 can be answered however by creating the DVD and USB keys.

This is quite firmly on this week’s ToDo list. I am determined to become comfortable with recovery by “doing the exercises” until my confidence rises.

JP>> Question 3: No.

I am relieved to hear this. <paranoia> Over the years I see a gradual move away from having Personal Computers, as controlled property, to simple terminals on loan from a service provider. The reduction in keys (<Break> especially) and options such as “S mode” (only MS-sponsored applications allowed) </paranoia>

JP>> Question 4: See answer to question 2. The Macrium boot key should show up IF you have reordered the boot sequence in the BIOS and you have the Macrium key inserted into a USB port when the computer powers on.

I shall carefully make use of the Macrium Boot key this morning to see what happens, but first the magic <F11> key as mentioned above.
Thanks again for your help
Chris

[Rebel]

I shall carefully make use of the Macrium Boot key this morning to see what happens, but first the magic <F11> key as mentioned above.
Thanks again for your help
Chris

Just remember that the Macrium boot key will serve no purpose unless you have previously made (and can locate) a backup or a system image.

[Jay Freedman]

Something that I frequently forget, and catch up on later: The Macrium recovery DVD and/or USB drive contains a copy of the Reflect program that is current at the time you make the recovery media. Macrium has been releasing updates rather frequently over the last year or so, some of which fix bugs that could cause problems if you really need to do a full recovery. It's a good idea (which, as I said, I often forget) to make new recovery media after an important update -- certainly after stepping up to a new major release. This is quicker and easier to do with a USB drive that you can overwrite than with a DVD.

[ChrisGreaves]

Something that I frequently forget, and catch up on later: The Macrium recovery DVD and/or USB drive contains a copy of the Reflect program that is current at the time you make the recovery media. Macrium has been releasing updates rather frequently over the last year or so, some of which fix bugs that could cause problems if you really need to do a full recovery. It's a good idea (which, as I said, I often forget) to make new recovery media after an important update -- certainly after stepping up to a new major release. This is quicker and easier to do with a USB drive that you can overwrite than with a DVD.

Thanks for this discussion Jay.

I think of a recovery/installation medium with two purposes:-
1. To bring back to life a dead machine. This is the case with my prized HP15 which I seem to have destroyed a week ago. By itself it cannot do a factory reset from firmware, and of course cannot boot into Windows to recover from within Windows. I wish I had need a bootable medium to get the ball rolling.
Your comment suggests that a copy of Macrium will be available on the recovery medium itself, so in theory I have the windows system AND a version of Macrium that once ran on that system. If I had all that, then in theory I could obtain an ISO, ferret out any installation/registration keys and get my system back to life. Windows Updates would have to run, and maybe even the disk re-partitioned into Boot and Data, but with an operational system i should be able quickly to get back to last week's status.

2. To recover a running machine to a working state. This would have been my situation had I realized much earlier that the recovery partition had been destroyed. Recover the system with the recovery partition in place - or even just restore the recovery partition - and then get on with life.
To this end I should be making a system backup once a month on a regular basis. (My data is backed up each night).

So it seems to me that any time I make a Macrium backup, Macrium will park itself on the medium, and so I will always have at hand the Macrium version which I was using at the time the backup was made.

If I choose to d/l and use the latest version of Macrium just before instituting the monthly system backup, then i will be wonderfully coordinated.

Something that i thought of last night regarding Macrium or any third-party recovery software (Acronis et al) is that such software voids the "S Mode" operation, and so only a pure-Windows recovery method can preserve that "S mode" status on the system image.
I am making such a system image on the interim ACER-3 as I type.

Thanks again
Chris

[ChrisGreaves]

Both questions 1 and 2 can be answered however by creating the DVD and USB keys. They should appear (from what I can remember) if you have reordered the boot sequence in the BIOS AND you have either a bootable DVD or a bootable USB key inserted into your DVD player or USB port when you power on the computer.

In theory I now have TWO bootable memory keys; a Macrium from March this year, and a questionable Win11 created a few moments ago.
After a quick cuppa I shall try booting.
Status Report:
Well, this is not encouraging. I spent the afternoon trying to make a Windows 11 System Recovery following the instructions from Tech Republic.

20230823_163102.jpg

The system image to a DVD seemed to run OK but terminated with an error “System repair disc could not be created Unspecified error (0c80004005)”

20230823_02.png

31 GB of the nominally 100 GB USB external drive is in use. Maybe the failure was on the verify pass?
Undaunted I press on with the bootable USB key – 64 GB – which I bought at the local pharmacy, only place in town that sells memory keys.
This fails with "We can't create the recovery drive. A problem occurred while creating the recovery drive"

20230823_01.png

This boot key seems to have used 6 GB of the ONLY 32 GB on the key. I have been ripped off again!

Once this is posted I plan to try booting from the 64/32 GB memory key, in case it works.
The Macrium key worked on the HP15, so I am now checking to make sure that a boot key can be used on the ACER-3.

Cheers, Chris