Thank you for your info. It was very helpful. It seems most people prefer using Macrium Free version. A question I could not determine from going to Macrium web site is: If I download & use the free version can I do both an image backup & also backup my data files to the same external drive or do I have to purchase the paid version to do this?? Thanks again.
If your OS and programs are on their own drive or partition, you can make images of that drive or partition and save them to an external drive (you aren't limited to one image as long as you have room to store them). Images are a type of file and can be stored just like other files. Imaging is the best way to backup the OS and programs since merely copying the OS and programs will render them nonfunctional.
Data can also be backed up by imaging (and saved on the same drive as the OS/program images) but, for backing up data, imaging takes too long. An image of the entire volume has to made every time a backup can be made. A folder/file syncing program, such as FreeFileSync, is much faster. A folder/file syncing program copies data files from a designated folder on the source drive to an identical folder on the destination drive. When set for backing up data, once the initial backup has been done, the only files that get transferred from the source drive to data drive are the ones that have changed since the previous backup. Any files that have been deleted from the source drive will also be deleted from the destination drive. Since only new, changed, and deleted files are involved, backups are much faster once the initial backup has been done.
If you haven't used it how could recommend it or not.
I've used it for years (5+) on 3 very different PCs without a single problem. I'm talking many images and system restores including to new drives. In terms of use it couldn't be simpler - click on "Create a system image".
As I have said I also use Macrium when added flexibility is required and just in case.
If further guidance is needed Brink has 2 tutorials on making and restoring system images using Windows inbuilt system imaging.
Reread what I wrote, especially what I just bolded. The fact I found it too confusing to use yet had no trouble using Macrium Reflect is another. Another reason is, if one move the Users folders from the C: drive or partition to another drive or partition, Windows Imaging will image both.
I can read. You are going on hearsay. I'm going on extensive first hand experience.Reread what I wrote, especially what I just bolded. The fact I found it too confusing to use yet had no trouble using Macrium Reflect is another. Another reason is, if one move the Users folders from the C: drive or partition to another drive or partition, Windows Imaging will image both.
It may be ok to suggest some others appear to have had problems but that's all.
I guess I did not make my question clear enough. My question was "If I download & use the free version, can I do both a image backup & also backup data files to the same external drive or do I have to purchase the paid version to do this?" To clarify, does the free version allow you to do an image of the complete system for a compete restore of the disk if needed & but also provide a way to backup data files (not an image of data files) but a copy of the new, changed, deleted file, etc.
That "hearsay" far outnumbers your own experience. Also, I did say from the word go that my opinion was based the problems others have said.I can read. You are going on hearsay. I'm going on extensive first hand experience.Reread what I wrote, especially what I just bolded. The fact I found it too confusing to use yet had no trouble using Macrium Reflect is another. Another reason is, if one move the Users folders from the C: drive or partition to another drive or partition, Windows Imaging will image both.
It may be ok to suggest some others appear to have had problems but that's all.
Lets drop the bitching and try help bbrose2 instead.
bbrose2 : the free version of Macrium will image everything and restore everything. For data backups, use either FreeFileSync or SyncToy which can backup incrementally.
SyncToy - Backup User Data
Golden,
Thank you. I certainly did not want to get into the middle of that discussion! Do you happen to know if the paid version will allow you to incrementally backup data files in addition to doing a image backup only of the OS drive? I do not want to have to run 2 different program just to do backups. Is Aomei any better than Macrium.
Bud Rose
The paid verison of Macrium allows incremental imaging, but not backups as far as I know. I could be wrong there though. I use the the 2 x software approach myself.
AOEMI has a very good name, and is becoming very popular, but I don't know much about it. It has imaging as well as backup capability. I've asked SiW2 to drop by here....knows the software intimately and will offer his experience of it.
***Edit***
I've just looked at my paid version of Macrium Reflect, and it DOES indeed have a folder backup option.
It would be worth waiting for SiW2 to post about AOEMI first, then you can decide between Macrium or AOEMI (I suspect AOEMI might offer all this functionality in their free version)
Last edited by Golden; 18 Jul 2014 at 21:49.
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