Image your system with free Macrium

mjf said:

Bill2 said:

mjf said:

I'm pretty sure you loose the F8 function when you dispense with system reserved. However, a system repair disk will give you the same capability.

F8 function "Repair your computer" requires only 2 things to function- the RE files (these are automatically installed on the computer when win7 is installed on the computer) and some bcd entries. It is not dependent on the Sysres partition.

All you need to do after making whatever changes you are making is- first check whether "Repair your computer" is present or not. If not the 2 simplest ways of creating it are by using reagentc or with easybcd (easybcd doesnt create the F8 thing but it can be used to create a bootmenu entry for the recovery options which is as good).

Yes and SIW2 provided a post sometime back on the use of reagentc etc to do this. The Winre is stored in the normally "difficult" to access recovery partition on the OS/Boot partition.
This gives the F8 functionality or the F8 THING as you call it.
It requires some mucking around and a substitute F key. Can you substitute the specific F8 as the function key??? If so detailed instructions would help the OP next time.
I also find it relatively simple but many would not! Again the simplest solution as I stated is you use your System Repair disk.

Here is the SIW2 link if you want to give it a go.
100 MB Partition

Thanks for the link! :)

whs said:

Regarding restores to smaller partitions I am not sure the paid version can do that. This is a quote from one of their tutorials.

You must create enough space for the restored partition. If the total space of the selected partitions is less than the size of the partition to be restored then the 'Next' button will be disabled.

Reference

Note that free Paragon can do a "Restore with shrink". http://www.paragon-software.com/home/br-free/

I just checked your Paragon URL and found these words there:

"Restore with Shrink to restore a backup image to a free block of smaller size taking into account only the amount of actual data of the image"

This sure sounds like what I want (or at least what I am used to having with Ghost). Now I must ponder whether this feature is enough to push me to Paragon after all the good words about Macrium.

Of all the things discussed so far, I would place reliability as number ONE on my list of concerns. To me, that far outweighs ease of use, etc. (well, unless a program is so complex that is becomes useless). I am researching the parts now for a new PC using a Sandy Bridge processor, an SSD drive for C: and regular HDDs for other drives, Win 7 64 bit, etc. I consider this backup and restore program choice as a crucially important part of all that planning. The days of QIC-40 and QIC-80 tape drives and the bogus feeling of safety they provided is unfortunately very fresh in my memory <g>!

Yeah but it's not free i.e. $20US. Having just come from SIW2's EaseUS thread it seems that product might do it all, tho I dunno about alignment and moving the 100Mb partition.

whs said:

Maybe you worry too much. The case where you have to restore an image to a smaller partition is quasi non-existant. It is only in the case where you migrate an OS from a HDD to a SSD where it typically occurs. And for that case I think it is easiest to use the Paragon Migration Tool. That not only shrinks the partition, it also aligns the SSD, sets the MBR, moves the 100MB partition - and all of that with 2 clicks.

I asked about his not just with reference to SSD migration. I tend to keep PCs a long while, and over that lifetime I frequently see drive failures. With my past software, I never had to worry about drive size, so I sometimes put in whatever was convenient. A failed 320GB drive might get replaced by a 250GB or a 500GB, whichever was handy. So no, I'm not exactly "worrying" about this subject, but I do believe it is a valid consideration.

Moreover, the fact that Macrium might only be able to restore to equal or larger sizes makes me wonder if it's imaging the whole partition, bit by bit, including all the unused sectors. Since that would be sort of obtuse, maybe it just can't readjust the partition table or MFT.

Moving to the SSD issue, thanks for the tip on the Paragon tool. It sounds very handy. If Paragon can do "shrink while restoring", maybe this SSD migration feature is built in to their backup program as well. I will investigate.

On Paragon, as far as I could tell the drive letter "bumping" it does is for its "capsule", but that may be elective, something offered by its wizard, but not mandated.

I understand the importance of your description of Macrium having a simpler, more straight forward interface than Paragon. However do you have an opinion on whether Paragon is as solid and reliable as Macrium for the Win 7 64 bit environment with Sandy Bridge processor based systems? I ask this because while previously I had read the trouble maker for many imaging programs was the 64 bit Win7 OS, now I read that the Sandy Bridge processor is equally a factor.

maxseven said:

Yeah but it's not free i.e. $20US. Having just come from SIW2's EaseUS thread it seems that product might do it all, tho I dunno about alignment and moving the 100Mb partition.

I keep looking for decision points, "choice filters" if you will, between the Macrium, Paragon, and EaseUS products. Often this sort of thing is easy and there is a clear front-runner. In this case though, the tradeoffs seem to be subtle.....

whs said:

I understand the importance of your description of Macrium having a simpler, more straight forward interface than Paragon. However do you have an opinion on whether Paragon is as solid and reliable as Macrium for the Win 7 64 bit environment with Sandy Bridge processor based systems? I ask this because while previously I had read the trouble maker for many imaging programs was the 64 bit Windows 7 OS, now I read that the Sandy Bridge processor is equally a factor.

I am not aware of any shortcomings of Paragon on Sandy Bridge. But I use it only on one system and that is not a Sandy Bridge CPU. I suggest you send them a mail asking for advice. I found them to be very responsive.
keep looking for decision points, "choice filters" if you will, between the Macrium, Paragon, and EaseUS products. Often this sort of thing is easy and there is a clear front-runner. In this case though, the tradeoffs seem to be subtle.....

I guess this depends on your requirements. For "bread and butter" needs, I still think Macrium is the best. But if you need some more extravagent functions (e.g. Differntials, Shrinking, etc.) Paragon may be a better choice. I know nothing about EasyUS, so I cannot comment. And regarding Paragon on Sansy Bridge I cannot comment either. I do not have a Sandy Bridge CPU.

I have no need for differential or incremental back-ups, and as discussed, shrinking is a "desire" but not necessarily a true "need". Still, I will read more about Paragon.

Given the popularity of the Sandy Bridge platform, if any of these programs have trouble with it, finding out which one(s) seems more than prudent.

Question for all: Has anyone here successfully done not only backups but also restores on a modern PC based on the Sandy Bridge processor using Macrium (or for that matter, with EaseUS or Paragon)? If so, please jump in!