Windows 7: Image your system with free Macrium

I'm not sure which version of Macrium is being used here but I think the Windows boot menu option is available only with the paid versions.

I may have been wrong about S3 being the correct ACPI setting in my BIOS. Here's what I just learned from the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface Specification, Revision 4.0a of April 5, 2010:

S1 Sleeping State -- The S1 sleeping state is a low wake latency sleeping state. In this state, no system context is lost (CPU or chip set) and hardware maintains all system context.

S3 Sleeping State -- The S3 sleeping state is a low wake latency sleeping state where all system context is lost except system memory. CPU, cache, and chip set context are lost in this state. Hardware maintains memory context and restores some CPU and L2 configuration context. Control starts from the processor's reset vector after the wake event.

Does this sound like I might be on the right track? I'll try changing the BIOS to S1 later this afternoon and report back.

Yeah, you should be on S1.

Guilty as charged

I do have that benefit.
Originally the Free version not only lacked that but it also lacked any incremental/differential backup and any form of WinPE recovery.

The free version has more recently been given some benefits that were reserved for the paid version and I am afraid I have lost track of the distinctions.

Regards
Alan

I think the only real benefit the free version has got recently is the ability to handle GPT disks.

Long night and long morning (and long post, I apologize). I still have no solution regarding my computer going in to Power Save Mode (PSM) randomly when booted up with the Macrium WinPE Recovery Disk.

My system works fine when I do a normal startup using my Windows 7 OS. I experience absolutely no premature PSMs.

I'm pretty much at a loss; here's what I've tried so far, performing a system reboot before each test:

USING MACRIUM WINPE USB RECOVERY THUMB DRIVE:

1. Reconfirmed that PSM is invoked with ACPI setting in BIOS set to "S3."
Test 1: Booted up, PSM NOT invoked after 12 minutes; stopped test
Test 2: PSM invoked at 2:19 minutes.
Test 3: PSM invoked at 4:48 minutes.
Test 4: PSM invoked at 7:40 minutes.

2. Changed ACPI setting in BIOS to "S1"
Test 1: PSM invoked at 2:43 minutes
Test 2: PSM invoked at 6:29 minutes
Test 3: PSM invoked at 2:57 minutes
Test 4: PSM invoked at 1:37 minutes

3. Rebooted, after Macrium start-up moved mouse every 10-15 seconds
Test 1: PSM invoked at 1:46 minutes

4. Rebooted, after Macrium start-up moved menu slider bar up and down every 10-15 seconds
Test 1: PSM invoked at 6:27 minutes

5. Rebooted, changed BIOS ACPI back to "S3." After Macrium start-up turned on external HDD
Test 1: PSM invokded at 1:26 minutes

USING MACRIUM WINPE CD RECOVERY DISK:

6. Test 1: PSM invoked at 1:27 minutes
Test 2: PSM invoked at 1:47 minutes

At this point I hit the internet for additional research. I found many Dell customers with a wide variety of monitors having power save and sleep problems. I tried some of their recommendations as follows:

7. Disabled the "DDI/CI" setting on my monitor and Booted up using WINPE USB Thumb drive
Test 1: PSM NOT invoked after 15 minutes; stopped test
Test 2: PSM NOT invoked after 15 minutes; stopped test
Test 3: PSM invoked at 1:16 minutes
Test 4: PSM invoked at 3:58 minutes

8. Change from HDMI cable to DVI-D
Test 1: PSM NOT invoked after 15 minutes; stopped test
Test 2: PSM invoked at 4:42 minutes

9. Using DVI-D cable, turning off monitor after Macrium start-up
Test 1: PSM NOT invoked after 15 minutes; stopped test
Test 2: PSM invoked some time before 15 minutes (I had the monitor shut-off until 15 minutes passed)

10. Following Dell tech guidance in a thread at their user forum, disconnected all monitor and computer cables and power cords, pressed the power button on the monitor for 5 seconds; reconnect then reboot.
Test 1: PSM NOT invoked after 15 minutes; stopped test
Test 2: PSM invoked at 11:23 minutes

USING A SEPARATE WINDOWS RESCUE THUMB DRIVE CREATED FROM THE WINDOWS 7 "BACKUP AND RESTORE" UTILITY:

11. Test 1: PSM invoked at 3:59 minutes

Since I have no problems during a normal start-up (not using a recovery disk), I'm wondering if a solution might be found by loading some type of driver when prompted during the Macrium startup screen. So far, per previous guidance on these forums, I have always selected "No" at the Load Drivers prompt. Does this sound like a feasible solution to explore?

The saga continues...

The driver route may be the solution. But I have never messed with that. So you'll have to experiment with that.

I'll continue to experiment. I suppose the key will be to figure out which driver is used by Windows 7 after normal startup to prevent the premature Power Save Mode...

Also another area I'm digging in to is acpi registry entries; Any changes made there would not be applied during a Macrium Recovery Disk boot-up, correct?

The Macrium would restore the way it was when the Macrium Image was made. Any changes after that would not be on the Image.