Macrium Reflect- leaving junk?

kado897 said:

No because you will overwrite the image you are trying to restore from.

So the only way to restore is to use an external HD?

kado897 said:

If I remember correctly Macrium won't even present the disk you are restoring from as an option.

I now understand that it is not recommended/possible so I guess its DVDs or external HD...

MilesAhead said:

t is not a good idea to create an image on the same disk that you are imaging

I agree with kado. Currently I use Macrium and Easus ToDo image backups. Before either of those I bought Paragon. Every time I tried that "backup capsule" scheme in Vista or later I had problems with my partition table. In fact, what fixed it was I did the Macrium trial. When I restored to test it, it asked if I wanted to copy the MBR from backup. I clicked Yes. My partition table was fixed.

NTFS Vista and later is slightly different than NTFS on XP. I gave up waiting for Paragon to get it right. Even if it did work, many nasty malwares know how to scotch your system so it won't boot. The backup capsule is a convenience if yoiu do frequent tests and restores. It's not good for malware or disk failure recovery.

But now with eSata and USB 3.0 docking stations, the restore from an external drive can be as fast. There's no real need for the backup capsule.

Thank you I won't even try.
The Easus's is completely free or limited, restricted trial?
Which is better in your opinion, Macrium or Easus's?

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

Thanks everyone for your help:)

ignatzatsonic said:

You don't actually need to use a DVD for the recovery disk. A CD works fine.

You should make that recovery CD and then confirm that it actually boots your PC and that you can see all of your partitions and your saved image file. If not, you cannot restore an image.

Yes--if working properly, you should be able to select an image on the same disk--although as Kado897 points out, that is not a good strategy.

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

ignatzatsonic said:

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

kado897 said:

An external HDD is the best option. You could use a separate partition on the same drive but if you lose the drive you lose the backup. You can also back up to a set of DVDs but that is not a satisfactory solution as DVDs are not as reliable and you will need quite a few to store an image of your OS.

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

Senteaf said:

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

You navigate to the external just like any other drive--you choose it after having booted from the recovery disk.

I have used the EaseUS free version only. I assume there are paid versions as well.

You COULD create a partition on your internal drive to save the image on and then restore to another partition on the same drive from that, but it's bad form---if the drive fails, you lose the saved image and thus cannot restore.

ignatzatsonic said:

Senteaf said:

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

You navigate to the external just like any other drive--you choose it after having booted from the recovery disk.

I have used the EaseUS free version only. I assume there are paid versions as well.

You COULD create a partition on your internal drive to save the image on and then restore to another partition on the same drive from that, but it's bad form---if the drive fails, you lose the saved image and thus cannot restore.

Will it recognize a USB Hard Disk?

But is EaseUS free version really free, or trial for limited period of time?

MilesAhead said:

The Easus's is completely free or limited, restricted trial?

The free version is quite rich in features. The Linux boot CD you create with it even has USB 3.0 support. I tried it to make sure I could see drives in my USB 3.0 docks.

this one is also an option to consider.

Which is better in your opinion, Macrium or Easus's?

I haven't been using Easus that long. They are both similar. I would say check them both out and see if they work well with your hardware. These imaging programs work with the vast majority of disk controllers but sometimes there's one supported by one brand and not at all or only in slow compatibility mode by the other. Which is "better" often depends on your hardware setup. Paragon was fine for me until I got a machine that had some funky Raid controller setup. Macrium had no trouble with that controller.

Some people use a small "dummy" partition of a few hundred MB just to test the image backup and restore without risking the system partition. For example if the program releases a major upgrade you may want to try the new boot CD restore on the dummy partition before assuming it will be fine.


Usually if you can boot the restore CD and see all the drives then you're ok.

Thank you I will definitely try first.

kado897 said:

ignatzatsonic said:

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

I have tried both and settled on Macrium. The only problem I had with Macrium was getting the Linux recovery disk to see my external drives. I have also done several restores of the OS with Macrium with no problems, the last only two weeks ago.

What problems did you have and how did you solve them?
I will probably use external drives too...