First use of Macrium Reflect: Questions

whs said:

Here is another option. I have used AOMEI a few times. It's an OK program.
Backup Dynamic System Volume on Dynamic Disk With Free Softw

So you are saying forget about converting back from dynamic to basic, then?

And now I see this at the PW website:

Note: The home edition of MiniTool Partition software does not support “convert dynamic disk to basic”.

So it doesn't seem that it would have helped me in any case. Unless that information is out of date and they've included it in the Home edition.

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=b0a22...89320E3247!215

Older versions of Partition Wizard bootable disc WILL convert from dynamic to basic.

Get PW422 from above link. It was uploaded to that site by a highly respected member here and is legit.

Thanks, I will download it but not perform the conversion yet. Waiting for more input from whs or kado.

whs said:

The windows key that Belarc lists is only useful when it is a retail key. An OEM key cannot be used for reinstallation. For that you need the original recovery disc.

I don't believe a recovery disc came with the computer. But let's set this issue aside so as not to get sidetracked.

Btw - is there a way you could decrypt that disk.

Don't know, actually. Even if possible, sounds like a major operation that could go wrong. And probably require a reboot, too. Which you've said I should not do yet before converting back from dynamic to basic.

So. How about I backup my data files to a USB stick and then take my chances with the older version of PW that ignatz has pointed me to. If this goes wrong, I still have a two weeks old Windows Backup Image on the external hard disk drive.

I know that restoring from a Windows Backup Image works because I had to use it when the November Windows Update trashed my computer. And then I could add back the files that I would save to the stick now.

I'd lose some of the program installations and browser add-ons that came in the past two weeks but those could be reinstalled.

What do you say?

OK, need to take a 30 minute break. When I return, I may post with any questions that come up about the PW conversion or if that poses no questions, after the conversion completes. Thanks for sticking with me.