Macrium Reflect free

trimmer said:

I think I'll keep Macrium v.5, Windows PE seems too complicated. I can't understand how the rescue works. If my PC won't boot to Windows, how do I access Windows PE rescue file? 'Lady Fitzgerald': Do I download "Windows PE" (rescue?) to my Toshiba Canvio external drive? Using v.5 now; I have #2 50 GB Macrium (.mrimg) files in X-Backup #1 and X-Backup #2 [folders]......all PC partitions. I only put Lynux rescue on a CD. I avoid using them when I can.

'Layback Bear': Yes, I found out I need PE 3.1 - I'm stumped on how the rescue is retrieved, if t/PC won't boot to Windows. I hope everyone can half-way get what I'm saying, regards,
-Roy

On my paid version of Macrium V5, the Create Rescue Media screen contain an Advanced button under the Windows PE section. Clicking on that shows selection options PE 3.1, PE 4.0 & PE 5.0, I use PE 5.0 as it contains USB 3.0 drivers, which I need.

You can use any of them for Windows 7 if you want to, the higher number ones contain more hardware & have more drivers etc..

I have never been able to get any USB drive to work for creating the rescue media, so I use a CD. The most important thing to do afterwards is to make sure the rescue media works.

Dale, the Rescue Disc is used to boot the computer, then it provides the ability to locate your backed up image or whatever from it's source, so you can reinstall Windows exactly as it was when you created the back up.

You would use it for example if you a hard drive failure, or the system becoming totally corrupted for some reason, or a serious virus attack. However, do not have the back up drive connected to the computer all the time as a serious virus attack can find it's way onto it & ruin the back up.

marsmimar said:

...Now I used two external drives for redundancy (I'm betting both drives won't fail at the same time)...

That's similar to what I do for the same reason. I have a set of four backup drives for each drive in my computer: two of each set I keep onsite and the other two I keep offsite (in my safe deposit box at my credit union). I once had a data drive get corrupted and corrupted one backup drive while trying to update it. I was easily able to recover within a few hours because I knew what files I had added since the previous backup and was able to copy them to another drive, then formatted the corrupted data and backup drives, repopulate the data drive from the second backup drive, copy the files I had rescued back to that data drive, then update both backup drives. Since this happened on a Saturday morning, had I had only one onsite and one offsite backup drives, I otherwise would have had to wait until Monday when I could retrieve my offsite backup, recover what I could from it, then recover the rest from my Carbonite account. I would have been down for several days instead of just several hours.

Since then, going all SSD has saved me a ton of time and space. Ferrying backup drives to and from my safe deposit box is easier, faster, and one heckuvalot easier on the old back.

I always recommend storing system images on more than one ext HDD. In the past I used 2 imaging programs - Macrium and Windows inbuilt. In multiple image restores to the existing OS drive and new drives both programs have worked reliably. Windows inbuilt is limited and not in the same class as Macrium so I eventually ditched it. I rely solely on Macrium and given the large number of system images and restores I've made I don't think I need another imaging program. I put the effort in making more regular system images.

Last time I heard AOMEI was Chinese software while Macrium Reflect is developed in the UK if that makes a difference.

mjf said:

I always recommend storing system images on more than one ext HDD...

I agree although I go a bit farther. Since I am using a paid version of Macrium Reflect that allows me to install the Recovery Boot Menu option (when booting the computer, I can choose between Win 7 or Win PE/Macrium Reflect instead using separate rescue media), I save images to one of my internal data drives (G:) for convenience. That way, if I need to restore an image and my C: drive is still good, I don't need to use my rescue USB drive and one of my "external" backup drives. I also don't need to plug in one of my backup drives when saving an image. Normally, saving a backup to an internal drive is a very bad idea but, since my G: drive gets backed up anyway, the images also get backed up.

Each image is on either three drives—G: internal and its two onsite backups—or five drives—G: internal, its two onsite backups, and its two offsite backups—depending on when the offsite backups get updated.

My backup scheme is insanely redundant but I have data that either would be expensive and/or time consuming to replace or is flat impossible to replace.

I learned from experience.
You will need a P.E. made from a MBR and a P.E. made from a UEIF computer. They are not interchangeable.
Not a big deal. Just make them and label them.

Jack

Layback Bear said:

I learned from experience.
You will need a P.E. made from a MBR and a P.E. made from a UEIF computer. They are not interchangeable.
Not a big deal. Just make them and label them.

Jack

True that. Although I'm currently using only MBR for my boot disks/partitions on my computer, I still make a USB recovery "disk" for each one of them just to play it safe (plus I will have one available whenever I take one of my notebooks on the road).

mjf said:

V5 does allow you to select a linux rescue ISO. I just made one then deleted it.

I have the latest V5 version on one PC and V6 on another build and I use a Win pe rescue for both. The V5 Win pe involved a larger WAIK down load and you needed to add USB 3 drivers to the Win pe (messy for those not familiar with DISM) or manually add them each time you boot the V5 Win pe. V6 pe involves a much smaller download and has native support for USB 3.

Apparently a Macrium V7 free edition is coming soon.

Today I read that it might be in a couple of months but they have had soooo many updates to Version 7 that I might wait even longer.