Image your system with free Macrium


  1. Posts : 2,686
    Windows 8.1 Pro w/Media Center 64bit, Windows 7 HP 64bit
       #1071

    Britton30 said:
    Thanks Jim, I'll name mine PEBKAC1..2...3
    I always add the date in the name also. Renaming does not affect the file as it still has the Image ID imbedded. I just renamed one and then opened Macrium and verified the image.

    Jim
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 5,956
    Win 7 Pro x64, Win 10 Pro x64, Linux Light x86
       #1072

    lehnerus2000 said:
    Stephanie said:
    Thank you Keith your recommendation means much to me :)
    Actually you may want to look at whs' other Macrium Tutorial, as this one is showing screenshots of the old version (v4?).
    Imaging with free Macrium

    kado897 said:
    I can recommend Macrium Steph. I have used it successfully to restore an image several times.
    I also add my vote for Macrium (for what it's worth).

    I've used it for ~4 years and it hasn't failed me yet (I've also used it to restore images, more than "several times"). :)
    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    I've used Macrium Reflect to restore images a couple of times without problem.
    Thank you :)
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1073

    Renaming the image file will cause problems if using the XML files.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 10,796
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #1074

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    Renaming the image file will cause problems if using the XML files.
    XML files are only used as a script to make backups as far as I understand. You can rename afterwards and restore. But why rename??
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 70
    Win 7 Pro 64 bit
       #1075

    I had to use Macrium this evening for the first time. I got a scary message on bootup that "my system's firmware did not preserve the system memory map...." then my PC got stuck at bootup in an endless cycle. I couldn't boot into safe mode either. After trying the repair feature on my WinPE Macrium CD-ROM without success I restored the image from my spare drive onto my C drive and booted up again.

    Same thing happened. Endless cycle of reboots.

    Until a very helpful forum member asked if my C drive was configured correctly in the BIOS. I checked and to my surprise my SSD (C / OS drive) was listed as ICE, whereas I was sure I'd set it to AHCI when I installed Windows. I changed it back again and hey-ho bootup straight into Windows as if nothing untoward had happened.

    Moral of the story - BIOS settings can also stop a PC from booting up correctly regardless of whether the disk has been restored from a known working image or not!
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 10,796
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #1076

    Diddlededum said:
    I had to use Macrium this evening for the first time. I got a scary message on bootup that "my system's firmware did not preserve the system memory map...." then my PC got stuck at bootup in an endless cycle. I couldn't boot into safe mode either. After trying the repair feature on my WinPE Macrium CD-ROM without success I restored the image from my spare drive onto my C drive and booted up again.

    Same thing happened. Endless cycle of reboots.

    Until a very helpful forum member asked if my C drive was configured correctly in the BIOS. I checked and to my surprise my SSD (C / OS drive) was listed as ICE, whereas I was sure I'd set it to AHCI when I installed Windows. I changed it back again and hey-ho bootup straight into Windows as if nothing untoward had happened.

    Moral of the story - BIOS settings can also stop a PC from booting up correctly regardless of whether the disk has been restored from a known working image or not!
    Of course! If you change bios settings, system acts differently. Same after restoring with new motherboard. If you swap components (or the way they behave in BIOS), problems do occur.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 24,479
    Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
       #1077

    Kaktussoft said:
    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    Renaming the image file will cause problems if using the XML files.
    XML files are only used as a script to make backups as far as I understand. You can rename afterwards and restore. But why rename??
    With 8-10 images or PCs, it's good to know when they were made and where they go.
      My Computer


  8. whs
    Posts : 26,210
    Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8
    Thread Starter
       #1078

    I think some of you are complicating the matter. Although it is possible to rename the image files, there is not really any need to do so.

    All image files are dated and if you store them in a folder that is unique for that partition, there should be no confusion. I have one folder for C and one folder for the data partition on each disk where I store the images (I alternate between a couple of disks for the images - extra safety measure). So when I go to my C folder on disk 1 and look at the date of the image, I know exactly which image I am dealing with.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #1079

    whs said:
    I think some of you are complicating the matter. Although it is possible to rename the image files, there is not really any need to do so.

    All image files are dated and if you store them in a folder that is unique for that partition, there should be no confusion. I have one folder for C and one folder for the data partition on each disk where I store the images (I alternate between a couple of disks for the images - extra safety measure). So when I go to my C folder on disk 1 and look at the date of the image, I know exactly which image I am dealing with.
    I never renamed the image files since Macrium advises against it (for good reason, I later learned; it messes up the link with the XML files). One of the reasons I started putting my images in dated folders was, at the time, I was also making incremental images at the time (I know longer need to) and I couldn't think of any other easy way to keep a main image and its incrementals associated with each other without renaming the images. I have been renaming the XML files to make associating them with the images much easier but I'm about ready to discontinue making XML files since the only thing I used them for was making incremental images and I no longer do so.

    I keep my images on their own "external" HDDs (internal HDDs used in docks or swap bays; three HDDs for each HDD in use) so there never was a need for me to use folders to keep track of which HDD or partition a back up was for.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 249
    Win 7 Pro, Mac OS Sierra
       #1080

    I tried macrium once. think I tried several backup programs for windows. all looked confusing for me, being a long time mac user. backups are easy on the mac. not so easy for windows it would seem...

    on the mac, I just set time machine as my backup and forget it. a few mouse clicks and done (never have to set or change anything again). wish windows had something as easy for backups...
      My Computer


 

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