Macrium vs Acronis True Home Image 2011

[techmonkey74]

I know both programs have been discussed before but what are the pros and cons of both Macrium and the latest version of Acronis (2011)? or are they pretty equal? I don't mind spending a few bucks on Acronis especially since I still got gift cards form Xmas Acronis looks like it has a "prettier" UI and really I would prefer to have purchase a disk rather that a download but that's not a deal breaker. I was also looking a Norton Ghost 15 but have read some really bad reviews.

 

[pparks1]

I use Acronis True Image 2010 and it's been solid for me. The Try and Decide feature was worth it to me. Takes a snapshot of hard drive, then you can play with whatever you want and at end, you can discard the changes and go right back to where you were. I got the software for $23.99 and it's been good for me. I don't really make use of incremental backups, but it has it.

I do use Macrium at work and it works out good for that purpose.

 

[OldMX]

I went from Acronis True Image to Clonezilla to PING and now to Macrium Free, eventually all of them failed me on several critical scenarios, now, with Macrium, its been a couple of months trouble free.

 

[pparks1]

I went from Acronis True Image to Clonezilla to PING and now to Macrium Free, eventually all of them failed me on several critical scenarios, now, with Macrium, its been a couple of months trouble free.

Hmmm...I wonder if you are doing something fundamentally wrong. Or have a very complex scenario that it cannot handle. I've used Acronis, Clonezilla and Macrium Free all without issue. Never had one crap out and leave me stranded.

 

[GeneO]

Go look at all of the problems and complaints on the Acronis support pages. Their software seems to get worse and worse each version. I was fine with TIH 10 but it didn't support Windows 7 so I bought 2011 and it was awful. They wouldn't even let me substitute TIH 2010 for 2011 - their loss. IOW, save your money.

Acronis True Image Home Forum | Knowledge Base

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I make images with Macrium and with the free WD version of Acronis. Macrium has a somewhat slicker interface and is a bit quicker.

You won't know which is worth a damn until you try to restore. You might think everything was being backed up fine and then have a failure at that point. It seems you find more Acronis issues on this forum than Macrium issues.

Yesterday, after I installed Windows 7 SP 1, I tried to run Acronis to make a fresh image. I could not. I got an error about not being able to find RPC yada yada. My remote procedure call service was running in Windows and my Acronis "helper/scheduler" apps were running.

It didn't inspire my confidence.

I uninstalled and then reinstalled Acronis and was able to make a new image.

My advice: back up your data without using an image. Make images of Windows if you want, but plan on them to fail when you most need them and know what you will do if they fail.

 

[whs]

On a complexity scale, Ghost is 8, Acronis is 6 and Macrium is 3 (1 is best). I needed 1 year to understand Ghost, a couple of months for Acronis and a couple of days for Macrium. But there is also free Paragon which is nice. It really depends how much time you want to invest to understand the programs. They all do the job. And the free versions normally suffice - no need to spend money.

BTW: the Windows native imaging would get a 20 on my above scale - what a dog.

 

[Night Hawk]

It depends on your use. For the main drive the system image option in 7 has proven itself reliable for a full year at both creating and restoring images.

Acronis WD free version tested and later full retail; Excellent for making images of and restoring to a second OS drive. ATI(ironic isn't it when abbreviated ) allow you to mount an image that will appear as a second C drive to add or remove files from an existing image. WD and Seagate provide their own free version of the Disk Director suite.

Ghost and Paragon never tried. Macrium free failed following unplug and replug as well as drive letter change labeling image as invalid when looked at.

 

[OldMX]

Hmmm...I wonder if you are doing something fundamentally wrong. Or have a very complex scenario that it cannot handle. I've used Acronis, Clonezilla and Macrium Free all without issue. Never had one crap out and leave me stranded.

No.

 

[pparks1]

Go look at all of the problems and complaints on the Acronis support pages.

Of course, you can hit any companies website and see problems and complaints listed.

I was fine with TIH 10 but it didn't support Windows 7 so I bought 2011 and it was awful.

The only version of Acronis that I have ever purchased was True Image Home 2010 and I bought it specifically for Windows 7. According to the acronis knowledge base, it says 2010 supports Windows 7 (All versions).Operating Systems Acronis True Image Home 2010 Supports | Knowledge Base. I'm unsure what information you were given that says TIH 2010 is not supported on Windows 7.

They wouldn't even let me substitute TIH 2010 for 2011 - their loss. IOW, save your money.

Most software companies won't give you an older version than what they are currently offering to customers. If you buy Windows 7, they won't substitute Windows XP for you if you don't like it.

On a complexity scale, Ghost is 8, Acronis is 6 and Macrium is 3 (1 is best). I needed 1 year to understand Ghost, a couple of months for Acronis and a couple of days for Macrium.

For me, I would say that Acronis and Macrium are more or less the same in terms of complexity. Both seem really really simple to me.

Perhaps a lot depends upon your system configuration. For me, it's always used on a computer with a single hard drive for the C drive, with 1 operating system installed. When I perform a restore, I pretty much always restore the C partition as well as the MBR for that drive.

 

[Night Hawk]

Acronis actually only took a few minutes here when first looked at for finding a location to store an image, choosing a name for it or allowing the automatic naming, and selecting drive(s), partition(s) to be included folowed by clicking the proceed button.

All that was done when simply clicking on the Backup option. For Recovery click Recovery followed by selecting the drive to recovery and from what image location. Done! You sit back watch the show.

When originally swapping drives around, changing drive letters Reflect wasn't able to use the image it made simply due to those changes while Acronis and the 7 recovery option will simply allow you to browse to any image location on any drive and immediate recognise a valid image.

Unfortunately that's where Macrium failed at the time with the then present free version they had available. It was too locked to one specific location and date not flexible enough. For those who never change drive arrangements and drive letters they would never notice how any slight change could be a problem.

Here I had to look at what was flexible including repeated test images and restorations with the backup feature in 7, Acronis having followed Macrium Reflect. Under normal circumstances where nothing was changed Macrium will likely work just like any other option. But that fact of any unplug, replug, letter change of the drive the image is stored on becoming a problem is the drawback for that program.

Regardless of all that however you still have to look at what will best in your own circumstance as far as options, reliability, and personal preferences free or paid for.

 

[seven2]

Macrium vs Acronis

I tried Windows 7 native program which works but slowly.
Macrium was very easy but I had one restoration failure.
I have used Acronis TI 2010 for Win 7 x 64 and it has not failed to restore on several tries.
I think luck plays into anything electronic but I would be comfortable with either Macrium or Acronis. I use Acronis b/c I have the license and it has not yet failed to recover.
I do prefer working with Macrium for its ease.

 

[Layback Bear]

After reading all these post I'm still confused. I still use Windows to do backups because I really don't know that their/there is anything better. I have never had to use a backup so I really don't know if the backup done by Windows even works and don't want to know because I don't want to need to use it.

 

[seven2]

external hard drive

If you have a a Western Digital external hard drive you can use a limited Aronis program -it does work. I have backed up and restored my system with it.

 

[GeneO]

I have have some Macrium experience under my belt now and have done maybe a dozen+ image restores and it works pretty well. I have quit using windows - Macrium backs up faster in my experience.

I would think you not only should not only want to know your backup works, but must know. Eventually you will need to use it. Otherwise why bother.

 

[Layback Bear]

Good point GeneO.
1. If the computer goes bell up I can do a clean install.
2. Use the back up to restore computer.
3. If backup doesn't work do a clean install
4. Keep doing backup and testing until I find one that works and save it.
I really don't know how to test backups without screwing up my working system.
Testing backups in a safe way would be nice to know. Then be able to go back to the working system and tuck the backup away.

 

[Victor S]

Good point GeneO.
1. If the computer goes bell up I can do a clean install.
2. Use the back up to restore computer.
3. If backup doesn't work do a clean install
4. Keep doing backup and testing until I find one that works and save it.
I really don't know how to test backups without screwing up my working system.
Testing backups in a safe way would be nice to know. Then be able to go back to the working system and tuck the backup away.

The "safe" (only way I'd do it for the first time) is to just use a spare drive.
Image your working drive, then connect the spare drive in it's place.
Restore the image using the recovery CD that is made with the imaging software.
Pretty hard to go wrong if your working system drive is unplugged.

 

[pincushion]

Good point GeneO.
1. If the computer goes bell up I can do a clean install.
2. Use the back up to restore computer.
3. If backup doesn't work do a clean install
4. Keep doing backup and testing until I find one that works and save it.
I really don't know how to test backups without screwing up my working system.
Testing backups in a safe way would be nice to know. Then be able to go back to the working system and tuck the backup away.

The "safe" (only way I'd do it for the first time) is to just use a spare drive.
Image your working drive, then connect the spare drive in it's place.
Restore the image using the recovery CD that is made with the imaging software.
Pretty hard to go wrong if your working system drive is unplugged.

This is probably sensible advice from Victor, to get confidence that a restore will work reliably. I used Acronis, quite an old version, on my XP system and that restored with 100% reliability and I am having the same success with Macrium free 4.2 on W7. Couldn't really ask for more from a free program.

:huh:

 

[GeneO]

The way I tested is having a couple of different backups - Microsoft Image and Macrium. If the one under test failed, then I had the other. Then of course there is a full reinstall as Jack mentioned, but to me that is pretty painful - not the re-installation of all of the applications, but the customizations to Windows itself - recalling all of that knowledge, reg-edits, etc.

 

[Heinzy]

Backup and restore - which program?

Hi Guys, I have been using the native backup and restore in Win 7 U&P for more than 18 months. I make weekly system images to an external (removable caddy) SCSI drive or a SATA (caddy) drive that I can "turn off" so it's only "on" when needed. I try out numerous software programs that often cause major stability problems and so I need to restore the system to a known reliable system image. I cannot afford the time to re-install windows each time a major disaster occurs. I also purchased Acronis Home 2011, but its too cumbersome and not really reliable, I don't need multiple backups, just one that worked before, although I do backup to an internal 2nd HDD as well, but its the external one that is the true insurance. But to each his own.