Solved Image your system with free Macrium

[Lady Fitzgerald]

False alarm created by Spybot S&D old version (may affect the new Spybot S&D version as well) when creating a Macrium usb rescue boot flash drive. Had to disable Spybot S&D before it would let me create the Macrium rescue media.

Free Edition 64 bit
Build 7256



2/1/2015 4:31:46 PM Encountered and terminated Fraud.WindowsRecovery in C:\ProgramData\Macrium\Reflect\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64\wimserv.exe!

I haven't had a problem creating rescue media for MR while running Spybot S&D 2.4.

 

[OvenMaster]

When I first installed Win7 on this WD 160GB SATA spinner hard drive and Gigabyte mobo in June 2013, I made a system image with Macrium.
The C: drive on which I installed Windows had originally been a dual-boot Win7-XP Home setup, and that means it had originally been partitioned by and with XP in mind: the start sector was listed as 63 according to Macrium.

This past week, I installed a new WD 10EZEX 512e (emulated Advanced Format) spinner drive to store data. Formatting this drive with Win7's Disk Management lists the start sector as 2048. I found that MiniTool Partition Manager can align SSDs and HDDs, so I did this with all my XP-formatted spinners, including my C: drive. Lucky me: no data loss, and everything runs a pinch faster! Now all my spinner drives are aligned by or for Win7.

My question though is this: If I needed to use my 2013 Macrium Reflect system image which has a start sector of 63, would it overwrite my present partition information with the now-aligned 2048 start sector? Or did I align myself out of having a useful restore image?

Please forgive the length of this post as well as my seeming ignorance.

 

[whs]

I understand your question and here is what Macrium says:

Partition alignment and the Macrium Reflect cloning and restore function

To preserve the source partition alignment either...

Select the source partition check box(es) and click the 'Copy selected partitions' link.

Drag and drop the source partition(s) to free space on the target disk

To use the target partition alignment.

Note: This could be used to 'convert' and XP aligned partition for SSD alignment

1. Drag and drop the source partition to an existing partition on the target disk

 

[OvenMaster]

Wolfgang, thanks much for that... but I can't drag and drop anything when I've booted my PC with Macrium's Linux boot disc. I've never needed the PE version. All I see there is a tick/check box to choose the image file I want to use as a source, and a tick/check box to confirm which drive is the target.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, and should just restore with the latest weekly image I have. If I really needed to reinstall with a 2013 image, I may as well go full-bore and reinstall Win7 from bare metal.

 

[kado897]

We recommend the use of the PE recovery disk. It is far more capable than the Linux one. There is a link to a pre-built ISO that you just need to burn to DVD in the notes at the start of this tutorial. http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?filter[2]=Backup%20Restore

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

It doesn't take me all that long to let MR download Win PE. Even if it did, all I would have had to do would be to start it, then walk away for a while or go to bed. By downloading it the rare times I need it (such as when setting up a new computer), I'm assured of getting the latest version. Once I have a copy, MR keeps track of it so I don't have to download it again.

 

[whs]

Wolfgang, thanks much for that... but I can't drag and drop anything when I've booted my PC with Macrium's Linux boot disc. I've never needed the PE version. All I see there is a tick/check box to choose the image file I want to use as a source, and a tick/check box to confirm which drive is the target.
Maybe I'm overthinking this, and should just restore with the latest weekly image I have. If I really needed to reinstall with a 2013 image, I may as well go full-bore and reinstall Win7 from bare metal.

Why don't you download the WinPE .iso from my OneDrive and burn it to CD,

 

[OvenMaster]

I'll take a look and see what the PE thingy is all about, Wolfgang, so thanks. So far, I've just used the simpler Linux version because, well, it just worked without any problems when I needed it most.

 

[whs]

The WinPE is like an installed Macrium. You can do anything that can be done with the installed program. Write images, recover from images (full function), etc.

 

[dsperber]

NOTE: version 6 has now been released. There is no free version 6 available. The current version product is no longer free.

Free Macrium Reflect will still remain available, but frozen at the final v5.3.7109 I assume they are no longer selling non-free v5 licenses, as the current product is now v6.

Also note the price increase for v6. Single copy of [no longer free] Home v6 is now $69.95, which is $20 more than v5 [non-free] Standard was.

And Home 4-pack v6 is now $139.95, which is $50 more than v5 [non-free] Standard Home 4-pack was.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Free Macrium Reflect will still remain available, but frozen at the final v5.3.7109 I assume they are no longer selling non-free v5 licenses, as the current product is now v6.

I've just updated to v5.3 build 7277.

I guess I'd better remember to not update it anymore.

 

[groze]

Is there a way to turn off the upgrade notification?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Is there a way to turn off the upgrade notification?

Are you getting one? I just fired up my copy of Pro and didn't get an upgrade notice. I manually checked for updates and also didn't get anything.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

NOTE: version 6 has now been released. There is no free version 6 available. The current version product is no longer free.

Free Macrium Reflect will still remain available, but frozen at the final v5.3.7109 I assume they are no longer selling non-free v5 licenses, as the current product is now v6.

Also note the price increase for v6. Single copy of [no longer free] Home v6 is now $69.95, which is $20 more than v5 [non-free] Standard was.

And Home 4-pack v6 is now $139.95, which is $50 more than v5 [non-free] Standard Home 4-pack was.

I just checked and upgrading my V5 four pack would cost $135, $3.95 less than buying the V6 four pack outright. Big, fat, hairy deal! They can just keep V6 (where I won't say).

 

[kado897]

Hmm. If I remember correctly the free version was a bit later when the released v5. I wonder if they will upgrade the paid version or at least offer a discount.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Hmm. If I remember correctly the free version was a bit later when the released v5. I wonder if they will upgrade the paid version or at least offer a discount.

Go back to posts 1790 and 1795.

 

[kado897]

Hmm. If I remember correctly the free version was a bit later when the released v5. I wonder if they will upgrade the paid version or at least offer a discount.

Go back to posts 1790 and 1795.

Ah yes.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Below are excerpts from emails between Macrium Reflect and myself after inquiring about the cost of upgrading from V5 to V6 (the rest was not posted due to personal content, such as license keys, etc.):

"Are you serious? Upgrading my four pack from V5 to V6 is $136? For only $3.95 more, I can buy it outright. So my past business with you is only worth $3.95 to you? Thanks heaps!..."

Macrium Reflect's response, which came fairly quickly:

"Dear Jeannie,
Thanks for contacting us.
The Workstation Edition and Home edition are functionally identical - the only difference is the Technical Support offered. There is a Support comparison table here:
http://www.macrium.com/support.aspx
The Home Edition 4 Pack is not licensed for commercial use - it is discounted for home users. To upgrade to a non-commercial-use Home Edition 4 Pack please use the link below:
http://www.macrium.com/upgrade.aspx?type=home
Kindest regards,..."

Besides not really addressing my question, the link they provided told me exactly the same thing; upgrading would cost $136, meaning the "discount" would be a "whopping" $3.95.

My response to their non-response:

"Well, that was certainly a fount of non-information. Did you even read what I wrote?"

So far, Macrium Reflect has not responded.

 

[kado897]

That's interesting. The single user upgrade has a $20 difference.

 

[groze]

I am glad I got the free version when I did. I have both 32 bit & 64 bit stored on a flash drive. What so special about V6 compared to v5 just curious?