Using Macrium Reflect - How to set up multiple backups?

[xChase]

I've just got a new 1TB drive to back up my C drive in case of problems. I've created a clone of my disk to the 1TB drive, which has cloned the drive exactly as-is and thus reduced it down to the SSD's size. I want to be able to use the rest of the drive, should I have used the image function? How can I wipe the drive and use the image function if so?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Yeah, imaging is likely the better solution if you want to continue using the rest of the drive.

There are Macrium imaging tutorials on this site.

You can wipe the backup drive in any normal manner---reformat it or delete all partitions.

Imaging creates a file. It's a big file, but that's all it is--a file. All you need is enough space to store it. The size will be roughly half the size of the occupied space of your C partition.

If C is 500 GB, with 100 occupied, the image file will be roughly 50 GB. Store it anywhere it will fit. Back it up just like any other valuable file.

You'll also need to image System Restore partition if you have one. Either a separate image or in the same image file as C.

Image files will be smaller if your personal data files are not on C. That's up to you. Imaging is on a per-partition basis. EVERYTHING on the partition will be included.

To use imaging, you'll need to make bootable "recovery" media from within Macrium to be able to boot your PC in case the current hard drive fails completely. You need to confirm that the recovery media will in fact boot your PC. If it won't, imaging is useless since you can't restore.

Make a new image periodically--weekly or monthly, something like that. Keep the most recent 2 or 3. Adjust according to your own preferences and available storage space.

 

[xChase]

Yeah, imaging is likely the better solution if you want to continue using the rest of the drive.

There are Macrium imaging tutorials on this site.

You can wipe the backup drive in any normal manner---reformat it or delete all partitions.

Imaging creates a file. It's a big file, but that's all it is--a file. All you need is enough space to store it. The size will be roughly half the size of the occupied space of your C partition.

If C is 500 GB, with 100 occupied, the image file will be roughly 50 GB. Store it anywhere it will fit. Back it up just like any other valuable file.

You'll also need to image System Restore partition if you have one. Either a separate image or in the same image file as C.

Image files will be smaller if your personal data files are not on C. That's up to you. Imaging is on a per-partition basis. EVERYTHING on the partition will be included.

To use imaging, you'll need to make bootable "recovery" media from within Macrium to be able to boot your PC in case the current hard drive fails completely. You need to confirm that the recovery media will in fact boot your PC. If it won't, imaging is useless since you can't restore.

Make a new image periodically--weekly or monthly, something like that. Keep the most recent 2 or 3. Adjust according to your own preferences and available storage space.

Thanks for the response, I should explain the reason for backup is incase this machine is infected etc in the future, I don't expect the hard drive to fail any time soon since I bought it a month ago. I just want to be able to re-image from a previous back up if anything goes wrong. Do I still need to do the recovery CD in this case? For example let's say I get infected with a trojan and want to re-image from last weeks backup - would I need to put the drive with the backup file on it AND put the CD in to recover or does it only require the backup file?

Thanks again.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

see comments

Thanks for the response, I should explain the reason for backup is incase this machine is infected etc in the future, I don't expect the hard drive to fail any time soon since I bought it a month ago.

Your hard drive is as likely to fail in the next 60 seconds as it is to fail in any random 60 second period in the next X number of years. The correlation with age is not very strong. If anything, the tendency is to fail early in life or after 5 years or so---along what is called a "bathtub curve".

I just want to be able to re-image from a previous back up if anything goes wrong.

Terminology:

I assume you mean "restore an image" when you say "re-image". By itself, I would take the term "image" to mean "making an image", not "restoring an image".


Do I still need to do the recovery CD in this case?

If you want to restore an image, you need to be able to boot your PC and access the Macrium interface.

How do you propose to boot a PC when your hard drive drops dead? You need a boot method. What's your boot method if your hard drive is dead?


For example let's say I get infected with a trojan and want to re-image from last weeks backup - would I need to put the drive with the backup file on it AND put the CD in to recover or does it only require the backup file?

I'm not sure I understand that sentence. You need to be able to boot the PC, access Macrium, and access the previously made image file.

You would need to be able to do this:

If the boot hard drive is still bootable: boot from it, start Macrium, navigate in it's interface to your previously made image file. Direct Macrium to restore that image file to the infected drive. (Assuming the image file is not infected.)

If the boot hard drive is not bootable: boot from your recovery medium, navigate in it's interface to your previously made image file. Direct Macrium to restore that image file to the infected drive or it's replacement. (Assuming the image file is not infected.)

If the hard drive is still bootable, but you don't want to boot from an infected drive, then act as if it's dead and boot from the recovery medium as stated in the previous paragraph.

 

[mjf]

... I want to be able to use the rest of the drive, should I have used the image function? How can I wipe the drive and use the image function if so?

You have received good comments but here is my bit.
1) Don't clone to a general 1TB backup drive.
2) You should be using system imaging and free or paid Macrium Reflect is excellent for the job. You can reimage back to your existing OS drive; restore to a new or even smaller drive (provided the original image data fits).
3) To backup/image your OS partition (plus the little system reserved partition if you have one) then you simply do this with Macrium:

You can make numerous images depending on the size of your OS partition. If your OS partition contains say 50GB then you can store 20+ system images and still have room left on a 1TB.
4) Don't store very large amounts of data on your OS partition.
5) Backup large data separately.
6) One backup drive is better than none but 2 is a good idea in case one fails.

To reformat your 1TB drive you can use the popular "Partition Wizard" (format as NTFS primary - NOT logical) or follow this Brink tutorial using Windows Disk Management.
Partition or Volume - Create New
There may be a better Brink tutorial but I couldn't find it - up to Brink.

Just make sure you are working on your 1TB external and not another important drive.

 

[xChase]

Thanks for the replies I'm understanding a bit more what's going on here now. Where you say to backup the OS partition, if I've checked that partition on the image file backup, will it be included? I want to be 100% sure I'm doing this correctly and that if anything fails I can go back to previous versions.

 

[mjf]

If you perform a system image using the Macrium screenshot I posted (V5 but V6 is the same) then you can go back to previous versions. I have done this a large number of times and have many system images that go back 6 months.

I have never had a problem with a system image restore (to existing and new drives). I have said many times before no one will give you a 100% guarantee on a system image restore. If you can restore your image to a new low cost internal drive then that is as much comfort as you will get.

 

[xChase]

Ok, last question, I also have another internal HDD with files on it. If the system is infected and I restore the C drive image file, will the files from the internal HDD still work even if they have references on the C drive? (Ie I have some software installed to the internal drive but they have files on C drive that cannot be moved)

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Ok, last question, I also have another internal HDD with files on it. If the system is infected and I restore the C drive image file, will the files from the internal HDD still work even if they have references on the C drive? (Ie I have some software installed to the internal drive but they have files on C drive that cannot be moved)

They certainly should.

Restoration of an image of the OS partition effectively gives you a different C drive--but it's still a C.

Any reference to C on some other drive should still point to that new different C drive---and that new different C will be a mirror image of the previous C as of the date the image file was made.

You have full control over which partitions on any particular drive are included in your image file. If you make the choice shown by MJF in post 5 step 3, then Macrium will automatically select those partitions necessary to restore Windows---and only those partitions. Or you can choose those same partitions manually.

I don't use System Reserved, so I just manually choose C alone when I make a new image file--that's all I need to boot this PC. I make a new image file every month and keep the most recent 2. I periodically make a new "recovery media" and confirm it will boot the PC.

If possible, make an image and do an actual test restoration to some random spare drive to confirm you understand the menu choices and are familiar with the restoration procedure. Better to do that when the heat is off than to be faced with an unfamiliar procedure when you are in a bad situation and distressed.

 

[mjf]

The last comments are correct. You can image whatever partitions you desire. You indicated in your initial post that you are working with an SSD. If you have a large SSD and have a non OS partition then you can select that partition and create a separate image for that or select all partitions and image the lot.
I still put my large data on lower cost spinners and reserve the OS SSD simply for that - a personal preference.