Solved Image your system with free Macrium

[agile1]

I'd hoped to try the new PE 4 which is supposed to run faster and "only" requires an ADK download size of 354MB.

I'm currently using your WinPE 3.1 .iso on a flash drive. Perfectly adequate and appreciated. Down the line assume you'll be switching to creating the WinPE 4.0 for download?
Karen

 

[spencer1]

Hi. With Macrium Free, can you only do image restores using the bootable rescue media?

 

[kado897]

If you are restoring an image to a running Windows system partition then yes you need to restore from the bootable media. If the partition is not part of windows then you can restore from within Windows.

 

[mjf]

Hi. With Macrium Free, can you only do image restores using the bootable rescue media?

I'd need to check but I thought you could do an image with the pe disc.

 

[kado897]

Ah I think I may have misunderstood the question. With the PE disk but not the Linux disk you can also create an image. Be aware however that your image will be bigger as it will image the page file which is left out if you do it from within windows.

 

[whs]

Hi. With Macrium Free, can you only do image restores using the bootable rescue media?

I'd need to check but I thought you could do an image with the pe disc.

That is correct. I have done that several times. The only disadvantage is that you cannot keep the XML files and have to make the definitions every time.

 

[spencer1]

Thanks for the replies. I've found out that the paid versions have a Windows Boot Menu option, which allows restores without using a rescue CD/DVD/USB. The free version doesn't have this option.

 

[kado897]

That is correct but you should still create a rescue disk because you will need it in case of disk failure.

 

[spencer1]

I understand kado897. I will be using the free version anyway. Will probably make several rescue disks.. lol.

 

[Britton30]

The Win PE is also useful if Windows won't boot due to some software corruption.
Only one working PE disk is needed, however it's a good idea to have multiple images stored on different media.

 

[spencer1]

Is Win PE the "system repair disc" that Windows 7 creates?

Here is the repair disc boot menu:

 

[Britton30]

No, Macrium make it's own WinPE disk. The windows rescue disk is to get into the advanced options, it won't restore an image.

 

[spencer1]

Oh I see. So the Windows 7 system repair disc is also a WinPE.. but of a different flavor so to speak.

 

[mjf]

Similar but it is a WinRe. It contains repair tools.

 

[spencer1]

Got it. Hopefully I won't be in those "environments" too often.

 

[kado897]

It does restore images but only those made with Windows Backup. The WinPE disk we are talking about here is built on the same code base but contains Macrium built in to it.

 

[spencer1]

^^Yes, I noticed that image recovery is one of the choices on the repair disc menu.

 

[EchoX860]

Tried Windows 8, despised it so I wanted to go back to 7. I had a image backup of just all the updates successfully installed. How can I use this as well as the diskpart full hard drive format? Or will this image take care everything for me

 

[Britton30]

You can reformat the drive with the MacriumPE disk. The imaging process should do it for you as well.

 

[mjf]

You can reformat the drive with the MacriumPE disk. The imaging process should do it for you as well.

ditto
But I would be cautious "upgrading" to Windows 8 from a retail Windows 7 OS license. You may forfeit your Windows 7 license rights?
@EchoX860
You appear to be running an OEM PC so you should be ok.