Solved Image your system with free Macrium

[whs]

1. For moving your OS to another SSD, you might want to look at this:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/149969-ssd-install-transfer-operating-system.html

2. There is a more comprehensive Macrium tutorial here:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html?ltr=I

 

[RaviR]

Thanks for the response, so in essence if i create an image of my drives, i can just reimage another new drive and everything will go back to working normal? No modification of files etc just reimage and go back to having fun =)

 

[whs]

Thanks for the response, so in essence if i create an image of my drives, i can just reimage another new drive and everything will go back to working normal? No modification of files etc just reimage and go back to having fun =)

For the SSD you have to make an alignment first unless you use the darg and drop method in Macrium. That preserves the alignment.

 

[Britton30]

Thanks for the response, so in essence if i create an image of my drives, i can just reimage another new drive and everything will go back to working normal? No modification of files etc just reimage and go back to having fun =)

I have found that I had to not only restore the image to the new, ex: SSD, but also the HDD at the same time otherwise Windows was "broke"

 

[Kaktussoft]

Thanks for the response, so in essence if i create an image of my drives, i can just reimage another new drive and everything will go back to working normal? No modification of files etc just reimage and go back to having fun =)

Just be sure it boots from the correct partition (startup repair can fix it anyway). Just be sure the new drive with temp, my documents etc has the same drive letter as before. No further actions needed!

But how can you be sure drive letter is still the same?!! Boot and login as built-in administrator (which has normal temp, my documents etc folders... not redirected). Check drive letters and eventually correct them. Now boot as your own username

 

[RaviR]

Ah i see, thank you all for the help guys =)

 

[mjf]

Thanks for the response, so in essence if i create an image of my drives, i can just reimage another new drive and everything will go back to working normal? No modification of files etc just reimage and go back to having fun =)

I have found that I had to not only restore the image to the new, ex: SSD, but also the HDD at the same time otherwise Windows was "broke"

I'm a bit puzzled by this statement - can you explain.
I restored my macrium image to the SSD with the original HDD disconnected. Then set BIOS to boot from the SSD first. Reconnect the old HDD and set it inactive. The SSD and old HDD may have the same disk signature so the HDD could appear as offline in "Disk Management". You just go into Disk management and set the HDD to online and it will give it a new disk signature (then no signature clash).

@OP
I'd suggest you keep the image of your old HDD in case you ever want to temporarily go back to a HDD.
Normally your HDD OS partition size needs to be no larger than the SSD. WHS can comment if this is no longer an issue with Macrium.

If you have a spare $20 then Paragon Migrate will do it all for you.

 

[Britton30]

Michael, my HDD never was Active, only the SSD. I restored a OS image to the SSD only with the HDD connected and while it would boot it came with a black screen, no doc, pictures, videos, apps didn't work (no appdata folder) etc. I then restored the Users (data) HDD image to the HDD with the SSD still attached, then all worked fine other than having to update security and some Windows updates.
My BIOS remained unchanged, it was always set to boot the SSD first.

 

[whs]

Michael, my HDD never was Active, only the SSD. I restored a OS image to the SSD only with the HDD connected and while it would boot it came with a black screen, no doc, pictures, videos, apps didn't work (no appdata folder) etc. I then restored the Users (data) HDD image to the HDD with the SSD still attached, then all worked fine other than having to update security and some Windows updates.
My BIOS remained unchanged, it was always set to boot the SSD first.

Gary, that is very strange. You must have made a wrong turn somewhere.

Normally your HDD OS partition size needs to be no larger than the SSD. WHS can comment if this is no longer an issue with Macrium

Michael, that is correct. Macrium can now work even with smaller target partitions as long as the data fits.

 

[mjf]

I thought that was the case Wolfgang. It is hard to dismiss the product (Macrium Reflect).

 

[Britton30]

Well, as a science experiment I restored an image to my SSD only and it worked just fine. I left the HDD attached too with the image on an external eSATA drive in an enclosure.

 

[whs]

Gary, I have no idea why you would need this HDD if the image is properly restored on the SSD. There must be some catch 22.

 

[Britton30]

Maybe I said that wrong Wolfgang. I have the OS on SSD, Users folders on a HDD. I left both attached to the motherboard.
The image I restored is on an external eSATA HDD. I successfully restored only the SSD OS image. I didn't need the HDD but was trying it since it was said the HDD should be disconnected. No BIOS changes for boot priority, the SSD has been first.

 

[whs]

OK, understand.

 

[EchoX860]

Just spent 6 hours installing my updates 1 by 1 since my OCD kicked in and had to successfully install all the updates. Question. I'm currently backing up to an External HD. If I need it, can I restore from this and be to where I am currently? With all the Updates installed successfully, IE10, etc.

 

[whs]

Just spent 6 hours installing my updates 1 by 1 since my OCD kicked in and had to successfully install all the updates. Question. I'm currently backing up to an External HD. If I need it, can I restore from this and be to where I am currently? With all the Updates installed successfully, IE10, etc.

Yes, that is the purpose of n image. I assume that means you are making an image.

I'm currently backing up to an External HD

 

[mjf]

Maybe I said that wrong Wolfgang. I have the OS on SSD, Users folders on a HDD. I left both attached to the motherboard.
The image I restored is on an external eSATA HDD. I successfully restored only the SSD OS image. I didn't need the HDD but was trying it since it was said the HDD should be disconnected. No BIOS changes for boot priority, the SSD has been first.

So are you saying that the HDD wasn't the original source of your image that contained the OS? If so then I guess I wouldn't expect a problem. Your HDD contains your user folders?

What I do is still keep my user libraries on my SSD but simply have user data folders on an a couple of internal HDDs. I back these up independently. These contain things like videos and a large photo collection. I see no great value in libraries as opposed to standard folders. Now I'm sure I'm overlooking some advantages of libraries but I don't simply need to use them.

 

[Britton30]

Michael here is my layout:

SSD - w7 and programs
HDD - Users, (Docs, Video, Music, Picture),Temp browser files

I used Reflect to make an image of each drive separately and these were stored on a 3rd, external HDD. I really don't know where my Libraries (junction points) are stored, I think on the SSD C:\ though.

I did finally find a good use for libraries by creating one for a single file I keep images in for graphics work. That way it shows in the file tree and it opens without drilling down through a lot of folders.

 

[Kaktussoft]

Michael here is my layout:

SSD - w7 and programs
HDD - Users, (Docs, Video, Music, Picture),Temp browser files

I used Reflect to make an image of each drive separately and these were stored on a 3rd, external HDD. I really don't know where my Libraries (junction points) are stored, I think on the SSD C:\ though.

I did finally find a good use for libraries by creating one for a single file I keep images in for graphics work. That way it shows in the file tree and it opens without drilling down through a lot of folders.

This tells you where they are stored Libraries Under the Hood
They are NOT junction points!

 

[Britton30]

This tells you where they are stored Libraries Under the Hood
They are NOT junction points!

Do you always have to rudely use exclamation marks!?! Your link told me nothing.! :sarc: