Imaging with free Macrium

   Information

This tutorial shows imaging with free Macrium Version 5.0. If you are still using Macrium Version 4.2, go to this Vimeo site where the tutorial of that version is stored.

The Video does not show the recovery part because I have no setup to screen capture it. But Keith (Kado) made this excellent recovery tutorial with text (but no sound) that he captured from a virtual partition.

   Warning

Note that the external disk to which you image must be formatted in NTFS. A disk that is formatted in Fat32 will accept an image, but the recovery programs cannot restore that image. You can, however, mount (open) a Fat32 image as VHD.

   Note

The production of the WinPE recovery CD (which is highly recommended) may take up to 3 hours because Macrium needs to download the 1.7GB WAIK (Windows Application Installation Kit). For your convenience I have uploaded a ready made .iso of the WinPE recovery disc. That can be downloaded in appr. 8 minutes which clearly beats the WAIK download. Once you downloaded and unzipped the folder, you can burn it directly to a CD with e.g. ImgBurn.

Here is the link to my Skydrive site.

Here is an alternate link from FileSwap (courtesy of Gary - Britton30)

I draw your attention to the fact that this WinPE CD can also be used to make images. That may be convenient in case you do not want to install Macrium on your PC.

This video tutorial explains the full cycle of the imaging process which is:

· Initial setups
· Image definition
· Image scheduling
· Image production

The imaging program that was used for this tutorial is free Macrium. But the basic principles are the same for other imaging programs although the user interface will be different.

This video runs for appr. 7 minutes.
There is a related thread on the Vista forum which gives a brief introduction to Macrium followed by a discussion.
You can download the free Macrium edition from here.

Note: If you have a problem with the loudness of the sound output of the video, check the "Loudness Equalization" box in your Playback device. It is under the 'Enhancements' tab.

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Create a System Image Backup in Windows 7
• How to Do a System Image Recovery in Windows 7
• How to Backup User and System Files in Windows 7
• How to Restore Backup User and System Files in Windows 7
• How to Restore your System with a Broken Windows 7 System Image
• How to Create a Bootable Rescue USB Flash Drive for Macrium Reflect

 

[lehnerus2000]

I had 300 GB available, so (theoretically) there was never any danger of a backup image being purged.

My issue is that MR was saying, it would purge a backup, despite me telling it not to.

That is why I posted:

I don't know if this is:

• A bug
• A glitch on my PC
• A display error
• Just poorly worded

 

[DavidE]

I was curious so did some testing.
For me, creating an image uses my default settings and ignores my "run-time override" choice for Retention Rules.

With default setting set to never delete old backups, it didn't delete old backups, and gave me a clear message about the problem of not enough space.
See screen print 1.

When I set default settings to delete old images, then did an override to not delete old images at "backup run-time", it ignored my override and did delete old images.
See screen print 2.

I see ignoring the retention rules override choice as a bug.
For me, with my default settings set to not delete old images, v6 works as i want.
Your mileage may vary.

Screen print 1 - old images not deleted using my defaults.


Screen print 2 - old images deleted using my defaults, ignoring my override choice to not delete.

 

[kado897]

It looks like a bug to me too.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks DavidE

I was curious so did some testing.
For me, creating an image uses my default settings and ignores my "run-time override" choice for Retention Rules.

With default setting set to never delete old backups, it didn't delete old backups, and gave me a clear message about the problem of not enough space.
See screen print 1.

When I set default settings to delete old images, then did an override to not delete old images at "backup run-time", it ignored my override and did delete old images.
See screen print 2.

I see ignoring the retention rules override choice as a bug.
For me, with my default settings set to not delete old images, v6 works as i want.
Your mileage may vary.

Thanks for testing that.


Asking the user to make a choice and then ignoring that choice is unacceptable.

Now all we need is for someone with a non-free version of Macrium Reflect to report this issue about the free version.

 

[DavidE]

SSD TRIM support is another one I don't get. What does TRIM have to do with Macrium Reflect (my C: drive is an SSD, btw)?

I'm still not sure either.
I'm still using the latest free V5 and it doesn't appear under Restore - Advanced options. When I perform a system image restore to an SSD, TRIM is always enabled. Why would you not want it enabled when given the option? Maybe Windows 7 doesn't automatically enable TRIM for all SSDs?

Someone asked about trim on the Macrium v6 forum here:
TRIM operation on RESTOIRE

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well, if the trim feature wasn't as part of V5 Pro, it might explain why my SSD is at 87% (although SSDLife projects it has nine more years of life).

 

[DavidE]

SSD TRIM support is a new feature in V6:
New in Version 6 - KnowledgeBase - Macrium Software

The V6 change log is here:
Macrium Reflect Patch Details

 

[mjf]

Thanks for the info DavidE,
I think I still need to do a bit more reading on the TRIM issue. Three points for comment that may also be of interest to others:

1) Is Macrium V6 (free) still buggy?
2) Can you have both V5 and V6 installed?
3) Re the TRIM issue - with V5 and maybe other imaging software would it be useful to format the SSD using the bootable Partition Wizard before a reimage?

 

[profdlp]

...A Windows system image is always bigger than 5 GB so that is simply just plain theoretical issue, you will never select a storage location with so little free space...

Unless you are my 83 year old father. I have his SSD Windows drive scheduled to be imaged every Wednesday morning. I put a reminder in his calendar to check the disk space on the storage drive but he does not always remember to do it. (Or remember "how" to do it; he suffers from some significant problems at this point.)

As for the concerns about wanting to preserve certain very old images, I create a subfolder named "Saved" and use it for things like the first image created after a clean install, etc. It leaves those images out of the mix when any automatic deletion might take place.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...As for the concerns about wanting to preserve certain very old images, I create a subfolder named "Saved" and use it for things like the first image created after a clean install, etc. It leaves those images out of the mix when any automatic deletion might take place.

I did pretty much the same. I put the first image I made after first setting up my machine into a subfolder of my Boot Drive Image folder named "Boot Back Up 1 (Do Not Delete)(Disabled)". The image file itself I further protected by adding .disable to the end of the filename. If I ever need to use the image, all I have to do is delete the .disable.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Multiple HDDs

I have my backups saved on several HDDs, but not every saved backup is present on all drives.

For example, I have one drive:

• With ~1 TB of images from this year
• Which only has the initial and final images of each HDD I've used as a W7 OS drive
• Which has 6 monthly images of my personal files

I also have some images on our shared network drive.

 

[DavidE]

Thanks for the info DavidE,
I think I still need to do a bit more reading on the TRIM issue. Three points for comment that may also be of interest to others:

1) Is Macrium V6 (free) still buggy?
2) Can you have both V5 and V6 installed?
3) Re the TRIM issue - with V5 and maybe other imaging software would it be useful to format the SSD using the bootable Partition Wizard before a reimage?

1)
For me v6 works reliably, and better than v5.
I like the new Auto-Verify, Macrium Rescue Boot Menu option, and Differential Image option.
I tested all these new features, and they work for me.
I don't use a lot of the Macrium features and options, so if those have bugs, they don't affect me.
I found a bug with the Retention Rules override, but with my defaults set the way i want, this bug doesn't cause problems for me.

Looking at the Macrium Change logs, it seems bug fixes is a never ending reality.

Macrium v5 Change Log:
Macrium Reflect Patch Details

Macrium v6 Change Log:
Macrium Reflect Patch Details

2)
I installed v6 with v5 still installed, and it caused problems with v5 for me.
As i remember it, it had to do with the license key (free) in the registry.
I did manage to get v5 running with v6 installed, but wasn't comfortable with it because of the error i had seen.
I restored my v5 image prior to installing v6, uninstalled v5, and then installed v6.
So, i do not have v5 AND v6 installed together on a PC.
I updated all my systems to v6 only.

In your specs it looks like you have 3 PC's.
Can you test v6 on your "least important" PC to see how it works for you ?
If you're not happy with v6, restore the image from before installing v6.

3)
Formatting before a restore is an interesting idea.
I never did that, or even thought of it.
I don't know if it would be useful, or how to test if it's worth doing it.
Perhaps someone else here would know.

hth,
David

 

[kado897]

It doesn't affect the free version but if you formatted before a restore the fast delta restore in the paid version would not work.

 

[MilesAhead]

It doesn't affect the free version but if you formatted before a restore the fast delta restore in the paid version would not work.

I hate to endless loop but is there someplace that tells how to do the delta restore? When I did a restore the other day it seems as soon as I selected an image it went to work with a conventional laying on of the image.

My imaging type is "incremental forever."

 

[Anak]

Miles would these be helpful? I'm not sure how/if they would be helpful with your flavor of "incremental forever".

Focus on: Macrium’s Rapid Delta Restore (RDR) | Macrium Blog

Search Results Rapid Delta Restore - RDR - KnowledgeBase - Macrium Software

Macrium RDR | google search

Macrium RDR | youtube search

 

[kado897]

I've not had to do anything to get it to work. There is an option on the defaults restore tab to enable it. This is set in my case. It is also in the advanced options when you are restoring.

 

[MilesAhead]

@Anak thanks for the reply.

@kado897 Ok, mine is enabled. I think it may have taken so long because I had always done full backups in the past. I didn't know if I should click the full image file or the last incremental. I clicked the full one and it put just that image on. So when I redid it that must have messed it up. I'll have to try it again sometime not too soon I hope.

 

[kado897]

How fast it is depends on how much the system has changed. An old image will probably have so many changes that you wouldn't notice the difference.

 

[MilesAhead]

How fast it is depends on how much the system has changed. An old image will probably have so many changes that you wouldn't notice the difference.

Yeah. Not so much old as I installed and uninstalled ToolWiz TimeFreeze between images. It uses a 5 GB cache file to redirect writes via Shadow Services. 28 min. is not that bad under the circumstances. I'll assume it is working as designed.

 

[mjf]

Well, if the trim feature wasn't as part of V5 Pro, it might explain why my SSD is at 87% (although SSDLife projects it has nine more years of life).

I still don't really get how TRIM feature is such a big advantage. If you do a image restore every day maybe it may save on the wear and tear of the SSD but I don't see how it can improve the subsequent operational speed. Maybe someone can explain further. I may do a system image restore once a month on average.

BTW my Crucial SSD has 10,500 hours of use and is down to 94% health. SSDLife says it has another 57 (yes 57) years of life left if you believe that :huh: