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

 

[SIW2]

Iirc the macrium pe is in c:\boot\macrium.

You can add drivers with dism.

You need the drivers extracted to .inf format

 

[Britton30]

Iirc the macrium pe is in c:\boot\macrium.

You can add drivers with dism.

You need the drivers extracted to .inf format

Sorry, that is all Greek to me Simon. I have a PE iso

 

[kado897]

There is a new update out. The biggest improvement seems to be to USB3 support in the Linux rescue disk.

What's new? 5.1.5828:

Linux CD major update.
Linux Rescue CD now includes additional support for USB 3.0, restoring to RAID volumes and is built using the latest Linux 3.7 kernel.
Windows Event log viewer
A Windows Event log viewer has been added to Macrium Reflect. VSS and other events can be viewed directly to assist in backup failure troubleshooting. To launch the viewer:
1. Right click on the Macrium Reflect log tree node and select 'View Windows Events'.
2. Take the 'Other Tasks' > 'View Windows Events' menu option.

Note: Windows Events are now also appended to the VSS log file.
Bug fixes:
Failed clone reported as success
If a disk read error occurred during a clone process then the clone could report success and terminate. This has been resolved and the appropriate error is now shown.
Support tool hot key error
Launching the Macrium support tool with 'Ctrl+Shift+S' is no longer a system wide hot key.
Scheduled task edit bug
Changing a task from 'Every Day' to 'n Number of Days' could cause the task to not reflect the change. This has been resolved.
Windows PE build error
If Reflect was installed in a folder using characters outside the current code page then this could cause the Windows PE build to fail. This has been resolved.
VSS Error with some DELL systems
Some DELL systems may assign the drive letter 'W' to the DELL system recovery partition. This could cause VSS snapshot VSS_E_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE failures. This has been resolved.
Allow dots in XML def file names
The dot character is now permitted in the xml file name.
Windows PE UEFI media ignoring the prompt for key press option
The Windows PE rescue media for GPT/UEFI systems would always prompt for a key press on startup regardless of option selected when creating the media. This has been resolved.
Logical drive image problem.
Incremental/Differential images of logical drives could create images of the wrong partition if another logical drive existed with exactly the same length in the same extended partition. This has been resolved.

 

[eldinv]

I finally got a chance to try the new recovery process with v5. I had a 5Gb image. After I booted from CD, found the image and ran the recovery process, from boot to restart the whole process took maybe 9 minutes.

Thank you Macrium!

 

[whs]

If I read that correctly, the restore took only 2 minutes and 13 seconds. The boot time for the CD one would not normally count. But you had a very small image.

 

[eldinv]

If I read that correctly, the restore took only 2 minutes and 13 seconds. The boot time for the CD one would not normally count. But you had a very small image.

Yea I included the restarts just so I didn't sound insane. And that image had what I needed, a clean install with all my DATA on my secondary drive.

I was just very impress with the new feel. I found it easier and faster than before.

Big thanks to you whs and all the rest for their continual support in this thread.

 

[whs]

You are really welcome. Imaging is one of my hobbies, LOL.

 

[kado897]

New Version 5.1.5856:

Another update to Macrium. Not much new this time.

What's new? 5.1.5856:

Compatibility with Tablet PCs using 32 Bit UEFI boot
Reflect now supports Windows PE restoring on 32 bit UEFI boot PCs such as the Lenovo Tablet 2 series.
Warning message in log for incomplete backup sets
When creating an Incremental backup a warning message is now written to the log file if the backup set doesn't have all files in the backup target folder.
Spin up delay
If the backup target folder cannot be located when running a backup then an automatic delay of 5 seconds is initiated before retrying to allow for disks spinning up from sleep.

Bug fixes:

UEFI CD boot problem
If the 'Prompt for key press option..' was enabled when creating a UEFI booting CD then this could cause the CD not to be loaded when booting. This is a generic problem with UEFI booting media and the option is no-longer available in the rescue wizard.
Clone failure when expanding an XP partition
A disk clone could fail to complete if an XP partition is resized larger. This has been resolved.
Failure email not sent
If an incremental or differential backup failed with the message 'Failed to load image file' then failure emails may not be sent. This has been resolved
File and Folder backup mounting issue
File and Folder backups could fail to mount in Windows Explorer if the backup file is located on a mapped network share. This has been resolved
Program error
Reflect could raise a program error if a scheduled incremental backup references an xml file that has been delete or renamed. This has been resolved.
Alternative locations issue
When using 'Alternative locations' for backup target rotations a Full backup may be created when a Differential or Incremental was expected. This has been resolved.

 

[whs]

Thanks Keith

 

[kado897]

Another new version 5.1.5870

What's new? 5.1.5870:

Windows PE Recovery boot menu now available on 32 bit UEFI boot systems
Reflect now supports Windows PE recovery boot menu on the latest 32 bit UEFI boot tablet PCs.

Bug fixes:

Cloning progress bar not updated
During a 'forensic' clone operation the progress bar was not correctly updated. This has been resolved
Read error during clone
Some systems could report a read eror during clone operations. This has been resolved

I guess this is primarily a bug fix.

 

[Britton30]

Cripes they are pushing them out fast. I think I'll just keep the PE disk I have already made.

 

[whs]

Right Gary. There is no need to update the PE all the time - unless they tell us that the old one is no good any more.

 

[kado897]

I guess there was a problem with the previous one.

 

[mjf]

Right Gary. There is no need to update the PE all the time - unless they tell us that the old one is no good any more.

I am working on that philosophy as well Wolfgang.
I'm assuming the patch upgrades are fixing specific minor bugs - if so then thumbs up to Macrium for being so proactive.

 

[rovopio]

hello.. thank you for the tutorial!

i'd like to ask...

on my notebook i do a dual-drive recently,, i put SSD for my OS and HDD for the storage (i replaced the dvdbay and put hdd caddy into the place.)
The storage HDD i divide into 2 partition. I move the user folder (my music my pict and my docs) to the HDD, not on the SSD.
I have a question... can i just click "image this disk" on Drive C to backup my OS.. or do i have to move my docs my pict and my music back to its default location before doing the backup..?

ps:the APPDATA Contacts Desktop etc still on C:\ SSD drive though.
I used macrium free in the past, but always use notebook, so this is the 1st time i move user folder to a different drive, so im wondering what is the proper way to backup the OS...? should I move the user folder back to C first, or just "image this disk" on C would be enough?

here's the SS of my macrium free

thank you very much and have a great day...

KP

 

[whs]

I have a question... can i just click "image this disk" on Drive C to backup my OS.. or do i have to move my docs my pict and my music back to its default location before doing the backup..?

Just image your C if you want to backup the OS. Make sure you image your 100MB system reserved partition at least once in case your disk ever fails. I would do that image seperately and stick it into a safe place. That partition never changes (unless one day you make a double boot setup).

But from time to time you should also backup your data which you can do with an image or a lot of other ways.

 

[fourthofjuly]

Do we have to burn a rescue disk each we create an updated image?

 

[kado897]

Hi fourthofjuly and welcome to Seven Forums.

You only need to burn a rescue disk once. From time to time a new version of Macrium is released and the release notes will recommend the burning of a new disk.

The important thing is to check that the disk works. That you can boot from it and find your image.

 

[rovopio]

I have a question... can i just click "image this disk" on Drive C to backup my OS.. or do i have to move my docs my pict and my music back to its default location before doing the backup..?

Just image your C if you want to backup the OS. Make sure you image your 100MB system reserved partition at least once in case your disk ever fails. I would do that image seperately and stick it into a safe place. That partition never changes (unless one day you make a double boot setup).

But from time to time you should also backup your data which you can do with an image or a lot of other ways.

this is the 1st time i use dual-drive notebook, so i apologize i ask again.

I noticed that some software create folders on user folders. e.g. IDM created folder on Downloads folder, Calibre created folders on My Doc folders and iTunes created folders on My Music folders. All of which I move it from C (SSD) to the HDD (D,E, and F).

If I only backup the SSD (both the 100mbit system reserved and the C drive),, will those program still works when i restore it later in the future?

thanks!

KP7

=====
Also, the SSD has System Reserved and C partition. So... from your reply.. should i backup the system reserved and C together as 1 macrium file, or separately as 2 macrium file?

thanks a lot!!

 

[whs]

If I only backup the SSD (both the 100mbit system reserved and the C drive),, will those program still works when i restore it later in the future?

It depends. Some programs will just create new folders, but if a program relies on the info that is contained in the folder, the program (or at least one of it's functions) will not work.

Example: Macrium places the folder with the XML files into Documents. Next time you want to make an image, you just chose an XML definition and ask Macrium to make an image as per this definition. That, of course, will not work when you moved the folder with the definitions.


Bottom line: Don't move folders that were created by the system or by programs.

Also, the SSD has System Reserved and C partition. So... from your reply.. should i backup the system reserved and C together as 1 macrium file, or separately as 2 macrium file?

Make one image (one and only one) of the system reserved partition and stow it away in a seperate folder. You will need that image only when your disk breaks and you have to pull in the images to a new disk.

Then make images of C only as often as you feel necessary.

And don't forget to backup your data from time to time.