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

 

[mjf]

I still don't get why more home PC users don't use a cloning or imaging routine.

More advanced users are less in need of it. I have all the media, updated, all my program installers,etc. I can start with clean install and put everything back together.

You can keep cloning but I consider imaging absolutely essential. I think I am a moderately advanced user and a clean install, given all the software I have and use, is an absolute pain.

 

[SIW2]

You can keep cloning

I don't do cloning for myself. Did I say that I did ? I do testing of imaging and drive management programs.

a clean install, given all the software I have and use, is an absolute pain

It might be a pain, but you could do it. Most average users could not. Therefore they are the most in need of an image.

 

[bugmeso]

And here I am after all these years not knowing that the image and clone are TWO separate beings....

You learn something new everyday.

 

[bawldiggle]

I did not know that imaging and cloning existed. I have left all IT (until recently) to an IT tech. $$
This tutorial-thread will take some reading. But what a time saver. About every 12 months my web-dedicated laptop develops arthritic twitches (like now) and eventually stops all together (please not yet).

Embarrassingly I did nothing to maintain my PCs because I simply did not know why or how.
That is all changing since joining this forum.

Clean-install-day was/is a dread, with a day or two to load all my stuff and lots of tweaks.
Jumping in at the deep end, GregRocker is guiding me through a downgrade of Win8 to Win7, using an ISO file.
Once mastered this tutorial is my next task.

 

[kado897]

An image taken after you have got Windows set up to your specifications will save you days re-installing.

 

[bugmeso]

/\ /\ /\ what he said. I have been Ghosting for 20+ years and have had minimal problems. Not say without any problems but few compared to what others tell.

I did a clone today with Macrium Free...(on my wife's computer) I do maintain that also. And all looked like is was OK to me. The 1st time I saw a BOOT directory. But I did ask for it. Next I'll try an image. Some favor clone and some favor image. I will check out both.

 

[SIW2]

Gray ghost,

If you have the win7 now, you may like to create excellent winpe media. There is something here that will do it all for you

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/300292-win-7-winpemaker.html

 

[Scoop]

And here I am after all these years not knowing that the image and clone are TWO separate beings....

You learn something new everyday.

This forum's a gold mine of info, that's for sure.

When I first got into full-disc backups, I was a little confused about the terminology, imaging, cloning, since they're sometimes used interchangeably in certain articles and posts around the 'net and that can contribute to the unawareness of the two activities being different from each other. However, (my take) when referring to a full-disc image and recovery, the end result is the same as a cloned HDD.

I did not know that imaging and cloning existed. I have left all IT (until recently) to an IT tech. $$
This tutorial-thread will take some reading. But what a time saver. About every 12 months my web-dedicated laptop develops arthritic twitches (like now) and eventually stops all together (please not yet).

Embarrassingly I did nothing to maintain my PCs because I simply did not know why or how.
That is all changing since joining this forum.

Clean-install-day was/is a dread, with a day or two to load all my stuff and lots of tweaks.
Jumping in at the deep end, GregRocker is guiding me through a downgrade of Win8 to Win7, using an ISO file.
Once mastered this tutorial is my next task.

Believe me, you're far from being on an island about the cloning/imaging tools. Prior to a couple of years ago, I knew about cloning but hadn't gotten serious about learning the methodology and researching the various cloning tools that are available for home PC users.

There are a lot of upsides to maintain a cloning and/or imaging routine for me. It provides a fast recovery from all of these scenarios:

- HDD failure
- Malicious intrusion and all its effects
- Failsafe backup in the event of user error
- Elimination of any apprehensiveness from trying new things, ie, CMD line tools, or Registry change items.

Since periodic cloning was adequate for my basic recovery needs, I delayed researching the Imaging scene until recently. I like the idea of utilizing both backup methods and I'll be imaging periodically going forward.

Next stop, "Amazon" for a 3-4 Tb USB HDD to store a few images of my Desktop and Laptop . That's one of the advantages of imaging (my take), as I can store multi-PC images on one device.

An image taken after you have got Windows set up to your specifications will save you days re-installing.

. That reason alone is why it pays off to image or clone with some kind of scheduled or routine basis.

/\ /\ /\ what he said. I have been Ghosting for 20+ years and have had minimal problems. Not say without any problems but few compared to what others tell.

I did a clone today with Macrium Free...(on my wife's computer) I do maintain that also. And all looked like is was OK to me. The 1st time I saw a BOOT directory. But I did ask for it. Next I'll try an image. Some favor clone and some favor image. I will check out both.

I haven't tried the cloning tool with my Macrium boot CD but I'll use it in a couple of weeks when I clone my system HDD.

I completed my "Recovery" step today from the full-disc image that I had run earlier. I'm still using the Macrium bootable CD, haven't downloaded the Free version to my HDD yet.

- Elapsed time: 4.75 hrs. The total was right what I expected after looking at the elapsed time after 5% completed.

- I booted up the recovered HDD and all went well. I put it though my usual "post-cloning" workout to test, launched the usual items, brower, my Outlook e-mail, a few programs.

The only thing that was a little unexpected was after the POST screen, I got the old "insert bootable media....", the BIOS telling me that I needed to go back into Setup and set the Boot Priority / auto-detect the newly-restored HDD.

It wasn't any issue but I had gotten used to not seeing that screen as it doesn't appear when I'm booting up on a newly-cloned HDD.

- Recovery setup: Macrium's interface is very easy and clear, for me, to understand the Recovery setup steps. It went smooth and I'd rate their interface as a

.

It's superior to Acronis from a user-ease point of view but that's just my take on it after using both imaging tools on a limited basis.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Wolfgang to save myself time in setting up an image manually I went to Back up files and set the image to every month as in pics is this right will I get the image done once a month as it says in that scheduled backup tab?

 

[Britton30]

John are you backing up to a drive separate from your OS drive? Those backups show images on the C\ drive.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

John are you backing up to a drive separate from your OS drive? Those backups show images on the C\ drive.

Really I thought I was saving them to an external Thanks for the heads up

Gary you sure cos in Computer I have this

 

[Britton30]

No, you're OK, it's showing the drive letter of the drive you made an image of, not where it's stored.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

No, you're OK, it's showing the drive letter of the drive you made an image of, not where it's stored.

Ok mate funny thing is the latest one if you look shows less data then the first two which I suppose is ok but rather odd cos I thought it would be more??

 

[Britton30]

May be due to running CCleaner or uninstalling some programs.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

May be due to running CCleaner or uninstalling some programs.

Hmm yep well you are right again I have been using the CC a fair bit more than usual

 

[whs]

Hi John, Sorry I was not around to answer your initial question. I just moved back to Florida from Germany and it took ATT 4 days to reconnect my internet (even after having asked for it 10 days ahead of time).

If you have any more open questions, post back.

 

[Britton30]

Welcome back Wolfgang.

 

[whs]

Thanks Gary. It was quite a trip - 23 hours door to door and 11 hours in one plane on my longest leg. My back is killing me since then.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

23 hours? Yowch!

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Gary. It was quite a trip - 23 hours door to door and 11 hours in one plane on my longest leg. My back is killing me since then.

Hmm mate you should have been on my trip to the UK from here 28 hours and 13 f them going over Russia and places like that - it's the coughing that gets me - yuck!!