Solved Macrium Reflect- leaving junk?

[Senteaf]

I have been searching for a free solution to backup the whole hard disk because the current built-in solution can only image a single partition.

So I looked here and I chose Macrium over the Paragon based on reviews.

I want to know if Macrium leaves junk or some kind of spyware for use by the authors.
Secondly, what happens if I install Macrium now, image my whole hard disk and then restore, will Macrium install itself on my computer after it finishes restoring?


I am still looking for a recommendation, I am looking for portability and an option for whole hard disk imaging. Of course reliability.


Thank you!

 

[kado897]

I am not aware of any junk or spyware left by Macrium. If you have imaged the disk with Macrium installed on it then by definition a restore of that disk will also restore Macrium. If it is not the disk with Macrium installed on it then no it will not install itself and if this restore is to a machine that does not already have Macrium installed you would have to download and install it on the new machine if you wanted to.

 

[Senteaf]

Okay thank you very much, I understand now.

I am concerned because it needs to connect to the internet, and I want to be sure that it won't spy in any way.

 

[kado897]

No problem. It connects to the internet to look for updates.

 

[Senteaf]

Okay thank you.

Two questions:

How do I restore a backup which is on the same hard disk?
How do I restore a backup which is on a different external storage?

 

[kado897]

It is not a good idea to create an image on the same disk that you are imaging because if the disk fails you will not be able to restore from it. With Macrium you just point the output to any folder on your external drive you like and it will create a file there that contains the image. If you are imaging your system disk with Windows on it you will need to create a recovery DVD which you can boot from to do a restore because you can't restore an image over a running Windows system for obvious reasons.

 

[Senteaf]

If I boot from a DVD, can I point it to the image if it is on the same disk?(windows is not running)

 

[kado897]

No because you will overwrite the image you are trying to restore from.

 

[MilesAhead]

t is not a good idea to create an image on the same disk that you are imaging

I agree with kado. Currently I use Macrium and Easus ToDo image backups. Before either of those I bought Paragon. Every time I tried that "backup capsule" scheme in Vista or later I had problems with my partition table. In fact, what fixed it was I did the Macrium trial. When I restored to test it, it asked if I wanted to copy the MBR from backup. I clicked Yes. My partition table was fixed.

NTFS Vista and later is slightly different than NTFS on XP. I gave up waiting for Paragon to get it right. Even if it did work, many nasty malwares know how to scotch your system so it won't boot. The backup capsule is a convenience if yoiu do frequent tests and restores. It's not good for malware or disk failure recovery.

But now with eSata and USB 3.0 docking stations, the restore from an external drive can be as fast or faster. Reading from the backup capsule then writing to the partition being restored thrashes the disk in most cases. A read from a USB 3.0 drive in a docking station can be much faster. There's no real need for the backup capsule. (Of course now with the price bubble buying internal drives to stick in docking stations is not as economical as a few months ago. But if you have the drives already you are golden.)

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You don't actually need to use a DVD for the recovery disk. A CD works fine.

You should make that recovery CD and then confirm that it actually boots your PC and that you can see all of your partitions and your saved image file. If not, you cannot restore an image.

Yes--if working properly, you should be able to select an image on the same disk--although as Kado897 points out, that is not a good strategy.

 

[kado897]

If I remember correctly Macrium won't even present the disk you are restoring from as an option.

 

[Senteaf]

No because you will overwrite the image you are trying to restore from.

So the only way to restore is to use an external HD?

If I remember correctly Macrium won't even present the disk you are restoring from as an option.

I now understand that it is not recommended/possible so I guess its DVDs or external HD...

t is not a good idea to create an image on the same disk that you are imaging

I agree with kado. Currently I use Macrium and Easus ToDo image backups. Before either of those I bought Paragon. Every time I tried that "backup capsule" scheme in Vista or later I had problems with my partition table. In fact, what fixed it was I did the Macrium trial. When I restored to test it, it asked if I wanted to copy the MBR from backup. I clicked Yes. My partition table was fixed.

NTFS Vista and later is slightly different than NTFS on XP. I gave up waiting for Paragon to get it right. Even if it did work, many nasty malwares know how to scotch your system so it won't boot. The backup capsule is a convenience if yoiu do frequent tests and restores. It's not good for malware or disk failure recovery.

But now with eSata and USB 3.0 docking stations, the restore from an external drive can be as fast. There's no real need for the backup capsule.

Thank you I won't even try.
The Easus's is completely free or limited, restricted trial?
Which is better in your opinion, Macrium or Easus's?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

 

[kado897]

An external HDD is the best option. You could use a separate partition on the same drive but if you lose the drive you lose the backup. You can also back up to a set of DVDs but that is not a satisfactory solution as DVDs are not as reliable and you will need quite a few to store an image of your OS.

 

[MilesAhead]

The Easus's is completely free or limited, restricted trial?

The free version is quite rich in features. The Linux boot CD you create with it even has USB 3.0 support. I tried it to make sure I could see drives in my USB 3.0 docks.

Which is better in your opinion, Macrium or Easus's?

I haven't been using Easus that long. They are both similar. I would say check them both out and see if they work well with your hardware. These imaging programs work with the vast majority of disk controllers but sometimes there's one supported by one brand and not at all or only in slow compatibility mode by the other. Which is "better" often depends on your hardware setup. Paragon was fine for me until I got a machine that had some funky Raid controller setup. Macrium had no trouble with that controller.

Some people use a small "dummy" partition of a few hundred MB just to test the image backup and restore without risking the system partition. For example if the program releases a major upgrade you may want to try the new boot CD restore on the dummy partition before assuming it will be fine.


Usually if you can boot the restore CD and see all the drives then you're ok.

 

[kado897]

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

I have tried both and settled on Macrium. The only problem I had with Macrium was getting the Linux recovery disk to see my external drives. I have also done several restores of the OS with Macrium with no problems, the last only two weeks ago.

 

[Senteaf]

Thanks everyone for your help

You don't actually need to use a DVD for the recovery disk. A CD works fine.

You should make that recovery CD and then confirm that it actually boots your PC and that you can see all of your partitions and your saved image file. If not, you cannot restore an image.

Yes--if working properly, you should be able to select an image on the same disk--although as Kado897 points out, that is not a good strategy.

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

An external HDD is the best option. You could use a separate partition on the same drive but if you lose the drive you lose the backup. You can also back up to a set of DVDs but that is not a satisfactory solution as DVDs are not as reliable and you will need quite a few to store an image of your OS.

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

You navigate to the external just like any other drive--you choose it after having booted from the recovery disk.

I have used the EaseUS free version only. I assume there are paid versions as well.

You COULD create a partition on your internal drive to save the image on and then restore to another partition on the same drive from that, but it's bad form---if the drive fails, you lose the saved image and thus cannot restore.

 

[kado897]

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

You navigate to the external just like any other drive--you choose it after having booted from the recovery disk.

I have used the EaseUS free version only. I assume there are paid versions as well.

You COULD create a partition on your internal drive to save the image on and then restore to another partition on the same drive from that, but it's bad form---if the drive fails, you lose the saved image and thus cannot restore.

As I posted earlier it's a bad idea to backup to the same physical drive.

 

[Senteaf]

Okay but after I boot from the recovery CD how can I choose an image from an external data storage(DVDs/HD)?

I know but because I want to restore the whole HD, I must save it on external data storage...
is EaseUS free or trial?

Do you mean I can create a temporary partition just to save the image so that I will be able to restore from the same HD?

You navigate to the external just like any other drive--you choose it after having booted from the recovery disk.

I have used the EaseUS free version only. I assume there are paid versions as well.

You COULD create a partition on your internal drive to save the image on and then restore to another partition on the same drive from that, but it's bad form---if the drive fails, you lose the saved image and thus cannot restore.

Will it recognize a USB Hard Disk?

But is EaseUS free version really free, or trial for limited period of time?

The Easus's is completely free or limited, restricted trial?

The free version is quite rich in features. The Linux boot CD you create with it even has USB 3.0 support. I tried it to make sure I could see drives in my USB 3.0 docks.

this one is also an option to consider.

Which is better in your opinion, Macrium or Easus's?

I haven't been using Easus that long. They are both similar. I would say check them both out and see if they work well with your hardware. These imaging programs work with the vast majority of disk controllers but sometimes there's one supported by one brand and not at all or only in slow compatibility mode by the other. Which is "better" often depends on your hardware setup. Paragon was fine for me until I got a machine that had some funky Raid controller setup. Macrium had no trouble with that controller.

Some people use a small "dummy" partition of a few hundred MB just to test the image backup and restore without risking the system partition. For example if the program releases a major upgrade you may want to try the new boot CD restore on the dummy partition before assuming it will be fine.


Usually if you can boot the restore CD and see all the drives then you're ok.

Thank you I will definitely try first.

You CAN restore from an internal disk. But you can't store the image on the same partition that you are imaging.

I have made images with Macrium and EaseUS. One is as easy as another. I have NOT restored an image with either, but I have not heard of many issues from either on these forums. The EaseUS product is newer and thus does not have as many users, so there is not as much feedback about it.

I have tried both and settled on Macrium. The only problem I had with Macrium was getting the Linux recovery disk to see my external drives. I have also done several restores of the OS with Macrium with no problems, the last only two weeks ago.

What problems did you have and how did you solve them?
I will probably use external drives too...