Imaging with free Macrium

eldinv said:

should i make a separate backup image of just the system reserve? (mark as active) or do a backup image of both system reserved (active) and the C drive (primary)

I typically just do a backup of both of them in the same backup. Since the system reserved partition is only 100MB...it doesn't take much space at all.

When you have a complete and total meltdown, you don't need to create the partitions ahead of time. Just restore the 100MB reserved partition first as the Active partition and then restore the C drive next as a primary parition and you should be back in business. It will allow you to create these hard drive partitions in the unallocated space on the hard drive.

This is the beauty of having a spare machine or two lying around. You can test and try all this stuff out so that you know how it works.

Eldinv, Siw2 is right. I like to add that you do not restore the MBR when you restore the C partition (because the MBR is sitting on the System Reserved).
If your disk drives really dies (which is unlikely), you can restore to a drive that has the same or a larger size - but not to a smaller drive. For that you need cloning which is not a function of free Macrium.

PS: Just saw that there were more posts on the next page that I missed. But I think you got the idea. If you click on the question mark in the Macrium window or go to "Help", you get a pretty good documentation.
Here is an approach for testing that I always recommend to my students. It is a bit lengthy, but the steps are easy:

1. Shrink 2GBs from C and define a simple volume (partition) - let's call it Y
2. Move some files (any files) into Y - I always also move the sample picture folder in (you'll see why)
3. Define a test folder on your external backup disk - call it Mtest
4. Make an image of Y to Mtest - requires that you make a new definition
5. Delete a couple of pictures from the sample picture folder on Y (I always use the 2 animals)
6. Reboot and tap (ESC, F2 or whatever it is on your system) to get into the BIOS boot sequence
7. Set your boot sequence to CD/DVD reader
8. Throw in the Macrium recovery CD and let it run, then hit Enter
9. Now you are in the recovery wizard, set it to Mtest where it says "Locate Image" and to Y where it says "Choose partition to overwrite with the image data".
Note: the partition letters may not be the same as on your system. Macrium uses its own lettering. Best is to go by the size of the partitions and open it with the little + in the front.
10. Watch out when it asks whether to replace the Master Boot Record - in this case say "do not replace" because this is only a data partition. If that were your system partition, you would replace the MBR provided you do not have a separate boot partition.
11. When you get the little window saying "Your computer will now reboot", you have to hit "Cancel" (on the bottom" to get it to reboot. That's a little strange way to end the session, but that's the way it is.
12. Check whether the 2 animals in the sample picture folder are back. That shows you that the recovery worked.

When you have done these steps, you did the whole cycle and have learned

1. That your recovery disk works
2. How to recover
3. That things work

Now you can delete the little 2GB partition and add it back to it's originating partition.
If you are not familiar with the creation and deletion of partitions, watch this tutorial: https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/72427-data-partition.html

whs said:

Eldinv, Siw2 is right. I like to add that you do not restore the MBR when you restore the C partition (because the MBR is sitting on the System Reserved).
If your disk drives really dies (which is unlikely), you can restore to a drive that has the same or a larger size - but not to a smaller drive. For that you need cloning which is not a function of free Macrium.

PS: Just saw that there were more posts on the next page that I missed. But I think you got the idea. If you click on the question mark in the Macrium window or go to "Help", you get a pretty good documentation.
Here is an approach for testing that I always recommend to my students. It is a bit lengthy, but the steps are easy:

1. Shrink 2GBs from C and define a simple volume (partition) - let's call it Y
2. Move some files (any files) into Y - I always also move the sample picture folder in (you'll see why)
3. Define a test folder on your external backup disk - call it Mtest
4. Make an image of Y to Mtest - requires that you make a new definition
5. Delete a couple of pictures from the sample picture folder on Y (I always use the 2 animals)
6. Reboot and tap (ESC, F2 or whatever it is on your system) to get into the BIOS boot sequence
7. Set your boot sequence to CD/DVD reader
8. Throw in the Macrium recovery CD and let it run, then hit Enter
9. Now you are in the recovery wizard, set it to Mtest where it says "Locate Image" and to Y where it says "Choose partition to overwrite with the image data".
Note: the partition letters may not be the same as on your system. Macrium uses its own lettering. Best is to go by the size of the partitions and open it with the little + in the front.
10. Watch out when it asks whether to replace the Master Boot Record - in this case say "do not replace" because this is only a data partition. If that were your system partition, you would replace the MBR provided you do not have a separate boot partition.
11. When you get the little window saying "Your computer will now reboot", you have to hit "Cancel" (on the bottom" to get it to reboot. That's a little strange way to end the session, but that's the way it is.
12. Check whether the 2 animals in the sample picture folder are back. That shows you that the recovery worked.

When you have done these steps, you did the whole cycle and have learned

1. That your recovery disk works
2. How to recover
3. That things work

Now you can delete the little 2GB partition and add it back to it's originating partition.
If you are not familiar with the creation and deletion of partitions, watch this tutorial: https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/72427-data-partition.html

got it. do not restore the MBR in the C partition marked as primary, because when you first do the recovery; the system reserved you create has the masterboot record there.

Right.

eldinv said:

if i install Vmware and make a new install of windows 7 can i use macrium image inside of the VM replace my current os, using the image of the vmware software.

Hmm, that is a very good question that I have never researched nor tried. I am not familiar with Vmware since I use Virual Box for my virtual partitioning. If Vmware works halfway the same way, you should be able to image the host partition under which it operates and be able to restore that. In vBox, the virtual partition is nothing but a couple of files and some controls that operate under the supervision of the host OS. But if "inside the VM" is not at a partition level (as in vBox), you will not be able to operate with Macrium at that level (or with any other imaging program I would think).