Which version of Macrium Reflect should I get?

I have never used Macrium Reflect, but I've read many good things, and now want to install it.
I see a Free version, along with Standard and Pro versions.
What say the MR users? Is Free adequate for most needs?
Standard looks very inviting. Are the Standard features that much better than Free?
And the same question for Pro... there are only a couple items extra if I get the Pro version (compared to Standard).
I know it ultimately comes down to what I can afford, but I really don't want to overpay if you guys are getting along fine with Free or Standard.
Appreciate any help!

 

go for the free version, unless you need incremental or differential.

personally, i don't bother with either.
my images are small enough that i don't need those features.

 

If I'm reading that comparison chart correctly, Free does not have email support or forum access.

 

if it does what it says on the tin, those should not be needed.

 

What about not having 'Recovery from Windows boot menu'?
That a drawback, in your opinion?

 

not really.
all you need is the bootable CD.

the recovery from Windows boot menu *might* save you a little bit of times, depending on how slow the CD loads.

 

How long have you used it, moontan?
Have you run other backup programs before, besides MR?
Any drawbacks to the software that come to mind?

 

tried it a couple of years ago and i found it slow compared to Windows 7 own imager and IFW.
it took about twice the time of the 2 mentioned above.
some people might not give a high priority to speed though.

but it was 2 years ago and things might have changed since then.


Windows 7 imager is fast and solid like a rock but with few options.
you might also want to give IFW/IFD/IFL a try as well.
check my sig and you'll know what i use.

 

According to their ad, things have changed since them.

 

I bought Pro because I needed "Restore to dissimilar hardware". I do upgrade to bigger machines and I can just easily restore my whole system on it.

 

like MarcP pointed out, it's all about the features you need.

if you don't need the extra features, take the free version for a 'road test'.

actually, i would give the free version a try first regardless of what version you decide to get.

 

Does dissimilar hardware mean any machine other than the one that produced the image?
What about cloning to a new hard drive?
Is that considered dissimilar hardware, do you know?

 

Dissimilar hard means a completely different machine. I moved from one laptop to another without issues. Just a new harddrive is just a standard restore. I upgraded to an SSD just with a standard restore.

 

I agree.

 

You can have 'Recovery from Windows boot menu' with FREE version of Macrium Reflect or any imaging software with EasyBCD.

http://neosmart.net/EasyBCD/

You use EasyBCD to build 'Recovery from Windows boot menu' for any imaging program.

Best regards,

 

The big difference with the PAID and FREE version is that with the PAID version you get already built WinPE Recovery Environment. With the FREE version you have to built it yourself with WAIK.

WAIK is a 1.7GB download, but almost needed for everything. Here is a link for WAIK download from who else but Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=5753

Best regards,

 

aladdin,

Could you please describe how to use EasyBCD to create Recovery boot menu for Macrium free or other imaging software?
I've installed EasyBCD and found the WinPE option, but it requires a path to WIM image. Thank you

 

1. Let us say, you want to built Recovery Boot Menu for Macrium Reflect FREE or any other imaging software, then the first thing you should have is the WinPE ISO for that imaging program.

2. Then you need to Unrar the WinPE ISO. This will give you the path to WIM image.

Best regards,

 

aladdin,

I'm confused by your statement. Do you mean run the UnRarX program? Or something else?

 

I bought the Macium pro version because of this reason.

How about both versions if you have have two computers or more to save a little money.
__________________

 

None, you can make a bootable USB flash drive, Press F12, select USB drive and boot your computer like this. And the Free version makes it really hassle free to make a bootable USB. I found that other imaging softwares insist on you creating bootable DVD, which is a pain in the a$$, especially that these days most laptops come without a DVD player.

As for whether to go with free or standard or pro. I see really very little incentive to go with standard, unless you want incremental back ups. Like other wilders have suggested, check out the free version and if you really like it then go with Pro to get all the features including restore to dissimilar hardware.

 

I see, thank you. So basically this involves WAIK download and building of the CD

 

Sorry, it was my bedtime so I couldn't come earlier. It requires WinPE ISO.

Either they give you the WinPE ISO (for most paid programs) or you build it yourself with their plugins and WAIK.

No need for CD. You can Unrar the ISO with either WinRAR or 7-Zip.

DVD/CD is old technology and out of the Window. With WinPE ISO you can have as Recovery Boot Menu and also as Recovery USB when Windows completely fails to boot. On one Recovery USB, you can have all your imaging programs together and more like Partition Programs.

Best regards,

 

True Brain, any ISO can be Unrar with either WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Best regards,

 

Ah, I see. The files have to be extracted from the ISO so you can get to the .wim. Apart from the .wim, are the other files needed?