I would consider a single FULL DISK image (all but your System partition) just for reference purposes, if needed. From there, you can image just your System partition any way you want... and restore it to its original place when necessary. The problem with the "reference" FULL DISK image (and your SYSTEM partition) is that since Windows 8.1 Update 1, Windows, occasionally has changed that RECOVERY PARTITION (and the size of the System partition) in the process of an upgrade (just happened again in the W10 1511 upgrade). This, of course, invalidates the reference in that referenced FULL DISK save as well as your current referenced System partition. Reflect is smart enough to tell you that the size of your System partition has changed and asks you to start a new chain, but since you're not regularly imaging your RECOVERY PARTITION, you'll never know that it has changed. And when one of those partition changing Windows things occurs, it also changes the partition table located in the "System" (EFI) partition... WIndows has become a real PITA in those areas.
Hmm, so even though my 8.1 is OEM. Update x may change the recovery partition size...? By Update 1 is that the cumulative rollups. I think 8.1 has three....rollups. Does Intelligent Sector vs. exact copy play into my "What if's" for future successful restores...? Further, Hmm, I still have the original user created Recovery USB. Does Update 1 make my Recovery USB not to be used. Not that I was contemplating using. I think 8.1 is Update 1 or am I forgetting my math...? "Image selected disks" and "Create an image of the partitions" offer me the same 5 check boxes. With the default Recovery as variable check/no check. So, some head scratch regarding Recovery. I retain original 5 partition backup and 4 sans Recovery backup. Had time to think and realized. I didn't know whether to chain off 5 or 4. Differential backup off of 5 is approx. 4 minutes and chain off 4 is even less. Granted, 5 Full, time is twice 4 Full, time. So, best practice is....head scratch...?
WIndows 8 came out, then Windows 8.1 was released. After a few standard update types, WIndows 8.1 Update 1 was released. During this update, Windows needed a larger RECOVERY PARTITION. If the entire disk was in use in some way, Windows chose to shrink the "Windows" partition by the amount it needed to create the newer bigger RECOVERY PARTITION. As you can see, this scenario invalidates the original RECOVERY PARTITION (which it left in place) AND changes the size of the WIndows partition. For sure this happened with W8.1 Upd1 and just happened with W10 Upd 1511. I'm not sure if it happened in between those particular updates. This stuff only happened to folks with FULL disks (totally spoken for in partition mgmt) and folks carrying an UEFI/GPT system configuration. Unless you have a system that uses hidden space under the allocated Windows FileSystem (Rollback RX, etc.) or needs a forensic examination of your device for some reason, "Intelligent Sector" imaging takes care of everything you need for a successful restoration. If you're referring to the Reflect Recovery Media, it is not affected by such Windows shenanigans. (see above) If you had a device that contained both needed SYSTEM partitions AND a DATA partition, the "Create an image of the partitions" option would not show the DATA partition selected. That option only selects the exact partitions needed to put humpty back together again... all needed partitions for the Windows OS only. Since that's all you have on that device, that's why they're all selected. The "Image selected disks" option would offer ALL partitions on that device regardless of need for successful Windows BOOTing... you select the one(s) you want in your image. I run a much simpler configuration than you so I don't have all those options available and imaging is much easier for me. But in your case, if you don't have any DATA partitions on that device, I would let Reflect offer you all the needed Windows stuff for imaging and only use that definition for further INCs or DIFFs. The Windows RECOVERY partition hardly ever changes, the EFI System partition hardly ever changes, the Microsoft SRP (System Reserved Partition) hardly ever changes... almost all the changes are on the actual Windows partition. As such, the first image will get everything and subs would only represent changes in the Windows partition.
Sorry, I was referring to HP Recovery drive made upon initial machine setup. The Reflect PE Image (Auto-built WinPE10) created and tested okay. I have no Data Partitions. As is out-of-the-box. Okay, so, if I understand (best I can). Use "Create an image required to backup and restore Windows" default 4 partitions and chain off that. With a single FULL DISK image just for reference purposes, if needed. I'll run Windows > File History backup so, I have backup default Libraries. And I'll backup personal data as required to thumbdrive. I've run Seagates version of Acronis and Seagates DiskWizard at default. Macruim Reflect v6 Free is step up for me. I tried the Macrium option Add Recovery Boot Menu. I don't know if it's worth the extra stop each start. Am I missing an obvious Boot Menu benefit...? Thanks!!!
All that'll do is get you back to the "out of box" state. If you're gonna use Reflect FREE occasionally, that image will get you back swaaay closer than the HP image will. If you're gonna chain off that 4-partition System image, there's no need fo an occasional FULL... it's all available in that chain (M$ Recovery partition changes, EFI System partition table changes, etc.). The only reason for an occasional FULL is to keep the chain short for a reasonably quick restore if needed. No, but you can adjust the STOP time at that menu so it's minimized. The only obvious advantage is SPEED when you want to use the RECOVERY MEDIA... it's great for people who do a lot of restores, and with RAPID DATA RESTORE (RDR) in the PAID version, things are really quick when it comes to restore operations.
Just so you're aware... since your "out of the box" configuration includes all your DATA areas located on your Windows partition, ALL your DATA will be imaged by Reflect. Since any Reflect image may be fully mounted on your system as a separate volume, all that DATA (all your files) is available for extraction when needed, using a standard Explorer interface (Copy/Paste), to get old/past files when necessary. I don't use that feature because I keep all my DATA files elsewhere (on other partitions) and back them up using a separate FILE Backup type tool... but for your use, it may make for a simpler management of both your Windows backup AND you file backup needs.
I do both. My data is on my c: drive so when Macrium runs it is captured. It is also protected by archiving data automatically to another drive.
Quick note about VERIFY. I have always used the Verify Option even when I had the FREE version. There have been posts saying that it is a waste of time and I agree that I had never had it fail..until now. I did a folder and file Backup to DVD and the Verify failed. Tried a NEW DVDRW and it was OK, so I think I will keep the Verify ON.
I ONLY backed up my drive D HDD to DVD that has some d/l files and some Portable Software installed. It also has my Image Files, but I do NOT back them up. If drive D failed, then I can assume my SSD is still good and replace my HDD and run a new image. The DVD would then just restore my downloads and Portable software. If it is the SSD that is bad, then my Images are still OK. I MAY copy an image, however, to an EXTERNAL in the future. I have a 1TB eSATA drive, but this system does not have eSATA and USB would take a while!
All of a sudden I have major problems with Macrium 6 paid. I have been using 6 since it came out. Now when I try to create a startup Windows menu for Macrium to restore system, the program hangs with the "Updating Boot Menu....." just sits there with the green bar moving from left to right. I am running Win 10 Pro 64 bit. I have performed a repair install which changed nothing. I have run chkdsk on all drives and they are OK. The above was happening while I was writing this post. I just got a new box which states "Unable to import store". Does anyone have any suggestions? Many thanks,
silver0066. You can check what "Operating systems" to show in the menu from Within windows (as far as Windows 10 is concerned Macrium Reflect is another operating system to boot into). Navigate to control panel > System and Security > System. Then click Advanced System Settings, Advanced tab, Start-up and Recovery settings. If the Macrium Reflect option is listed, then try running Reflect to remove the menu, then try to re-add it. If this doesn't fix it you need to find out what is failing by looking in ProgramData\Macrium\waik\bootlog.txt.
Re-doing MR pre-boot menu after a MR update?--I've been reading this thread for several months and have been using MR 6 for the past several months. Only recently did I add the pre-boot menu. And, several of you have kind of responded to this question already, but I want to make double sure that I understand the process correctly.... For me, setting up MR has truly been a set it-and-forget it approach. It does it's daily thing (incremental) and it's monthly thing (full) and I never really pay much attention to it as it does it when I'm sleeping at night. I just kind of trust that it's working and doing its thing. The thing is that I never really open up the program, so I never really update it. So, now, I'm probably several updates behind. (Probably 2 months or so since I opened up MR and allowed it to do it's updates.) So, after reading some of you having issues over the past several weeks, I want to make sure that once I do the updates, that I understand exactly how to update the pre-boot menu. Can someone please carefully walk through the process of updating the pre-boot menu AFTER you've opened up the program and it's done it's "update" thing? Also, do you all do both a CD/DVD/USB boot "disk" as well as the pre-boot menu? Thank you.
1. Run Macrium Reflect 2. Re-create PE environment (PE10.0 according to the hardware in your signature) <--- The "Update Thing" 3. Create rescue media (optional). 4. Other Tasks menu, pick Add Recovery Boot Menu Option ... 5. Select no menu option, then OK. 6. Exit Reflect 7. Restart to confirm there's no recovery boot option. 8. Run Macrium Reflect 9. Other Tasks menu, pick Add Recovery Boot Menu Option ... 10. Select the Menu you want (PE10.0 according to the hardware in your signature), then OK. 11. Exit Reflect 12. Restart to confirm there is a recovery boot option. Then test your recovery menu works. Run it and see if you can verify one of your images (for example). Personally, I keep a recovery USB key a recovery CD as well as the recovery boot menu.
Simply re-running the create recovery boot menu is not sufficient to update/overwrite the existing one? ,,,,,less and less set and forget for sure.
I've never had to do the RESTART checks. I do execute the "No menu" option on the first pass, followed by installing a new menu option on the 2nd pass... it doesn't take very long at all.
Hello, A new update has been released, version 6.1.1000: Download Page: http://www.macrium.com/Download.aspx?type=home Release Notes: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/v6/v6.1.1000/details6.1.1000.htm
My usual procedure below worked just fine... 1. Recreate a PE10 ISO (ISO gets updated with the new PE elements during this procedure. 2. Run the "No menu" option in the LOCAL BOOT creation to eliminate old version. 3. Run the "Windows 10 PE" option in the LOCAL BOOT function.
Update Q: After Macrium Reflect Free update v6.1.1000 may I continue differential string started with earlier Reflect version e.g., v6.1.936 Will Rescue Media created with earlier version need update. Thanks
I have Pro versions of Windows (7 and 8.1) but have never used Bitlocker, and am considering this ... Does Macrium really play nicely with Bitlocker? Any gotchas? TIA
not sure what you mean with steps 2 & 3. editing BCD file with easybcd, and deleting the entries? edit: ah you mean the options in Macrium itself.. btw, i keep on getting the error message about "unable to import store.",and can not create win 8/10 LOCAL recovery. (re-creating the bcd files does not help) So, now I have to use win 7 LOCAL recovery environment (I'm on Windows 10 x64 home), and it takes ages to load into it, since the computer restarts from the Win 10 login screen , before loading it.
@Frog: Any idea why do I keep on getting "unable to import store" when trying to create win10 pe LOCAL recovery ? I noticed, it actually does add the local boot option, but I am not sure if it really is win10 pe LOCAL recovery. It goes to Windows 10 menu where I can select it, then the computer restarts and it loads it.
