I have a new laptop and would like to use Macrium Reflect for backup of the SSD drive. When using the M.R. I can see 4 partitions: 1. "No Name" 26 Mb 2. "Primary Unformated" 16 Mb 3. C Primary NTFS 33.35 GB 4. Primary NTFS 445 Mb I checked all four and got a window" "Your selection includes Bitlocker partitions. Backup of unlocked Bitlocker partitions will be captured unencrypted by default. Consider unabling Reflect's image encrypton to keep your data protected." What is the meaning of this massage? Should I click on "yes" and continue with the backup process?
It's just telling you that one or more of t hose 4-partitions is encrypted with BitLocker. When REFLECT images that partition, the image will not be BitLocker protected and will be viewable within that image. It's suggesting that if you want it completely protected in its image form, you should encrypt the image when it's taken.
Thanks TheRollbackFrog for your prompt answer. i.e. if the image will not be BitLocker protected, (when I click "Yes" for this option) the restore will bring back the laptop to its original (backed-up) configuration. What is the purpose of the the #4 Primary NTSF?
Brian is right, that 26mb seems awful small for an EFI partition. Partitions Are EFI (for UEFI booting), MSR (Microsoft System Reserved - not really used bur required for the standard MS build), OS (where Windows lives) and the MS Recovery Partition. The Recovery partition seems a bit small as well, may eventually cause you a problem with certain MS updates along the way.
Ahhhhh... the size of that 1st partition is really 100mB (a standard in most cases). I still worry about that last one, though... many users have had a heck of a time getting a certain MS update to not error with Recovery partitions that small. See next post for explanation...
@samy - just a warning on something that may occur with your current Recovery Partition size. This is a decent description of the problem.. Windows 10 22h2 security update [KB5034441] fails to install with code: 0x80070643 This was a Recovery Partition update to solve some sort of BitLocker issue but the existing Recovery Partition was too small. This LINK from a previous similar update issue offers an "ofishul" Microsloth solution, but it's brutal. I see you're using Minitool's Partition wizard. With that tool, the easiest solution is to go into PW's BOOTable media, shrink the tail end of the OS partition by a minimum of 300mB, then expand the headend of the Recovery Partition into the space just freed up by the OS resizing. When finished, the Recovery Partition will be at least 300mB larger and be in the same partition position as it was before, allowing all else to work normally... this is what I did. After this change, the above KB installed without issue. Tons of users encountered this problem in the Jan/Feb timeframe.
A quick follow-up to the above missive... Affected Systems clients: Windows 11, version 21H2; Windows 10, version 22H2; Windows 10, version 21H2
I have a doubt. All my win 10/11 systems have a recovery partition but they are all 100% empty just sitting there. What exactly makes them occupy space as I do run windows update manually once a month but I afterwards run update cleanup too using disk cleanup tool in win 10 while just leave it in win 11?
That's very strange... I've never seen an EMPTY Windows Recovery partition. Are you looking at the wrong one, maybe... or perhaps the viewing tool you using may not be showing HIDDEN files? Below is a typical Recovery Partition on an UEFI-GPT System...
That's the strangest System layout I've ever seen... if it BOOTs, I'd be surprised. The general knowledge states an EFI partition is needed to BOOT... yours has nothing in it, basically unBOOTable in that configuration. Possibly it could BOOT but it would have to be a Legacy-MBR configuration... I can't tell from that display. If it is UEFI BOOTing, it would need some sort of BOOTloader in that UEFI partition... I don't see that either. Ya got me... what's the secret? (maybe the loader is in some sort of hardware)
You were right in a way, I also thought it looked quite odd that system is booting with 100% free efi & recovery partition. That screenshot was from windows disk management so on a hunch I tried another partition mgmt software suggested here in your other thread "EFI partition mgmt" & this is the real situation. Apparently it is some new MS "feature/bug" that doesn't show "system partition" real info in disk management (this pc running latest win 11). This same issue is there on my win 10 pc too.
Now That's More Like It. It may be some sort of BitLocker issue... I don't use it so I don't know. But to hide the contents of both the EFI partition and the Recovery partition makes no sense (it shows them but doesn't tell you about their usage)... then to completely hide the BitLockered partition, maybe just some MicroSloth strangeness by design. @whitestar_999 - Do you also have a BitLockered partition on your Win10 System as well?
Yes I have bitlocker partition on both systems but on win 10 system the entire system drive is bitlocker encrypted.
It's a bug in Disk Management. My ESP, RE and Hidden OS partitions all show 100% Free. Present in Win8, Win10 and Win11. Not sure about earlier Windows versions. No BitLocker in use.
hi can i ask a question? but after the restore with macrium , are they (the partitions) still "bilocked" encrypted or not? @Brian K Can I ask you a question ? about bitlocker or veracrypt , image for windows/linux can restored encrypted or decrypted? just to don't double posts thanks
In TBWinRE, unlock the Windows partition with... manage-bde -unlock Then restore the Windows partition. On restart the Windows partition is encrypted.
Hi @Brian K well , and on image for linux , i can use veracrypt but not bitlocker right ? in short i have to un lock and create an image, on the restore it 's encrypted have I only to unlock the windows partition or all of them ? thanks
In IFL you use Dislocker for mounting encrypted partitions. I haven't tried it... https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/kb-articles/using-bitlocker-with-terabytes-imaging-programs/ When I used Bitlocker I created the image while in Windows and used IFW VSS. Restores were done in TBWinRE, always. To restore an image to any encrypted partition in TBWinRE, the partition has to be unlocked prior to the restore. Typically the ESP, MSR and RE won't be encrypted so don't need to be unlocked. A typical unlock Bitlocker script in TBWinRE is... manage-bde -unlock E: -recoverypassword 098032-033550-457622-063591-281171-518969-471988-435237 E: is the drive letter of the partition as seen in TBWinRE, not the Windows drive letter. So the Win11 partition could be E: F: G: etc. I don't use Bitlocker. I found it's more trouble than it's worth. Especially if you do frequent restores. Don't restore the image as part of an Entire Drive restore. You must do a partition restore or the Win11 partition will no longer be encrypted. I forgot. Don't do Entire Drive backups. You must do a partition backup for everything to work.
Hi Brian I did not about Dislocker , would be nice with a gui about bitlocker or veracypt , i think like you ,lots of troubles but there are users with bitlocked or truecrypt or veracrypt encrypted computer you know just to know it @Brian K @TheRollbackFrog and about fingerprints or usb stick , can macrium v7 or image 4 linux/windows or other image software read them? @samy are you using macrium 7 or 8 ? just because I use v7 , i guess it's compatible with w11 , i'm using v7 just because i want at least a backup software stable thanks
Even more so if you are dual-booting with another OS such as Linux. It is of paramount importance to keep the bitlocker recovery key backed up securely somewhere and don't ever lose it.
