I am not quite sure this is the right thread for this. Here is what happened to me: for internet use at home I mostly relied on Windows XP, but when that computer stopped working I started using my Windows 7 desktop. I have a Windows 7 professional 64 bit system, an external harddrive (probably NTFS file system), Macrium Reflect free version 5.x. Creating images was always fine. I´m not quite sure if I ever had to resort to restoring such an image before. Creating and saving images had never been a problem. For Windows XP I used Acronis version 8. Today I tried to restore a Windows 7 image, using a Macrium Reflect rescue cd. Linux format if I recall correctly. All I got were directories and files, not images. After trying over and over again, consulting the internet, I just downloaded the latest version of Macrium Reflect free. It sure looked like a different program ! Aside from other issues, more options, it was much more complicated. It seemed that there was no Linux option, just a Windows PE (forgot what it means) option. I ran it, created a a rescue CD. With that rescue CD I was able to restore an old image from the harddrive. So, currently that new version is gone from my system. In a way that feels like relief (it overwrote the old Macrium Reflect). i think I still got that new rescue CD somewhere ... it might work, but I really don't know what's going on. Linux just seemed simpler. I have to face what to do next. First, I am not sure of the issue with Macrium Reflect version 5.x (prior to that I had an older version, maybe 2.x). At one time, I used a different external harddrive. Is it the NTFS (? not sure) file system ? Is there something I can do to get version 5 working properly ? The lastest Macrium version seems much more complicated. I don´t need all the extras. I´m not that interested in studying the manual. Possibly I could use the latest version of Macrium in a way that is simple (regular, full images, not scheduled) ? But when the rescue CD starts with Windows PE I get the feeling it´s overkill. Any other product that would be a good replacement ? Possibly Windows 7 itself has the ability to create images, but for whatever reason I decided not to use that.
Fly, there's nothing in the current (v6 or v7) Macrium Reflect that forces you to use either scheduling or image retention mgmt... they are both totally optional, especially if all you want to do is take manual FULLs, DIFFs or INCs. The FREE version only takes FULLs and DIFFs but works just fine. Once you've set up the specification for your imaging operation (source volume, destination volume, and any needed OPTIONAL bells & whistles), it needs to be nothing more than a simple <double-click> on a DeskTop icon, select the image type you wish to take, add a OPTIONAL comment to that image if you wish, then <click> finish... off it goes. As far as the Rescue Media is concerned, don't be scared of WinPE (Pre-installation Environment). It's a mini-Windows version that loads then fires up the Macrium Reflect application for use... the very same one you see on your LIVE System. It's limited in its function (Backup, Restore and Fix BOOT if necessary) but that's all you really need to repair your computer or restore an image. Due to the extremely limited use/need for a LINUX version of their Rescue Media, they have not taken up the development of that media as of this date. Everything you describe above can be done very easily with the current versions. The current FREE version is v6-based but will be replaced, hopefully by the end of the month, with a v7-based version. v6 has been solid as a rock... nothing to fear there. If you'd like to give the current FREE version a try, the Forum here will be glad to guide you through the initial setup (Backup Definitions)... after that, it's pretty simple.
Fly, there's no known reason why your Reflect v5 can't be installed on your Win7 System and work just fine... there are many, many users doing this. The v5 LINUX Recovery Media should also work just fine for recovery purposes (if you're trying to recover to images taken under Win7). If those images were really "images" rather than "File & Folder" images, they should have restored just fine... I sure can't explain your experience. Possibly, since you've never had a need to restore any of your v5 images, you may actually be taking the wrong kind of image (File&Folder rather than System), both were available in v5 as well as all the new versions.
@TheRollbackFrog, The new version of Macrium (free) seemed more complicated and 'larger' that what I was used to. Actually, I tried using both a regular DVD and a DVD rewriteable. The latter causes issues ? My own inexperience, I guess. I was in a bit of a panic so I don't recall all the details, but at one point I was asked what way I wanted to format (?) the DVD. Something about LIVE (?) or something else. I have no idea why I could not read the images with the bootable DVD/CD. I could see the images just fine under Windows 7 (64 bit, pro) when I attached the harddrive to my computer, but when I booted from the DVD I just got a bunch of directories and files. Could it possibly be the way the harddrive had been formatted (NTFS?) ? Creating the images went fine, just when push came to shove I couldn't restore them without installing the latest version of Macrium first ... I tried creating a new bootable DVD/CD under version 5 but I got that same issue with files/directories but no images. Luckily the OS wasn't totally corrupted or I'd have had a real problem.
OK, since you "guys" know everything, I have a strange issue. I am using V7. On my system, I do full Images from my GPT Formatted SSD to my D: drive which is a GPT formatted HDD. My D: drive also has downloads and some data...but not too much. I then do a file and folder backup of Drive D: to a USD thumb drive and, of course EXCLUDE the large images used when I do my full Image backup. SO, here is the problem. On my system, doing this gives me about a 6 GB backup. Great. However, my wife has a system configured about the same way. The only issue is that her Drive D backup, excluding the Image directory shows 67GB!!! If I go to drive D: and check properties of the directories, she has music and pictures of about 6GB total with about another 2 or 3 GB in other directories. If I bring up the XML I saved and tell it to check files and size it shows about 6 GB and then jumps to 67GB. I mounted the resulting backup and the large images are NOT there and see nothing to cause this. Is there anything I should try? I suppose I can try a file and folder backup with JUST her Pictures and music to see what happens.
Yup, just got it and will see what is says. I looked at MY system and all looks good. I will mount my wife's USB and see what it says. I knew it was backing up a large file and it was a TrueImage folder. I told it NOT to include Macrium or TI folders and it did exclude Macrium but it did backup TI. I will need to look again at the XML.
'Fly, there's no known reason why your Reflect v5 can't be installed on your Win7 System and work just fine... there are many, many users doing this. The v5 LINUX Recovery Media should also work just fine for recovery purposes (if you're trying to recover to images taken under Win7). If those images were really "images" rather than "File & Folder" images, they should have restored just fine... I sure can't explain your experience. Possibly, since you've never had a need to restore any of your v5 images, you may actually be taking the wrong kind of image (File&Folder rather than System), both were available in v5 as well as all the new versions.' Well, it is what it is ... does anyone have an idea ? The recovery CD sees only files and directories, not images. When I used the same drive with Acronis version 8 I could restore the images on it. Possibly version 5 requires certain file systems ?? The new CD (version 6) works fine. It's a Freecom harddrive USB 3.0. It says NTFS.
[QUOTE="It's a Freecom harddrive USB 3.0. It says NTFS.[/QUOTE] I can't remember when version 5 was current, but a v5 Linux recovery disk very likely does not have a driver for a USB 3.0 drive.
@layman, @TheRollbackFrog, That may be explain the issue ! I'm not quite sure though. My old external harddrive was manufactured in 2008 or so. I bought my current external harddrive in 2015. When I check sources, I see that Macrium Reflect was released in 2011. In consumer products it would have become available in 2010/2011. The standard itself was adopted in 2008 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0). USB 3 is backwards compatible, so I'm not sure if it requires a special driver ? Anyway, on Windows XP I could restore images just fine with the rescue disc of Acronis version 8, also a Linux bootable CD/DVD. I got the Acronis software with the harddrive in 2008.
In 2013 I had to upgrade both my Gigabytes motherboard BIOS and driver for the ETRON chip to use USB3 successfully.
The first USB 3.0 driver for Linux appeared in 2009, but that doesn't mean it was available from Macrium. There was a time when I preferred cutting Linux recovery disks, because a single disk would suffice for all the machines of the same bitness in our household. But, eventually, I had to resort to cutting PE disks for each computer because Linux didn't have the drivers needed. I presume Macrium eventually went PE-only precisely because of the ability to tailor drivers. It wasn't possible with vanilla Linux.
For any Free version users, the download page states that Free Version 7 is "coming soon". Anyway, after using Reflect yesterday for some "real" restoration work for my first time as far as restoration work goes I come away with one takeaway. Just like that and all within a period of a couple of hours, Macrium Reflect is without a doubt one of my favourite pieces of software. Absolutely powerful and absolutely accurate (and efficient, of course). Reflect is definitely going to be a regular part of my regular computer software from this day going forward.
Now that version 7 is out, can someone please direct me to where I can download the latest full version of Macromedia 6 Home and thanks.
And if you are using the paid version and setup some cbt incrementals, it's going to blow your mind. Mine take on average 45 seconds. for a 150gb drive
That's a great point. It's definitely worth the money too for users who need the additional features, absolutely.
Just wrapped up the weekend finishing with Macrium's handling the Terabyte range drive (full) backups. Plus a restore to a new HDD and it performed every bit as much as you expect from a top notch imager. You will be surprisingly pleased with this program and wonder why you waited this long. It's most definitely a time saver and that means a lot.
@layman, But could that actually explain that I could not see the images on the harddrive while actually being able to see directories and files ?
I never used TeraByte image programs. Not that they aren't just as excellent and not because of anything else except that I already long been quite pleased with Drive Snapshot for ages (100% success rate!) and more recently of course the master, Macrium. To be more specific the Terabyte I referred to in that reply is the CAPACITY of my HDD's. I have no drives any longer below 1Tb anymore and plan to go up the ladder even more as they become available. Macrium is done just peachy with all that extra room to work with.
Sorry but more my bad I think. The reference could have been better worded on my part or more added to it to make it specific (Hdd with it) since most members/lurkers browsing this sub-forum naturally might think IFW first to be sure.
