Yes. When I'm ready to clean install. I'll pull most recent v7.1 installer version & run Reflect's "Check for updates" option immediately after installing since, macrium.com/reflectfree currently offers Version: 7.1.2611 (29th September 2017) even though current release notes report Bug Fixes v7.1.2614 - 29th September 2017: Rescue Media run error. Thanks!
It appears that you have, in fact, downloaded v7.1.2614_reflect_setup_free_x64.exe, but that it's internal file version is being reported as 7.1.2600.0. Probably just an internal file versioning discrepancy which is not unusual for Macrium. They're quite sloppy about that kind of thing. It's usually inconsequential, but not always. In any case, considering the recent pace of bug fix releases, it certainly won't hurt to check for more updates after installing anyhow.
Today I visited the family member whose PC contains this drive. While the backup succeeded this time I did run the manufacturer (indeed Seagate) diagnostic software (indeed SeaTools) as you guys suggested (thanks for that!). The short diagnostic self test ran fine on the external drive, but failed at only 10% on the internal drive, with errror E19C9FE6. Any idea how to find out what this means? Or should I just try to convince them to buy a new drive (or PC, since its rather old)?
Don't know about that particular SeaTools error. It's not listed on their error codes page. You might try asking in one of Seagate's "Ask The Community" support locations. It's definitely not a Macrium issue. Generally speaking, when a drive fails its manufacturer's diagnostic tests, replacement would be wise.
Quick question people... ***UPDATE*** I just saw the remove license key, but I was asked for my v6 license when I installed my v7.1. Will it remove BOTH keys so I can reinstall again? Can I get my KEY back? I installed v7.1 2614 on my new laptop and did an image and created rescue media OK. Here is my issue. When I setup Windows 10 Pro, I messed up the install by creating an MS account I do not want. No problem but from there it created a darn user account we also do not want. Bottom line is I believe HP will let me go back to a fresh unconfigured from the factory install and the only thing I did was add Reflect. I am not at this point concerned as I actually did not install anything else yet, but this is a long message asking how I can recover my KEY that I used to install v 7.1 if I start over.
You say that you "saw" the remove license key option, but you don't say whether you actually used it to remove a license key that was installed and validated for using Reflect on that machine. Nor is it entirely clear whether a v7 license key was installed and validated after it asked you for your v6 license key. Assuming that it was, that v7 license validation supersedes the v6 licence validation. It is the only one that you need to be concerned about removing temporarily and then restoring after doing whatever else you plan to do about your "messed up" Windows setup. Temporary removal may not be absolutely necessary, but it takes no time and is the safest way to handle it.
I did not remove any license yet, but wanted to be sure I could get it back. At any rate, I will do a full Image before trying to reset the Laptop to factory conditions and removing the License. Then I can always go back to the full image.
So, just to be clear, what I will do is remove my license and uninstall v7.1 and that will give me my key back from v7. Then I will reset my laptop back to the factory settings and reconfigure Windows and install v7.1 again. And you say that Reflect will not ask me for my v6 key again.
Sorry, but assuming you have retained a record of the license keys provided to you by Macrium, I don't really understand your concern. Each computer on which any paid edition of Reflect is installed requires the entry of a license key. When upgrading a Reflect installation from one major version to another, you may need to enter the old key as well as the new one. The new one then supersedes the old one as I said. The purpose of the license key entry is to allow Macrium to validate its use on one single machine. However, you can then remove any of those validated keys from any machine and reuse it again, either on the same machine after reconfiguration and reinstallation, or on an entirely different machine. There is no problem whatever in doing that. Of course, if you remove an existing license key validation, then yes you would need to enter it again for a subsequent validation. In any case, if worse comes to worst, you can contact Macrium directly to explain the problem and they will reset all of your license key validations for you. So you're not going to lose your license keys unless you throw them away yourself or the dog eats them.
OK...I of course have my keys...both v6 and v7. What I asked about was when I reinstall v7.1 after removing my key, will it ask for my v6 again or do they now know that that v7 key alone is now OK.
Another "bug fix" release - Now up to v7.1.2619 to correct issues with Reflect v7.1's backup file naming and with the new MIG feature's Robocopy handling. Details here.
Simple question and yes I did RTFM (don't see one for 7.1 yet). I have only done Full Images and they are taking about 12 minutes to create and verify. One thing I ALWAYS do is to specify a file name. Now, as I understand it, I can create an XML...something I never did for the full drive, and then I can run it and now select DIFFERENTIAL...which I now think will be a great time saver, however, if I start doing this, should I let Reflect create the file name(s)? If I want to mount the image, do I just select the Differential?
You just mount the differential. You can use your own file names if you like. Reflect reads the file headers to know what the file dependency tree is. Alternatively just let Reflect choose its own file names.
The licence restrictions of commercial use of the free version is unclear. I have doubt about the repair shop scenario. If one needs a higher capacity hard disk the contents of the old hard disk needs to be copied but I think the exclusion clause prohibits this. Does the phrase new device refers to new hard disk or new pc? But it allows restoration to a new pc in case of hardware failure. So can macrium reflect free be used for hardware upgradation of a single pc in a commercial environment?
Any authoritative answer would, of course, have to come from Macrium itself and you may want to contact them about it directly. However, I don't read those exclusions as prohibiting any of the steps involved in replacing a drive in the same machine. As I understand it, they use the "new device" terminology only to preclude using the Reflect Free edition for transfer/deployment to machines (computing devices) other than the one on which it has been installed. Prohibiting any drive-to-drive operations for replacement in the same machine would make that Reflect edition almost useless. On the other hand, they don't want it to be used as equivalent to their "technician's license" for multi-machine functions.
There is also a restriction on rescue media: "Rescue media must be created on the PC to be restored." Is this because of possible drivers problems, or is there another reason? I can create a rescue UFD in a computer and boot with it in other, but I haven´t tried restores.
I read that as just a licensing restriction on commercial use of the Reflect Free edition imposed for reasons similar to those mentioned in reply to sm1's question above. There is certainly no technical reason, other than the drivers issue that you mentioned, why rescue media can't work with multiple machines. In fact, there are explicit instructions (here and here) about adding drivers for exactly that purpose. If the rescue media boots any machine okay with access to all of its saved backup file locations, including any network locations used for backups, that's all that's necessary for successful backup and/or restore operations.
I believe it's a licensing problem more than anything else... of course if one of the computers requires a specif Raid driver, for instance it may not work on another computer.
Just learnt there is this option available so I went to: https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree selected business entered my real email received nothing - no key, only the confirmation mails that was yesterday how much longer till they send me the key? or perhaps I got rejected for some reason?
If, after entering that requested info as a business user, you then hit the download button and got the .EXE setup executable file, that's all you need. Running that executable will install the Reflect Free edition for you.
OK...I also wonder this about using a Differential Backup. If I run the full image, and then run differential until it gets big enough that the diff is not helping much, I can then run another full and start a new round of differential after that. However, if I KEEP the older image and diff, will the new one get confused or does it know that I started over. Also, can I add a prompt or options so the full and differential will ask me for file name and comment?
