Reading image files created by older version of Macrium Reflect

I guess it could be my fault for failing to update my version of Macrium Reflect, but in attempting to access files stored in image files created by version 5.1, I find the current version I installed on my new computer (version 7.1) will not read those older image files.

Since the old computer no longer has access to the Internet (it was on a dial-up connection) I cannot just upgrade it through the program itself.

I uninstalled the current version on my new computer and reinstalled version 5.1. It immediately asked me whether I wanted to update it. But will that mean it will still be able to read the image files I created just before acquiring the new computer? Instead of the laborious process of copying everything I needed to transfer to the new computer manually, I simply created an image file the day before the new computer arrived. And of course immediately found all those files are inaccessible to me without the version of Macrium they were created with.

Any suggestions as to how I can safely install the updates needed while retaining the ability to access those image files created with the older version?

Thanks,

Trist

 

I don't understand. Can you not click NO or disconnect from the internet after installation?
If you created an image with 5.1 it should be readable with 5.1 too. Except it was written faulty. Always use the validation after imaging.

 

@Trist - sounds like a rock and a hard place at the moment. When you uninstalled the v7 license from your new computer, did you use the "Remove license" feature located under the "Help" menu? If so, that license may be reused on any computer... a given. If you didn't, you can only use it on the computer it was first installed on without an interaction with Macrium Support.

What I'm getting at is this... I know v6 can read v5 generated images but my guess is that disappeared in v7. Another given is your v7 license may be used to install v6... IF it was removed from your new System, not just uninstalled. Where I'm headed is as follows... if you didn't "remove" that v7 license from your new System, you should be able to install the equivalent v6 version and have full access to your v5 images. If you did "remove" the v7 license, you can install an equivalent v6 license on your new machine using the v7 license (I have done this on my machine).

The bottom line is if you want to run the latest (v7) version of Reflect, you'll need to abandon your need/requirement for those v5 images. If you want access to a v6 version of Reflect, PM me and I'll pass on what's needed for access...

 

@TheRollbackFrog does the free version not have the capabilities to write and read any images, or why are you mentioning licences? Are images somehow connected to licences?

 

Sorry, I forgot to specify that I've been using the free version of Macrium since 2013. On a dial-up connection it never notified me that updates were available, which is why I was still on version 5.1.

To answer _Nikopol, apparently the current free version of Macrium cannot read images created by version 5.1. Conversely, when I installed 5.1 on the new computer it could not read an image I had just created a few days ago with 7.1. Error message I get when double-clicking on it is "Image C\XXX.mrimg is corrupt." However current 5.1 installation on new computer has no trouble reading that image file I copied from old computer.

I've thought of another workaround. I could update the program I have on my old computer to 7.1; then create an image file, and transfer that file to the new computer. Question is, old computer was running Windows XP. Will version 7.1 be compatible with XP?

And yes, the current version I originally installed on the new computer is also the free version.

Trist

 

@Trist - your idea to upgrade your old computer to v7 and re-image it should work fine... but using that image to "configure" your new computer as an XP machine is questionable. XP is gone (though not forgotten). Since the old machine is no longer internet connected, if you need the FREE v7 installer for that machine, lemme know...

 

We're not talking about cloning the new machine; just using the image as an easier way to transfer files than manually copying the ones I need. And since I have an external drive I can easily transfer back to the old machine the setup file for version 7.1 which I've downloaded to the new.

Stapp, thanks for the answer to the question re. whether 7.1 is compatible with XP. Guess it was too late in the evening for me to think of researching that bit of information myself.

Many thanks for your help in this.

Trist

 

Then I don't understand what your problem is. Sounds like you should just use 5.1 on the new computer to import the files.
Maybe have both versions installed.

 

According to this thread that contains a response from Macrium, V7 is compatible with image files created by ALL older versions of Reflect. Granted, that was written before V7 was actually released, but I'm not aware of any changes in that respect. What exactly is happening when you try to browse image files created by 5.1 from v7?

But even if that isn't fixable, if you still have a 5.1 installer, then I agree with the posts above that you should be able to just install and work with that. Prompts to update would only update you to the latest release of 5.x, which wouldn't cause a problem, but even those can be refused if you want. You definitely will not end up auto-updating to v7 though.