Macrium Reflect Free question(s)

[NeilF]

So currently I'm doing regular full image dumps from Windows of my two main machines.

However, the problem with this would be if I do lose the primary disc, I'd need to re-install windows to then re-install the old image.

So I think I'd prefer to move to a dedicate backup/restore app and if a drive goes, just use it to restore the stored image of that one drive... done!


For those of you that use Macrium Reflect Free, would this suffice? So if I do regular full image copies for my PC(s) of all the partitions/discs, and a disc (or single partition) was then to blow, I could then boot from their media (eg: USB stick) and restore just the lost drive/partition(s)?

I understand the free version won't let you restore individual files/folder, but I assume you can choose individual partitions/drives to restore, and you don't have to restore all of them (ie: the entire image of everything)?

 

[meandu229]

I have only ever restored the full image (although I remember there being checkboxes to disable some partition restore but didnt click so dont know if thats part of the free or not).
But yes you can just boot from USB and restore.

 

[NeilF]

I have only ever restored the full image (although I remember there being checkboxes to disable some partition restore but didnt click so dont know if thats part of the free or not).
But yes you can just boot from USB and restore.

Ta...

If anyone else can confirm then, you can just restore individual drives (or partitions) with the free version that would be great before I proceed...

How are you finding the free version BTW? Any limitation/issues?

 

[bledd]

Use Macrium to create a boot cd/usb, from this you can take images and restore full images.

I always keep one or two CDs/usb sticks handy.

Touch wood, I've not had to do a restore due to drive failure.



I test the process often though.

Since they're a UK company, I bought the software and I buy every update they release. On my main PC I have weekly scheduled images taken, on the less important machines, I manually run them once a month or so.

 

[NeilF]

Use Macrium to create a boot cd/usb, from this you can take images and restore full images.

I always keep one or two CDs/usb sticks handy.

Touch wood, I've not had to do a restore due to drive failure.



I test the process often though.

Since they're a UK company, I bought the software and I buy every update they release. On my main PC I have weekly scheduled images taken, on the less important machines, I manually run them once a month or so.

I'd love to buy, but £50 is a tad steap for me.

So if the free copy allows me to do full backups... and then restore a single partition/drive, that will suffice. I'd just like someone with the free version to confirm it can restore a single partition/drive ideally?!

 

[bledd]

Fit a temporary hard drive instead of your main one, boot from USB/CD, then restore.

Can't beat a real life test! Much nicer to test software like this in a 'what if' situation instead of being up #### creek if it doesn't behave how you expect.

 

[Rannoch]

Macrium is the dogs nads.

 

[NeilF]

Macrium is the dogs nads.

Well, I'm now the free version to do complete images (every three months) of my two (main) PCs. I've also created a USB boot stick for each as well...


One thing that was odd was the backup up options were split into:-
- Image Selected Drives
- Create an image to backup and restore Windows


I was a bit confused by this. My guess is the second is purely to backup (image) the least (partitions) possible to create a bootable machine again? I therefore used the "Image Selected Drives" selecting all.