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Author Topic: Macrium Reflect.  (Read 5250 times)

kitz

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Macrium Reflect.
« on: July 31, 2016, 09:22:39 PM »

Has anyone used Macrium Reflect for backups?

Ive recently had more or less 2 simultanous drive failures and whilst attempting to recover data found that Windows Backup may have been the original trigger.   Basically Windows backup will continue filling your drive until it is full.  In the past it hasnt been too much of an issue as Ive been at the PC most days and see the message so manually delete some to make more space.   However whilst ill I hadn't noticed the full drive and Windows then attempted to do an auto defrag.   Despite there being room on the D Drive, the E drive reported a failed defrag and from this point on neither D or E are accessible. Windows cant even see the drives.  Ive attempted a recovery using Seagate tools and unfortunately it appears to be the security table that is stuffed so it cant even access any files.

Anyhow moving on.   2 x new 2TB drives purchased and after research finding that Windows Backup filling drives and causing problems is a not uncommon problem, Ive decided to look at other Backup software.  Macrium seems to be quite often recommendend and considered favourable.

So now I have everything installed and Ive made a Macrium Reflect recovery DVD..  Im just pondering over what to do next.   I was about to do a bog standard image of my C Drive.   However reading the instructions on this page made me do a double take and Im not sure now which one I should be using.

I only want Macrium to do a backup of the C Drive for windows to go to E, so I can recover in the event of a system drive failure or need to reinstall windows.
I have various other backup processes in place for working & personal files which utilise PureSync, Replicator & Seagate dashboard to go to the NAS.

   
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skyeci

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2016, 09:47:32 PM »

Yeap.use the free one on 3 pcs at home. I use it for making an image about once a week of the entire main drive on each machine... works fine. Tested the image back and no issue. For free I cant complain..

kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2016, 10:01:39 PM »

Thank you for the quick reply :) 

So just to clarify it is the "Image selected disks on this computer" that I need and not "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore windows".

Im presuming that option 2 is more like a direct clone?
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skyeci

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2016, 10:27:36 PM »

Hi kitz

 I have ony used  "image selected disks".. Lol had to check which one I use as couldnt remember.. I have tested image selected and it did restore ok. The rescue/boot disc is essential to make.

kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2016, 10:46:51 PM »

Quote
I have ony used  "image selected disks"

Brilliant thanks.   That's was my first instinct, it was only when I RTFM that I became unsure :)

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Chrysalis

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2016, 01:58:23 AM »

Thank you for the quick reply :) 

So just to clarify it is the "Image selected disks on this computer" that I need and not "Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore windows".

Im presuming that option 2 is more like a direct clone?

You can choose image selected disks as skyeci said and its the way I do my backups with macrium (also have used the restore with success).

The other option is it basically automatically chooses the partitions that are needed to restore windows (you could consider it a option for the people who are not tech affluent), it will backup c: and probably also the hidden partition before it.

Both options will do a backup in the same format, its just that one allows you to choose what partitions to backup whilst the other pre selects them.
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phi2008

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2016, 02:08:51 AM »

Has anyone used Macrium Reflect for backups?   

Yes, I use it. Recently had a BitLocker drive fail to boot and couldn't fix it, eventually restored from a Macrium image - everything worked fine. Lifesaver.

I have heard people suggest you should use a full image rather than incremental backups on the basis that if a single incremental backup is corrupt your whole image(built from historical increments) will fail - cannot verify how accurate this is.
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Chrysalis

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2016, 11:13:35 AM »

There is these type of image backups.

Full
Incremental
Differental

You can choose to only do full backups which is the safest but also least efficient use of backup storage.  I do backups of my OS drive once a week and like to keep several copies available, so using full each time would not be efficient.

Incremental is like a diff patch on linux, it will only store whats changed from the most recent full or incremental backup, so e.g. if you have a full backup wit h2 incremental's following it, then you need all 3 backups to get the latest backup.  However if e.g. the first incremental is deleted by accident, then the original full backup would still work.

Differential is similar to incremental in that it only stores whats changed, however it will always chain from the full backup meaning it is a compromise of both options, so if you had 3 backups, one full and 2 differentials, and the first differential got deleted, then the second differential would still be fine as it doesnt need the first.

I use differentials, and every 4 backups a new full backup is created so I do something like this.

Full -> diff -> diff
Full -> diff -> diff

and so on, I keep 2 full backups on my system at any time so when a third is created the first (and its diff's are deleted).

Incremental should be fine as long as you dont overdo the chaining, so do a new full backup after every 2-3 incrementals.

Macrium reflect is extremely reliable, the feedback on the internet is overwhelmingly positive for this product, so I would think the only way a backup would be corrupt is bad OS configuration or faulty hardware.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2016, 11:16:31 AM by Chrysalis »
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kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2016, 02:34:26 PM »

Thanks everyone for the additional info.  :thumbs:

I was about to do a Grandfather, father, son backup but the free version doest allow incremental backups of any sort.
So I set the options to weekly full backup and daily differentials.

It was due to run at 3.00 am this morning but failed.  I could find no reason in the logs other than 0x01 unsuccessful.
So I tried running it manually,  and now I see this in the main panel 0x00 Successful but there are 2 errors in the log pane. [see attached]

Any idea what these are about? 
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tickmike

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2016, 03:11:01 PM »

You can used  Free 'Linux' Live CD to copy files off a windows hard drive.

I use 'LuckyBackup'  http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/  I use it on PCLinuxOS but it works well on Windows / mac etc.
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kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2016, 03:13:27 PM »

Hmmm found this in Macriums KB which may be related -

http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Event+513+errors+in+Windows+8.1

as it later points to this microsoft link here.

Seems like windows8/10 likes chucking out these errors regardless of the backup software -  even seen mention of it for a system restore :(


My permissions on C:\Windows\Registration looks ok
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kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2016, 03:50:02 PM »

You can used  Free 'Linux' Live CD to copy files off a windows hard drive.

I use 'LuckyBackup'  http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/  I use it on PCLinuxOS but it works well on Windows / mac etc.

Thanks for the suggestion Mike.  I was specifically looking for software which would specifically do a Windows system image and its where Macrium seemed to come highly recommended.

Unfortunately one of the disks is completely dead and unrecoverable. It is possible to read the second to recover data.  I think I must push the PC hard when it comes to data (rather than say gaming) as HDD failures aren't new to me.  Its usually either the disk or overheating problems that I incur first.  The PC was just over 4 y/o and on 24/7.  The SSD failed a couple of years ago and had to be replaced.  Now both HDDs have failed within a couple of weeks of each other.
 
Luckily I have several backup systems in place using Replicator and PureSync so my data is safe.  Its just now taking time to set up a new system and reinstall everything.   

Puresync seems to be similar to some of the things that LuckyBackup can do.   I used to let Windows Backup do the System image, but since it would appear its failure to keep control over file size being the initial trigger for failure I was specifically looking for something to handle a Windows System Image.. which is where Macrium seemed to be highly recommended.

As I already have a backup plan typed out for my own records I'll replicate it below. (Previous disk failures - hence my paranoia and backups of backups)  All thats missing now is a backup plan for the O/S.
'Data' on D:\ is mostly the site as I work directly from D:/ for the site stuff...  but I also store my photos/music there too.

Quote
PC

SSD   C:   Operating System
HDD 1   D:   Data Files
   E:   Windows System Backup
HDD 2   F:   Copy of D
   G:   Server Backups / Prog configs / Backup User data from C: ie Desktop /My Docs / e-mail.


NAS

Copy of D
Copy of Prog configs



Backups

Windows Backup
Weekly Backup image of C: system drive to E:

Replicator
Copies daily:  Desktop, My Docs, email .pst and a couple of other progs user data to G:

PureSync
Daily syncs D: to F:

Seagate Dashboard
Weekly Full Backup of D: to NAS
Weekly Backup of G: Prog configs & User data from C
Daily Backup D:\site to NAS


Hotswap Bay
Every so often:  Manual copy of D and G to external drive for off site storage.




« Last Edit: August 02, 2016, 04:00:07 PM by kitz »
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Chrysalis

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2016, 06:17:04 PM »

So macrium itself said the backup failed? Or you only have the event viewer log errors?
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kitz

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2016, 07:46:33 PM »

This morning's auto 3am backup failed and the only error message was "0x01 unsuccessful."  Nothing else in the logs.

It was the manual backup I did this morning that gave those 2 above messages.
This mornings seemed to go ok, but those 2 errors showed when I clicked on the exclamation mark in Macrium. 

The more I tried to research it, it seems like a common problem...  but one that can possibly be ignored. 
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Chrysalis

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Re: Macrium Reflect.
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2016, 08:35:44 PM »

I got those lines also, they not errors. 

But where are you seeing the unsuccessful message? its not in your screenshot.

The times I am awake when my backups occur, I see a balloon above the system tray and when it finishes that always says successful, is that where you see the fail message?
« Last Edit: August 02, 2016, 08:37:46 PM by Chrysalis »
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