best free backup program that does incrementals?


Thanks @Ghot and @Bree, I wanted to get a new version that allows incremental backups. Free didn't, but Home does, although right now I"m seeing a thread below by @cereberus That says he rarely uses incremental backups any more. I'll have to check that thread.
 

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silvanet said:
Thanks @Ghot and @Bree, I wanted to get a new version that allows incremental backups. Free didn't, but Home does, although right now I"m seeing a thread below by @cereberus That says he rarely uses incremental backups any more. I'll have to check that thread.
Click to expand...


I only do full backups. No incremental or differential.
 

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silvanet said:
I"m seeing a thread below by @cereberus That says he rarely uses incremental backups any more. I'll have to check that thread.
Click to expand...
The gist of his position is in post #1 of that thread. Basically his full backups are so fast that an incremental hardly saves any time.

He is however blessed with an i9-13900H and (presumably) more than enough storage for his images. Some of us have slower CPUs and are maybe tight on available external storage space.

I make a full backup once a month, following the Patch Tuesday update schedule. Generally that's enough, but sometime I make significant changes mid-month (a Preview CU, perhaps). In that case I'll make an incremental.

Reflect Free does not make incrementals, only diferentials. But remember, the first differential is the same size as an incremental would be. If you're only likely to do it once between full backups (as I am) then it make no difference if it's a differential or an incremental.
 

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    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

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Macrium is number one for me , second Aomei ( extra safety )............... :-)
Always after 5 days , two complete backups with these two backuppers !
 

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    ESET
LeLibran said:
And one more Hasleo Backup Suite Free
Click to expand...

installing Hasleo Backup Suite Going To Try this the Windows Historys One kept failing In 24H2 when I had 24H3 worked like a Charm . even those Microsoft Admi'ts it's bad but still use it with Out even Improving it hmmm. thats why it's best to external back up software to a simpal Jon Created the Back up Image of the The files you're going too Back up says it can't fine my H: Drive but it's working and Not re mapping it why fix what's Not Broke lol.​

 

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Don't use the Goggle defualts these servers are FASTER :)
MANUAL
DNS SERVER ASSIGNMENT 4.2.2.6 (Unencrypted)
IPv4 DNS Servers : 9.9.9.9 (Unencrypted)
🤔 Sounds like a plan. I think?
 

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    TP-Link BE9300 WiFi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 (Archer TBE550E)
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    I’m on a horse.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Process...16GB LPDDR5-52001x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)
    Computer type
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    LENOVO Yoga 7 14IRL8 - Type 82YL
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    13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Processor(Core™ i5-1340P)
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    Logiteck MX Master 3S
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    …still on a horse.


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    1x 1080P FHD IR/RGB Hybrid with Privacy Shutter and Dual Array Microphone
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  • Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)

    Yoga 7 2-in-1 14IML9 - Type 83DJ

    Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155H Processor(Core™ Ultra 7 155H)

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    Monitor: 14" 2.8K

    ...Where's my horse?
Ghot said:
I only do full backups. No incremental or differential.
Click to expand...
I do incremental backups, not just for the speed but a 2-3GB daily write to the SSD is better than a 40-50GB daily write.
 

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MSI
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ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
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Seasonic PX-2200
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Bequiet! Dark Base Pro 901
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Logitech G915 X (wired)
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Logitech G903 with PowerPlay charger
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900Mb/sec
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Microsoft Edge
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Trying to think of a reason I’d want or need to backup my OS drive once a day?
 

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built 2013
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    ROG SupremeFX Formula 8-Channel High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Touch Screen Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list. OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / Mx Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    2000/500Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
    TP-Link BE9300 WiFi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 (Archer TBE550E)
    TP-Link TX201 V1 2.5GB Lan

    Grandstream HT812 - VoIP
    ASUS DSL-AX82U - Mesh
    ASUS RT-AC68U - Mesh
    ASUS RT-BE88U Router

    Brother MFC-L2880DW Printer

    I’m on a horse.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Process...16GB LPDDR5-52001x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7 14IRL8 - Type 82YL
    CPU
    13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1340P Processor(Core™ i5-1340P)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5-5200
    Graphics card(s)
    1x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512 GB SSD PCIe
    Mouse
    Logiteck MX Master 3S
    Internet Speed
    2000/500
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.


    Wireless Network: Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 AX; Bluetooth® 5.1 or above
    Ports: 1x 1 Novo button; 2 in 1 Audio Combo jack; Micro SD Card Reader; HDMI 1.4b; 2 x USB Type-C (TBT4)
    USB 3.2 Gen 2 DP 1.4a
    PD 3.0); 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A
    Camera
    1x 1080P FHD IR/RGB Hybrid with Privacy Shutter and Dual Array Microphone
    Graphics
    1x Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics
    Monitor
    14" WUXGA
    Form Factor
    Convertible Notebook
  • Windows 11 Pro 25H2 Build 26200.9168 (Wifes)

    Yoga 7 2-in-1 14IML9 - Type 83DJ

    Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 155H Processor(Core™ Ultra 7 155H)

    Memory: 32GB LPD5X-7467

    Hard Drive: 1 TB SSD PCIe

    Wireless Network: 1x Wi-Fi 6E 2x2 AX; Bluetooth® 5.1 or above

    Ports: 1 x HDMI 2.1 TMDS; 1 x Novo Button; 1 x Combo Audio Jack
    2 x USB-C (USB 4.0)
    1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1

    Camera: 1080P FHD IR Hybrid with Dual Microphone

    Graphics: Intel® Arc™ Graphics

    Monitor: 14" 2.8K

    ...Where's my horse?
Bree said:
The gist of his position is in post #1 of that thread. Basically his full backups are so fast that an incremental hardly saves any time.

He is however blessed with an i9-13900H and (presumably) more than enough storage for his images. Some of us have slower CPUs and are maybe tight on available external storage space.

I make a full backup once a month, following the Patch Tuesday update schedule. Generally that's enough, but sometime I make significant changes mid-month (a Preview CU, perhaps). In that case I'll make an incremental.

Reflect Free does not make incrementals, only diferentials. But remember, the first differential is the same size as an incremental would be. If you're only likely to do it once between full backups (as I am) then it make no difference if it's a differential or an incremental.
Click to expand...
Not quite sure blessed is right term - I worked a lot of overtime to get laptop, but your point is basically correct - takes me 30 seconds to do an incremental backup, 43 +/- 3 few seconds to do a full image. I only keep my last 2 or three fulls but do back them up to an external drive now and then where I hold say last 4 or 5,.
 

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At a glance

Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
OS
Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
ASUS Zenbook 14
CPU
I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
Motherboard
Yep, Laptop has one.
Memory
16 GB soldered
Graphics Card(s)
Integrated Intel Iris XE
Sound Card
Realtek built in
Monitor(s) Displays
laptop OLED screen
Screen Resolution
2880x1800 touchscreen
Hard Drives
1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
PSU
Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
Case
Yep, got one
Cooling
Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
Keyboard
Built in UK keybd
Mouse
Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
Internet Speed
900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
Browser
Edge
Antivirus
Defender
Other Info
TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

Macrium Reflect Home V8
Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
The current version of paid Macrium is Macrium X. There is no 9. As stated , the old free Marcrium 8 can still be found and can do incrementals and differentials, if I remember correctly and can be set up on a schedule. It's been a long time since I used it. As far as Macrium Workstation, that's overkill for a home user.
Correction: Per Bree Free will not do incrementals, only differentials.

Note: You may not be aware of all the changes during the last year that has affected Macrium recovery media created in all the free versions of Macrium. If you are using version 7, I would chance to say your recovery media will probably not even work now.
See this thread post 9 and 10, @Bree explanation should give you answers.

Is Macrium Reflect Free works good with latest Windows 11 update 23h2

I will be using it to create a full copy of my Windows 11 instalation so i can restore from instead of a full format but will it work good with latest Windows 11 23h2
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.9168
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.9168
antspants said:
Trying to think of a reason I’d want or need to backup my OS drive once a day?
Click to expand...
yeah, i only backup my drive probably once a month, or every two months. Not much really changes in that amount of time, nothing much for me to lose.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel Core i5-8279u32GB DDR4 2666MhzIntel Iris Plus 655
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.

  • At a glance

    Windows 10 ProRyzen 9 5900x64GB DDR4-3600EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
pparks1 said:
yeah, i only backup my drive probably once a month, or every two months. Not much really changes in that amount of time, nothing much for me to lose.
Click to expand...
That's not a bad idea and I may give it a shot. I've been doing weekly BU's with both Hasleo and Aomei. Generally, I do a full system BU to an external HDD, though once in a while I'll do an incremental with both of these apps. I have found that both apps do a clean restore when needed. Probably, I only need to do a full system backup, is when there is a cumulative update from MS.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 (25H2)Core(TM) i5-12400T12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    OS
    Windows 11 (25H2)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 577B5AA#ABA
    CPU
    Core(TM) i5-12400T
    Motherboard
    HP 89E9
    Memory
    12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    Sound Card
    DFX Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HO Generic PnP Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ10HBLB00BH1 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    HP Std. for this product
    Case
    All-in-One
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Mouse
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 1000/1000 (Mbps)
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Pro / Windows Security
    Other Info
    Retired IT professional.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 (25H2)Intel I-7-1165G78 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAMIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 (25H2)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15tegooo [HP Pavilion Laptop Intel I-7]
    CPU
    Intel I-7-1165G7
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP HD micro edge, Bright View, 250 nits
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x768
    Hard Drives
    256 GB DD4-3200 SDRAM
    PSU
    HP
    Case
    Std HP Laptop
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    std
    Mouse
    Logi M585
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
glasskuter said:
Note: You may not be aware of all the changes during the last year that has affected Macrium recovery media created in all the free versions of Macrium. If you are using version 7, I would chance to say your recovery media will probably not even work now.
Click to expand...
The main change is to the secure boot revocations detailing what is, and isn't, allowed to boot by Secure Boot. These may block the recovery media of any version of Reflect if it was built with a WinRE or WinPE from before the revocations.

Anything built after the July 9, 2024 updates and the first mitigation step (updating the Secure Boot DB) have been applied should still work. Anything built before that can only be booted if Secure Boot is turned off. None of this affects Reflect itself, once booted successfully Reflect v6, v7, or v8 would still work.

Microsoft said:
Recovery Media: If you encounter an issue with the device after applying the mitigations and the device becomes unbootable, you might be unable to start or recover your device from existing media. Recovery or install media will need to be updated so that it will work with a device that has the mitigations applied.
Click to expand...

How to manage the Windows Boot Manager revocations for Secure Boot changes associated with CVE-2023-24932 | Microsoft Support

How to manage the Windows Boot Manager revocations for Secure Boot changes associated with CVE-2023-24932
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Dev, Beta, and Canary builds as native boot vhdx.
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