Macrium Reflect and AOMEI Backupper - GUIDES

Quickie Macrium - backup and/or creating bootable Rescue Media guide...




Restore from a backup, from within Windows...








Quickie Macrium - using Bootable Rescue Media guides...


Restore from a backup, using the bootable Rescue Media...




Fix Windows Boot problems with the bootable Rescue Media...




Open and explore a backup image with the bootable Rescue Media...




In the bottom left corner of the bootable Rescue Media window(s) you will find the following:
1. Power switch
2. Command Prompt
3. Network
4. Screen shot tool








Disable Macrium ImageID numbers...

Open the Registry editor (regedit.exe), and...
Go here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\macrium\reflect\Settings
And set: PrefixWithUniqueSetID ...to "0" (zero)








Macrium Reflect the program...


Macrium Reflect User Guide...

Macrium Notes:
1. A full OS image backup will be approx. 1/2 the size of the total "used space" on the C:\ drive.
2. Backing up takes about 75 seconds for every 20GB of "used space" on the C:\ drive.

Full tutorial...












For those that want a simpler, free option...

Get AOMEI Backupper, install it on your Windows drive. Make "it's" bootable rescue USB/CD, then use AOMEI to make a "System" backup. A "System" backup is a full backup of Windows and the one or two teeny partitions, that are required to boot Windows.

AOMEI is the simplest of the backup softwares, and has a great tutorial page.


AOMEI User Guide - PDF...

AOMEI User Guide - Online...



The top three pics, show you how to make a "System" backup...

The top three pics, here, tell you how to make the bootable rescue media...



Then wipe the dust off your hands, with a smile on your face, because... you're all done.

@Ghot as an expert on Macrium Reflect, can I ask you if the read/write speed is faster on the paid version than the free version? Thanks

The-Hive said:

@Ghot as an expert on Macrium Reflect, can I ask you if the read/write speed is faster on the paid version than the free version? Thanks

Click to expand...

I'm not an expert on Macrium. I "only" use it for full backups.
But... the read/write speed is exactly the same as the free v7, I used to run.

I'm going by how long it takes to make a backup.
For the same amount of data... the time for a full backup hasn't changed since I switched to the paid v8.

Thanks @Ghot You sure know your stuff and got me up and running with Macrium

The-Hive said:

@Ghot as an expert on Macrium Reflect, can I ask you if the read/write speed is faster on the paid version than the free version? Thanks

Click to expand...

It depends on what you are doing.

1) creating an image backup - no
2) cloning to a blank drive - no
3) cloning to an existing clone (provided no changes to partitions and not too many changes) - yes Rapid Delta Cloning updates by difference
4) restoring to blank drive - no
5) restoring to an existing installation (provided no changes to partitions and not too many changes) - yes Rapid Delta Restore restores by difference - time is amazingly fast - the paid version is worth it just for that alone!

Apart from the Rapid Delta features, Paramount do not artificially hamstring the free version.








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The-Hive said:

can I ask you if the read/write speed is faster on the paid version than the free version?

Click to expand...

No there should be no difference. There sre however s couple of features in the paid version that can speed up s backup or a restore.

For backing up there is Changed Block Tracker which can speed up subsequent incrementals or differentials.

For a restore there is Rapid Delta Restore

Ghot said:

Disable Macrium ImageID numbers...​

Open the Registry editor (regedit.exe), and...
Go here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\macrium\reflect\Settings
And set: PrefixWithUniqueSetID ...to "0" (zero)

Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on what it means to Disable Macrium ImageID Numbers means and what it does, and what the ID Numbers are? Are they like catalogue/series numbers allocated to each image? Would I do this before creating an image, or before restoring using that image? I have not yet reviewed the user guide... so if it's all there, I'll be reading it soon enough anyway.

varxtis said:

Can you elaborate on what it means to Disable Macrium ImageID Numbers means and what it does, and what the ID Numbers are? Are they like catalogue/series numbers allocated to each image? Would I do this before creating an image, or before restoring using that image? I have not yet reviewed the user guide... so if it's all there, I'll be reading it soon enough anyway.

Click to expand...

You only need to do the registry tweak... once.
By default, the ImageID box is check marked, so every backup will have the ImageID attached.
For me, that was useless. I only make full backups, and like to name them myself.

Here is what the ImageID looks like...




Without the ImageID, I can name the backups what ever... and it won't have that long number attached.



I like using descriptive names that mean something to me...




Here is my original topic about this. In post #1, (1st pic, #4), this is the check box we are talking about.
By default it's checked. The regsitry patch... UNchecks that box permanently. You can always change the registry value back to "1" to re-check the box permanently.












If I was making a backup, right now, today... I would name it something like this...



...and I wouldn't want that big, long ImageID number attached.

If I had just updated my vid card driver, I might title the backup like so...
AUG 12 - 22000.856 - vid card



Most of the time I use the following format for my backup names...
Date - Windows version - Note

For me personally, when I restore from a backup, I'll know from the titles...what changes I might "lose" when I restore to an earlier backup.
In the pic above (with all the backups shown), if I restore my Windows 11 to JUL 22, I know that I will "lose" the latest WU and the Realtek driver that I installed before I made the AUG 09 backup.

It's just the way I like to do things.
You will have to come up with your own "best method" ofc.