Overwhelmed - Macrium Reflect


My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-14700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z690-PLUS WIFI BIOS 4505 11/29/25
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11 25H2)
    SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe 25H2 DEV/Games
    SK hynix P41 2TB NVMe (x3)
    Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM850x Shift
    Case
    Antec Dark Phantom DP502 FLUX
    Cooling
    Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 320
    Mouse
    Razer Basilisk V3
    Internet Speed
    350Mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Winows Security
    Other Info
    MR 8.1 Home

    System 3 Specs
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    ASUS PRIME Z370-P II BIOS 3004 7/12/21
    Intel Core i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
    32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8)
    iGPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi (BIOS 2803)
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster Audigy Fx V2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung F27T350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
    Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair HX750
    Case
    Cougar MX330-G Window
    Cooling
    Thermalright Frozen Edge 240 Black AIO
    Internet Speed
    350Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Security

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8457 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
There's probably gonna be a cumulative "preview" Windows Update tomorrow...
has everyone made a fresh backup? :-)
Yes, I make a Macrium Reflect X image every night before shutting down, alternating on two 4TB Samsung T9 Portable SSD drives, each containing 15 days of complete drive images.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 DA16260
    CPU
    Intel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H
    Memory
    64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 3.2K Tandem OLED Infinity Edge
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 2000 16:10 236 PPI
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    NPU delivering 67 TOPS
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Adreno GPU
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.8″ PixelSense Flow touchscreen 120 Hz 600 NIT
    Screen Resolution
    2304 × 1536 (201 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2026
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Microsoft Sysinternals
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
Yes, I make a Macrium Reflect X image every night before shutting down, alternating on two 4TB Samsung T9 Portable SSD drives, each containing 15 days of complete drive images.


Yeah... I generally make them when something is about to change, and then right after the change.
I keep about three months worth of full backups.

Image1.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8457 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
There's probably gonna be a cumulative "preview" Windows Update tomorrow...
has everyone made a fresh backup? :-)
No, but then I rarely, if ever, bother to install these Preview updates. ;)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • 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
    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.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven below to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    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 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 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.
  • 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 is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    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 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 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.
@Bree Since you're the forum's leading Guru, would you describe your backup strategy?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 DA16260
    CPU
    Intel Series 3 Core Ultra X9 388H
    Memory
    64GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Arc graphics B390 Panther Lake
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16" 3.2K Tandem OLED Infinity Edge
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 2000 16:10 236 PPI
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    NPU delivering 67 TOPS
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Laptop 7
    CPU
    Snapdragon® X Elite (12 Core) with Hexagon NPU delivering 45 TOPS
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 8448 MT/s
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Adreno GPU
    Sound Card
    Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Atmos spatial sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.8″ PixelSense Flow touchscreen 120 Hz 600 NIT
    Screen Resolution
    2304 × 1536 (201 PPI), 3:2 aspect ratio
    Hard Drives
    1 TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD
    Case
    Black Anodized Aluminum
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    942 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio 2026
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    1Password Password Manager
    Microsoft Sysinternals
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
@Bree Since you're the forum's leading Guru, would you describe your backup strategy?
That's kind of you to say so. Well, as you asked so nicely.....

As you can see from 'My Computers' below, I have quite a collection of laptops, each with its own purpose (one has all my Hyper-V VMs, for example). My 'main machine' is the one I use for my daily browsing, personal documents, and photos, so it sees the most frequent user file changes.

For the OS and installed software on all my PCs a monthly Full image is sufficient, they change little from month to month. For my 'main machine' that is supplemented by a twice-weekly RoboCopy script I wrote that can do a Full or Incremental backup of files from my User folder to a network share on my home network. I also have File History turned on, pointing to another local network share.

I don't use OneDrive for backup, I do use it extensively to store those files or documents I need to be able to access from any of my machines.

Patch Tuesday is my monthly 'imaging' day. After updating I clean up the OS and remove any junk user data I may have accumulated, then make a Full Reflect image. I do this for all my machines, I can have up to 8 machines being updated/imaged in parallel. The way I work, with no set time any of my machines may be up and running, I don't have much use for scheduled backups. All my images are started manually.

The reason I do my imaging after Patch Tuesday updates, rather than just before as some prefer, is that this is the only time I thoroughly clean up the machine. It's the only time I can be sure the image will be as small as possible. With as many machines as I have, storage space for my images is at a premium. If I ever need to do a restore, last month's image is good enough.

I have three external HDDs to hold my images. Two hold the latest image of each machine, plus their images from a previous month. One retains images from the even numbered months, the other from the odd months. The third holds just the latest images (if I ever come up with a suitable place to keep it it could become my 'off-site' copy).

A few of my machines have enough storage that I can have a separate Data partition in which to create my Reflect image, once created it will be copied to one of the HDDs. For the rest, I image directly to whichever HDD is currently free. At the end of the day, or more often the next morning, I copy between the three HDDs to make sure they all have the same latest images. At any one time I keep 3 months of Full images for each of my machines, and at least 3 copies of the latest image.

My motto is that 'even my backups have backups'.
 
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My Computers

System One System Two

  • 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
    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.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven below to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    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 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 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.
  • 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 is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    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 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 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.
There's probably gonna be a cumulative "preview" Windows Update tomorrow...

DING DING DING, we have a winner :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-14700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z690-PLUS WIFI BIOS 4505 11/29/25
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11 25H2)
    SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe 25H2 DEV/Games
    SK hynix P41 2TB NVMe (x3)
    Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM850x Shift
    Case
    Antec Dark Phantom DP502 FLUX
    Cooling
    Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 320
    Mouse
    Razer Basilisk V3
    Internet Speed
    350Mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Winows Security
    Other Info
    MR 8.1 Home

    System 3 Specs
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    ASUS PRIME Z370-P II BIOS 3004 7/12/21
    Intel Core i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
    32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8)
    iGPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi (BIOS 2803)
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster Audigy Fx V2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung F27T350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
    Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair HX750
    Case
    Cougar MX330-G Window
    Cooling
    Thermalright Frozen Edge 240 Black AIO
    Internet Speed
    350Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
There's probably gonna be a cumulative "preview" Windows Update tomorrow...
has everyone made a fresh backup? :-)
No since I only bother with the monthly Patch Tuesday update
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Core i7-13700K
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
    Memory
    64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
    Sound Card
    Realtek S1200A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VP2770 & Dell (secondary)
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
    Case
    Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Digital Media Pro
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    80 Mb / s
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes Free & AdwCleaner
No since I only bother with the monthly Patch Tuesday update

Which include the 4th week preview updates since our updates are "cumulative".
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i7-14700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z690-PLUS WIFI BIOS 4505 11/29/25
    Memory
    G.SKILL Ripjaws S5 Series 64GB (2 x 32GB) DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster AE-5 Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming 27" 2K HDR Gaming
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVMe (Win 11 25H2)
    SK hynix P41 500GB NVMe 25H2 DEV/Games
    SK hynix P41 2TB NVMe (x3)
    Crucial P3 Plus 4TB
    PSU
    Corsair RM850x Shift
    Case
    Antec Dark Phantom DP502 FLUX
    Cooling
    Corsair Nautilus 360 RS AIO
    Keyboard
    Logitech MK 320
    Mouse
    Razer Basilisk V3
    Internet Speed
    350Mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Winows Security
    Other Info
    MR 8.1 Home

    System 3 Specs
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    ASUS PRIME Z370-P II BIOS 3004 7/12/21
    Intel Core i7-8700 CPU @ 3.20GHz
    32GB DDR4 RAM (4x8)
    iGPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z590 Plus WiFi (BIOS 2803)
    Memory
    64 GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X 12GB
    Sound Card
    SoundBlaster Audigy Fx V2
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung F27T350
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB
    Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD
    PSU
    Corsair HX750
    Case
    Cougar MX330-G Window
    Cooling
    Thermalright Frozen Edge 240 Black AIO
    Internet Speed
    350Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
driversipolicy.p7b,"Not versioned","22-May-2026","15:52","242,130" June (Preview)
driversipolicy.p7b,"Not versioned","07-May-2026","03:36","242,130" May
driversipolicy.p7b,"Not versioned","11-Apr-2026","21:53","242,130" April
driversipolicy.p7b,"Not versioned","06-Mar-2026","15:04","229,162" März


for now @garlin solution is still working.

so one more month worth of time for us.
I propose a different workaround for this issue, while everyone waits.

Microsoft has gone on record that the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist (driversipolicy.p7b) can be updated at least 1-2 times per year. Normally it's always refreshed by the release of a new Windows in October. And sometimes an off-schedule update is pushed in the Monthly Update cycle.

But in reality, the blocklist doesn't change that often.

Unlike most malware, which is handled by Defender; the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist represents drivers provided by known legitimate software companies and individual developers. There is no malicious intent, but bad coding which leaves the drivers open to attack. Either those providers have failed to replace their vulnerable drivers, or users are stuck using outdated (and insecure) versions of the driver.

Looking back at Windows 11 24H2/25H2, the driver blocklist was replaced on: February 2025, May 2025, and April 2026

Instead of disabling the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist from the Security Center, or by using a reg key, we roll back to the March 2026 (or in reality, the May 2025) version of driversipolicy.p7b. After copying back the file, you must restart Windows for changes to take effect.

Macrium 8 will work exactly as before, because it's no longer blocked.

You should not be copying this file by hand. First, the policy file is protected by TrustedInstaller rights. This is a level above having normal Administrator privileges. NEVER use the takeown & icacls method to tamper with security files. Just don't mess up your Windows!!



1. This batch file (which really is PowerShell code) can safely remove driversipolicy.p7b, and hard links the previous policy file that's provided in the WinSxS component store. This is where Windows keeps older versions of files which have been replaced by later updates.

If you need to restore the latest (April 2026) version, the script will find it from WinSxS and link that version in place. When you switch between the two versions, the script will automatically change the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist setting to "on" or "off".

You can run the script as a normal user or Admin. If you're not Admin, it asks permission for Admin rights.

Code:
> Rollback-VulnerableDriverPolicy.bat
Rolling back to older version (.7623) of driversipolicy.p7b.  Please be patient.

 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is DE36-5A58

 Directory of C:\Windows\System32\CodeIntegrity

12/06/2025  06:27 PM           229,162 driversipolicy.p7b
               1 File(s)        229,162 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  21,264,400,384 bytes free

RESTART WINDOWS NOW.

Code:
> Rollback-VulnerableDriverPolicy.bat -restore
Restoring latest version (.8246) of driversipolicy.p7b.  Please be patient.

 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is DE36-5A58

 Directory of C:\Windows\System32\CodeIntegrity

04/15/2026  12:17 AM           242,130 driversipolicy.p7b
               1 File(s)        242,130 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  21,264,400,384 bytes free

RESTART WINDOWS NOW.

2. Restarting Windows is required.

3. If you run "sfc /scannow" to repair your Windows system, please re-run the batch file. A repair action will determine the wrong version of the policy file is in place, and restore the latest copy (which blocks Macrium 8).

4. This method won't help if your Windows is a clean install from the April 2026 Media Creation Tool. There may not be an older version to fallback on. You will have to copy the file from an older Windows system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
@S1lent_Azrael

Can you explain how you produced the 1st 4 or 5 lines of post #251 please?
Is that the output from running the first BAT file, without "-restore" ??

And did you Restart afterwards as instructed?


I'm a v8 Free user, wanting to mount an old backup to retrieve some old files if still present on my oldest backup

spilly80
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCentre 3
    CPU
    i5-12400 2.50 GHz
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Onboard Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    Monitor(s) Displays
    iiyama 24"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 x SSD 512GB
    1 x HDD 1TB
    Case
    SFF case
@S1lent_Azrael

Can you explain how you produced the 1st 4 or 5 lines of post #251 please?

You can get the .csv files from microsoft support website and can then compare the csv files with each other.

Is that the output from running the first BAT file, without "-restore" ??
from my post (#143) yes :EDITED
And did you Restart afterwards as instructed?
yes i did
I'm a v8 Free user, wanting to mount an old backup to retrieve some old files if still present on my oldest backup
should work since it worked for me and i use macrium v7



after running BAT file and restarting you should be able to make new backups again or loading one. After it is done, you need to run BAT file again with argument -restore and restart again.

Then you will be back on the newest version with your old Backup
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
Forget the politics -- I just simply question the whole "Morality" thing of having to PAY to backup your OWN data or OS system in the first place --- no matter how convoluted the process is to do it there should ALWAYS be mechanisms within the regular OS for facilities to perform these basic requirements.

If 3rd party vendors want to provide better, easier, quicker etc solutions for these basic things --then I've ZERO problems with that - but for the base OS to not provide some basic facilities - never mind how convoluted and complex it might be to do it then that's a problem.

Currently - at least using vhdx /vhd physical files it can still be done with even old things like file explorer.

I know this is a Windows Forum but just look at how easy Linux makes it to backup both the OS and DATA - all FREE.

Gparted and Grsync (great GUI for backing up user data) work just fine.

If you want to PAY e.g for Macrium X etc - no probs but the base OS should IMHO still provide mechanisms to backup data and system.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-release 45
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
    Screen Resolution
    4KUHD X 2
If you want to PAY e.g for Macrium X etc - no probs but the base OS should IMHO still provide mechanisms to backup data and system.

Given that even the latest 29500 branch Canary builds still have the old W7 Image Backup and Restore would anyone actually be prepared to test it and see how it fares? I would obviously caution that with saying that you should have a known good alternative in place first.

I used to use it and found it basic but it did work. Does it still work?

In other news and with my ongoing Macrium issues with the latest Canary builds and Macrium failing every which way on restores when running from within Windows but fortunately working with rescue media (it gives error 2 can not find file path) I tried Macrium X trial version and it worked straight off.

Something (for me at least) has broken with V8.1.

Screenshot 2026-05-29 145907.webp
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
Why ask others to test it when you could so easily do it yourself and get instant results!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8524
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic LX15PRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with Radeon Graphics
    Memory
    16GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD 2TB
    Internet Speed
    30 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    Acer Swift SF114-34 laptop
    OS Windows 11 Pro 26200.8524
    CPU Pentium Silver N6000
    RAM 4GB
    SSD Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB (an upgrade)
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Why ask others to test it when you could so easily do it yourself and get instant results!
Simply because at this moment I am down to the wire with full disk recovery options although all my data is safe (multiple backups of that). No other reason.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
Given that even the latest 29500 branch Canary builds still have the old W7 Image Backup and Restore would anyone actually be prepared to test it and see how it fares? I would obviously caution that with saying that you should have a known good alternative in place first.

I used to use it and found it basic but it did work. Does it still work?

In other news and with my ongoing Macrium issues with the latest Canary builds and Macrium failing every which way on restores when running from within Windows but fortunately working with rescue media (it gives error 2 can not find file path) I tried Macrium X trial version and it worked straight off.

Something (for me at least) has broken with V8.1.

View attachment 172819

I use to use W7 Backup and Restore for many years, never had a problem with it. It does however create large image sizes compared to all the other alternative choices available today and it's not as speedy either.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Forget the politics -- I just simply question the whole "Morality" thing of having to PAY to backup your OWN data or OS system in the first place --- no matter how convoluted the process is to do it there should ALWAYS be mechanisms within the regular OS for facilities to perform these basic requirements.

If 3rd party vendors want to provide better, easier, quicker etc solutions for these basic things --then I've ZERO problems with that - but for the base OS to not provide some basic facilities - never mind how convoluted and complex it might be to do it then that's a problem.

Currently - at least using vhdx /vhd physical files it can still be done with even old things like file explorer.

I know this is a Windows Forum but just look at how easy Linux makes it to backup both the OS and DATA - all FREE.

Gparted and Grsync (great GUI for backing up user data) work just fine.

If you want to PAY e.g for Macrium X etc - no probs but the base OS should IMHO still provide mechanisms to backup data and system.

Cheers
jimbo
Don't be silly to expect MS to desgin their OS properly!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self build
    CPU
    Core i7-13700K
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Plus WiFi Z790
    Memory
    64 GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 Super Gaming OC 8G
    Sound Card
    Realtek S1200A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VP2770 & Dell (secondary)
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 2TB NVME SSD & SATA HDDs & SSD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNova G2 850W
    Case
    Nanoxia Deep Silence 1
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Digital Media Pro
    Mouse
    Logitech Wireless
    Internet Speed
    80 Mb / s
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes Free & AdwCleaner
I use to use W7 Backup and Restore for many years, never had a problem with it.
Same really. Its been a while since I last used it and like you, never had an issue.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Pro x64 ongoing Canary 29500 latest builds
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell 7760 Mobile Precision 17"
    CPU
    Intel i5
    Motherboard
    Unknown
    Memory
    8Gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Hard Drives
    2 x 256Gb SSD
    PSU
    Dell 240 watt
    Mouse
    Dell Premier Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    50Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Default Microsoft Security
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