Solved Should I start thinking about other than Macrium

Hi folks
Over the years I've used Macrium a lot and can't think of a more reliable solution. For what I need V7 FREE version just does everything I want or need for Windows OS backup. -- I don't see the necessity of paying 60 EUR for V8 HOME for using features I don't really need.

There doesn't seem any V8 FREE version in the wings which brings into question how long will W7 be supported for.

If W7 is on the way out with only the paid version of W8 available or perhaps I should devise another backup strategy, I can always mount a Live Linux distro and backup windows partitions etc using DD or rsync. Macrium is an excellent product so I hope Paragon doesn't leave 100,000's of its users in the lurch.

Any thoughts --anyone. -- I'm not anti pro paid software but not for something that doesn't bring for me anything new to the table from what I've been using for years FREE.

Cheers
jimbo

uh, from Reflect Free Edition

Before you jump straight to the free option, why not check out Reflect 8 Home? Our 30-day trial of Reflect 8 Home is the ideal way to explore what we have to offer with absolutely no risk. If for whatever reason you decide it isn’t right for you, any backups you create during the trial will still be accessible as the software reverts to Reflect Free 8. Risk free backup software that just works!

Click to expand...

That's good info. I did not see that when looking at V8.
Does anyone know if you can switch to Reflect Free 8 immediately from Settings?

I never though to do that - let me check.

Not that I can see - and the product itself says that it is a trial, and that to 'continue using this product you must buy a license'.

So, conflicting info. It doesn't say anything, in the product itself, about reverting to free.

I suspect that will be added in a future update.

Yes, that was my conclusion. An incentive to get people to use the paid software and new version now, then offer a free version later to attract more potential customers.
I use the Rescue USB method exclusively to do my backups, so I suppose I could use the free trial to create one, then I'm good to go either way?

My Trial ends tomorrow, let me see whether it reverts to v7, if it doesn't I may have to reinstall v7.

My understanding of the situation is that they will start offering v8 as the readily-downloadable free version when 90 days have passed since v8 first became available [which might well have been the start of June].

Just to avoid confusion - I mean when MR v8 free can be downloaded straight from their website. I'm not referring to what the trial version does when the trial expires.

I think it was @Bree who posted that info.

Denis

Right. But on the website it says the trial reverts to 8 Free after trial period is over - which is only 30 days. Meanwhile, in app, it only says that to continue using after trial period you need to buy the app.

So, a bit confusing.

I suspect that it will just revert on its own, but if it locks people out, right now, that is not going to be good PR for them.

brummyfan said:

My Trial ends tomorrow, let me see whether it reverts to v7, if it doesn't I may have to reinstall v7.

Click to expand...

No, it has already been confirmed by others that it reverts to v8 Free at the end of the trial.

johnlgalt said:

uh, from Reflect Free Edition

Click to expand...

Hi there

and after the 30 day thing !!!

If there IS a free V8 I'll be 100% happy to use it -- so far no smidgen of its appearance yet -- although the interesting idea that after the free trial of V8 expires it will revert to Free version.

@Bree let's know what happens at end of your trial.

Perhaps this is an unpublished way to get V8 Free version.

Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

@Bree let's know what happens at end of your trial.

Click to expand...

Oh I don't have the trial, my v8 is paid-for Home. I bought the v8 upgrade for my v7 4-pack of licences.

But I have more machines than licences. By removing the licence from an installed v8 Home that too reverts to v8 Free. Having taken a note of the v8 Free key, I then restored its licence key.

Now I can install the v8 Trial on my other machines, then by clicking 'purchase' I can install the v8 Free key to turn it into v8 Free immediately.

jimbo45 said:

There doesn't seem any V8 FREE version in the wings which brings into question how long will W7 be supported for.

Click to expand...

V7 is still supported, it actually got an update after the release of v8. Macrium have stated that each version will remain in Extended Support until one year after the release of the next. For V7 that's until 18 May 2022.


But Macrium can be flexible with their support, despite passing the end of official support in Feb 2018, v6 has had updates as recently as 8th May 2019

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

and after the 30 day thing !!!

If there IS a free V8 I'll be 100% happy to use it -- so far no smidgen of its appearance yet -- although the interesting idea that after the free trial of V8 expires it will revert to Free version.

@Bree let's know what happens at end of your trial.

Perhaps this is an unpublished way to get V8 Free version.

Cheers
jimbo

Click to expand...

Change system date to post expiry date and start Macrium Trial - it will present a pop-up with the option to continue with v8 as Free.

Bree said:

No, it has already been confirmed by others that it reverts to v8 Free at the end of the trial.

New Macrium Reflect Updates [2] - Windows 10 Help Forums

Macrium Reflect update news and discussion

www.tenforums.com

Click to expand...

Thanks, it's good for me.

Hi there

Thanks everybody
will do

seems strange though this "backdoor way of getting V8 free --why don't they just release it now if people are doing this !!!
Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

Thanks everybody
will do

seems strange though this "backdoor way of getting V8 free --why don't they just release it now if people are doing this !!!
Cheers
jimbo

Click to expand...

Bree, and others, will find the tricky little ways of dealing with Software, such as this case with Macrium. I believe Bree mention a while back that Macrium had some tech issues after the V8 trial expired trying to get it back to V7. They found it safer and easier to just let it fall to V8 Free. And all the word I've heard is V8 will be available across the board mid August. So 5-6 weeks away.

"why don't they just release it now if people are doing this !!!" ............. gotta remember, even though we come up with a lot of "workarounds" and solutions, "we" are a small part of the Macrium ecosystem. Drawing inferences of the general user community based on what we do here as part of a Skunk Works is easy to do, but probably not very accurate.

Cheers! :)

jimbo45 said:

seems strange though this "backdoor way of getting V8 free --why don't they just release it now....

Click to expand...

They did exactly the same thing when v7 was released - I've previously checked back through the Wayback Machine and v6 Free remained the only free download option until at least six months after v7 was released. 90 days, if they stick to it, is actually quite quick.

It's marketing, I assume. They want you to take the trial in the hope that you'll like v8 enough to buy it.

f14tomcat said:

I believe Bree mention a while back that Macrium had some tech issues after the V8 trial expired trying to get it back to V7.

Click to expand...

Yes, the wording on the Reflect Free download page initially said v8 Trial would revert to v7 Free.

In fact, I had that leaked copy of v8 Beta in a VM, it got all the updates throughout Beta testing, with the last 'patch' when testing ended being the v7 Free installer. That worked to revert it to v7, but for some reason when they tried it with the v8 Trial the v7 'patch' refused to install, saying a newer version was already installed.

I guess that with v8 Free due to be released soon they decided it wasn't worth the effort to try and make it work, so allowed it to revert to v8 Free instead.

Yes, once the Trial expired the licence switched to v8 Free version.