Some coaching for a Macrium Reflect newcomer, please


Buddy

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Location
Memphis TN
OS
Windows 11 22H2
Hi all,

I'm about to start my first-ever run at image backup. Yeah, I know, I shoulda done that years ago. At least I'm doing it now. Anyway, I've bought and downloaded Macrium 8.0 Home, but haven't installed it yet. I'm grateful for anything you can share about using it.

My initial thought is to target my use of Macrium for recovery if I have a hardware failure, major malware infestation, the house burns down, someone steals my computer, or something otherwise catastrophic like my computer bursting into flames because it's just tired of dealing with me. The file backup system regimen that I've put together using FreeFileSync is intended to cover issues with my own data. There will, I'm sure, be some overlap, but I guess I'm trying to convey what I hope to achieve with Macrium, if that shades decisions about how to use it.

With all that said, what are your thoughts about any or all of the following. No need to write a book, just whatever you've found significant.

-Installation options and process
-Choices and options in the backup process. Run from Windows or Macrium, bootable media, program options, etc.
-Backup regimen.
-How to increase prospects of successful restore. How to test it without overwriting an otherwise healthy and functional system.
-Anything you know that I don't even know to ask yet.

Much appreciation for all the knowledge everyone here has already shared. Looking forward to the day that I can do the same in some way.

Buddy
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
Macrium Images are one of three backup strategies that I run simultaneously. I make a daily complete image of My Computer, System One listed below. I rotate the 5 most recent images directly to a 2TB Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD. It takes about ~ 18 minutes to make an image and I run the Macrium backup in the background while I do other things.

Edit: The new version 8.1 takes only ~ 6 minutes to make a complete image of my 1TB C: drive.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
@TraderGary Thanks for sharing. Are there some options, settings, etc. particular to Macrium that support your regimen? For instance, I see some folks here who say they run the image from a Macrium boot rather than under Windows.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
My Macrium image backup is simple. I run it as an installed application directly from Windows 11. I load Macrium. I choose the option "Image This Disk", I choose to write to drive D: T7 Shield, and it makes an image of all partitions. When it's done, I click on "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" in my Tray. The red light flashes on my T7 SSD, shuts OFF, and I remove the SSD.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    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 Internet 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
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Ooh! Thanks for pointing me to that thread. And the Macrium URL embedded in it should help, too. I'll poke through it over the next couple of days.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
In this guide, you will learn the steps to use the free version of Macrium Reflect 8 with the best settings to make automatic backups of a computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11.

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes
The first thing you need to do is determine what your backup is for.

My data is backed up separately using FreeFileSync and is bye and large not on the C: partition.
Most of my programs are portable, stored on a separate partition and backed up with FFS
That said I do still have a number of important programs installed so clean installs are still a pain but not disastrous.

So why do I image?

1. To avoid the pain of a clean install in case of a hardware/software failure.
2. To quickly recover from rogue programs & updates.
3. To protect me from myself.

My solution.

1. Since a clean install is not too much of a pain offsite storage is not needed.
2. One full image per week with a retention of 15 weeks. I have once had to go back 12 weeks due to an un-updateable and not removeable MS update.
3. Differentials every day with a retention of 15 days. Differentials rather than incrementals because fewer points of failure, not that I've had any.
4. Ad hoc incrementals to cover particular events such as Windows updates.
5. Monthly full images to a different destination.

The timing is also inportant. My daily images are scheduled for 17:00 GMT. That is one hour before MS releases updates so I always have a before. The after will be a manual incremental.

I do not use System Restore so I will take an incremental before I do any messing about. MR Fast Delta Restore is just as fast as System Restore and a whole lot more reliable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes
I do not do Schedules,differentials or incrementals and from what you have said that's not what you want to do either. I can backup my entire system drive in 12 minutes so I don't want to mess with dealing with a bunch of extra backup files. I think what you are asking for is how to do a simple backup image. See the attached screenshots for step by step.
Steps A-C set Your default options. This is a one time thing. They will remain permanent.
Steps D-F the actual backup process

Do not be alarmed when your see that your backups are not as large as your used space on your system drive. Macrium images are compressed.

As was pointed out be sure to make your recovery media and test that you can boot from it. Insert the media as well as insert your backup drive, restart computer, and begin tapping F12. It brings up a one-time boot menu. Select your recovery media drive from the list that appears. Usually it shows up as a UEFI usb drive or something similar depending on your bios. Macrium will open, you select restore and point Macrium to the source drive where your backup is stored. Macrium will recognize its backups on the drive.
NOTE-STOP HERE. Do not do an actual recovery unless you have an additional drive to test with. This process is to test your recovery media only.
When you exit the Macrium recovery program, your computer will restart and boot back into windows.
EDITED
 

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Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    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
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Schedules,differentials and incrementals would not apply to you since you do not plan to have your backup drive connected at all times. Therefore, you will want to do a simple backup image. See the attached screenshots for step by step.
Steps A-C set Your default options. This is a one time thing. They will remain permanent.
Steps D-F the actual backup process

As was pointed out be sure to make your recovery media and test that you can boot from it. Insert the media as well as insert your backup drive, restart computer, and begin tapping F12. It brings up a one-time boot menu. Select your recovery media drive from the list that appears. Usually it shows up as a UEFI usb drive or something similar depending on your bios. Macrium will open, you select restore and point Macrium to the drive where your backup is stored. Macrium will recognize its backups on the drive.
NOTE-STOP HERE. Do not do an actual recovery unless you have an additional drive to test with. This process is to test your recovery media only.
A couple of things on the recovery media.

1. Update it every time MR has an update and cycle through a couple of USB sticks in case MR screw it up. (It has happened once).
2. Booting the usb stick is hardware dependant and you should check your own manuals on how to do it.
3. If you can boot to Windows you can hold shift+restart to get to the recovery menu which allows you to boot from a USB device.
4. You definitely need recovery media that works but also consider creating a Windows Start Menu entry so that you don't always need the faff of booting to USB.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    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
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
@kado897 Very good points. Regarding access to boot menu, he has a Lenovo Thinkpad. I gave him Lenovo's direction for accessing it.

@Buddy, note that I edited my post.
I thought you had but they do vary wildly. On HP devices Esc gets you to a BIOS menu or, I think F9, gets you to the boot menu and F10 to BIOS.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes
All, I can't thank you enough for all the experience you've shared.

It will be a couple of days before I can get back to working on this. We have an ice storm forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so I have to prepare for that and then deal with whatever arises. Fingers crossed.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 22H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10
    CPU
    i5-1240p
    Memory
    16gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Whatever comes in it
    Sound Card
    Whatever comes in it
    Monitor(s) Displays
    No external monitor. Yet.
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200
    Hard Drives
    Internal 512 GB SSD
    External 6 TB, 1 TB, 225 GB desktop HDD, 2TB portable HDD
    A whole army of USB flash memory sticks
    Mouse
    Logitech M317
    Internet Speed
    500 mbps
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    CalDigit TS4 dock for all my USB stuff, speakers, and connect to Android phone
    HP MFP M277dw laser printer/scanner
All, I can't thank you enough for all the experience you've shared.

It will be a couple of days before I can get back to working on this. We have an ice storm forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so I have to prepare for that and then deal with whatever arises. Fingers crossed.
Take care Buddy, the weather has been all over the place this year.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes
Macrium Images are one of three backup strategies that I run simultaneously. I make a daily complete image of My Computer, System One listed below. I rotate the 5 most recent images directly to a 2TB Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD. It takes about 15 minutes to make an image and I run the Macrium backup in the background while I do other things.
Hi TG have you actually had to use one of your backups in a real crash situation yet?
It aint over till the fat lady sings as they say?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    w 11 Home 22H2 22621.1105
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer 84df3mi 2 machines
    CPU
    intel i5 9400 2.9GHz
    Memory
    16G
    Monitor(s) Displays
    lg ultrawide 29"
    Screen Resolution
    2400 x 1900
    Hard Drives
    1TB
    Internet Speed
    broadband
    Antivirus
    windows shield
Hi TG have you actually had to use one of your backups in a real crash situation yet?
It aint over till the fat lady sings as they say?
I've never done a complete image restore from a Macrium Reflect image backup. However, I have mounted a Macrium image in File Explorer and restored random pictures and files to the desktop. All files that I restored worked perfectly, so I'm confident in the integrity of the backup image.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
@TraderGary I must be living on the wild side. For various reasons from hard drive failure, installing a new drive, rolling back from a bad update or driver, and operator error, over the years I have recovered one of the 4 Windows devices in my house 25 or more times (probably more). Only once do I recall an image failed to restore. I've also restored to dissimilar hardware a number of times. Even that worked as smooth as butter.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
    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
    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Memory
    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still not telling
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
@TraderGary I must be living on the wild side. For various reasons from hard drive failure, installing a new drive, rolling back from a bad update or driver, and operator error, over the years I have recovered one of the 4 Windows devices in my house 25 or more times (probably more). Only once do I recall an image failed to restore. I've also restored to dissimilar hardware a number of times. Even that worked as smooth as butter.
Pretty much the same experience as you although I've never had a failure. Doing a restore using Fast Delta Restore is my go to recovery option for anything that previously I would have used System Restore. I've even done one this morning just to test version 8.1. It worked flawlessly with an image created yesterday, although my feeling is that it is a bit slower than v8.0.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 version 22H2 and W11 Dev.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7 7500U
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce 940MX
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Internal 256GB Samsung SSD plus UB3/2 attached 500GB Samsung SSD, 256GB WD SSD, 3TB WD HDD, 2TB WD HDD. 1.5TB Samsung HDD, and 7GB Network storage
    Mouse
    Logitech M705
    Internet Speed
    200Mb/sec
    Browser
    Chrome, FF, Opera, Edgium.
    Antivirus
    MS Defender, Malwarebytes
NOTE-STOP HERE. Do not do an actual recovery unless you have an additional drive to test with. This process is to test your recovery media only.
There is a safe way to test doing an actual restore. That is to restore to a virtual machine.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23
    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
    Internet Speed
    50 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 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.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Lattitude 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.

    My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro (and all my Hyper-V VMs).

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 4GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Beta as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 4GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus the Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds as a native boot .vhdx.

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