Solved When Macrium stops working


There is a free version with this. It also has a perpetual license.


For those that care about such things, MiniTool is a Canadian company.

About us
MiniTool Software Ltd. is a software development company based in Canada.
MiniTool Software Ltd. | LinkedIn
 

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.
For those that care about such things, MiniTool is a Canadian company.


MiniTool Software Ltd. | LinkedIn
We have 3 win 11 computers in our senior retired condo
1) Mine - Desktop
2) Wife - Desktop
3) Lenovo Thinkpad T480 vacations.

Perpetual License for 3 would be my consideration in the future

Addendum Tried it. Very clear interface. Quick imaging. The size of the image is 52 GB. With Macrium about 26 GB
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25 in BenQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10, (also 7, 11, Linux <MINT & ZorinOS>)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Z2 G5 Workstation
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700
    Motherboard
    HP Model# 8751
    Memory
    32gB (DDR4)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Realtek basic audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    32" (Viewsonic)
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    (3) NvME SSDs <(1) PCiE v3>, (1) SATA3 SSD
I decided to dig a little deeper into Haeslo.

The learning curve is bigger that Macrium.

I have 2 installations of windows 11 on separate SSDS. I label the second one as Practice.

I installed Haesslo on the Practice window. Created a bootable Emergency disk and Created and image
Booted into the Main windows and deleted the Practice window

. With the emergency usb drive restored the practice windows. Haeslo is quicker than Macrium

This is it.

If Free Macrium becomes nonfunctional, I will go to Haeslo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25 in BenQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
I have been using Macrium Free for many years. I am very familiar with it.

Since there are concerns that with future windows update the free version may not work I did this.

Over the last few days I have tried many of the altenatives in "Practise windows 11" on a separate SDD in my desktop

I found all them frustrating.

I am going to continue using Macrium Free and make my weekly images.

In future if it stops working I will go to Linux which I have on another SSD (Xubuntu).
It mounts windows disk.
I will copy important data on an external SSD. I tested it today and it worked fine.

At that stage I will decide on what to do next. I do not want to pay monthly subscription.
I may choose AOMEI backupper and make a one time purchase.

I got lost with Hasleo

Any comments?
I use AOMEI backupper for backing up select folders because it's the best I have found for THAT job but I use Macrium 8 and Acronis for disk imaging. I like how Acronis and Macrium have mountable images for file browsing. It will probably work for a VERY LONG TIME for manual backups and from boot media but new features tend to not work after a few OS version changes. Even Windows 11 uses the Win-7 Backup and Restore so anything that will work with windows 7 should work with Windows 11 (maybe). Add a registry backup to your tool bag as well. Ive resored my registry a few times and was glad it worked
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 (up to date)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board the Z690
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    Thermaltake smart 500w 80+
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o) (lights dont work)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps on Ethernet
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
    Other Info
    Love this computer but I still prefer Win-7 like I love my old Lazy Boy Recliner . . . it just feels better.
  • Operating System
    WIN-7-64BIT and Win-11 pro for testing on unsupported hardware
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3801 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    GA-Z77-HD3
    Memory
    16 GB - Crucial Ballistick 4GB PC3-14900 DDR3-1333 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VP278
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    4 - internal Samsung 2.5" SSD, 1 WD HDD 7200 and some external drives
    PSU
    EVGA 550w
    Case
    Old Gygabyte Tower
    Cooling
    Yes
    Keyboard
    Unicomp - UNIOP4A USB (like the old IBM Model H that I started with)
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows
    Other Info
    The only thing it lack is USB-3.2 on the front face but it has 3.0 on the back
. With the emergency usb drive restored the practice windows. Haeslo is quicker than Macrium

This is it.

If Free Macrium becomes nonfunctional, I will go to Haeslo
Acronis is quicker than Macrium as well but it's not by a lot and the file sizes are very close to the same. Mac was a little over 99GB and Acr was a little under . . . and the speed dif would be unnoticable if I didn't time it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 (up to date)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i5 12400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Z690 UA
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    On Board the Z690
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    43" Samsung tu7000
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG SSD 1TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    Thermaltake smart 500w 80+
    Case
    LIAN LANCOOL_205M
    Cooling
    Bunch of fans . . . :o) (lights dont work)
    Keyboard
    Unicomp: Ultra Classic White Buckling Spring USB
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps on Ethernet
    Browser
    Fire Fox
    Antivirus
    Windows
    Other Info
    Love this computer but I still prefer Win-7 like I love my old Lazy Boy Recliner . . . it just feels better.
  • Operating System
    WIN-7-64BIT and Win-11 pro for testing on unsupported hardware
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3801 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
    Motherboard
    GA-Z77-HD3
    Memory
    16 GB - Crucial Ballistick 4GB PC3-14900 DDR3-1333 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
    Sound Card
    On Board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VP278
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    4 - internal Samsung 2.5" SSD, 1 WD HDD 7200 and some external drives
    PSU
    EVGA 550w
    Case
    Old Gygabyte Tower
    Cooling
    Yes
    Keyboard
    Unicomp - UNIOP4A USB (like the old IBM Model H that I started with)
    Mouse
    M510
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows
    Other Info
    The only thing it lack is USB-3.2 on the front face but it has 3.0 on the back

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25 in BenQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
I finally installed and purchased this program. It is a Canadian company. It requires some knowledge of the file layout in windows 11 to use it effectively


I don't think I've ever tried Active@ Disk Image. I've tested Active@ Boot Disk briefly.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Stigg's Build
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-10900X
    Motherboard
    GIGABYTE X299X DESIGNARE 10G
    Memory
    Corsair 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) CMW64GX4M4C3000C15 Vengeance RGB Pro 3000Mhz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1660 Super Mini ITX 6 GB OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 27" FHD LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor (LS27F350FHEXXY)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Pro Series 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    Western Digital Red Pro WD8003FFBX-68B9AN0 8 TB, 7200 RPM, SATA-III
    PSU
    Corsair HX1200 1200W 80 Plus Platinum
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Black Solid Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black
    Keyboard
    Razer Ornata V2
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    Logitech BRIO 4k Ultra HD USB-C Webcam
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS ROG Zephyrus M GM501GS
    CPU
    Core i7-8750H
    Motherboard
    Zephyrus M GM501GS
    Memory
    SK Hynix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) HMA82GS6CJR8N-VK 16 GB DDR4-2666 DDR4 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC294
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AU Optronics B156HAN07.1 [15.6" LCD]
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung MZVKW512HMJP-00000 512 GB, PCI-E 3.0 x4
    Samsung SSD 860 QVO 4TB 4 TB, SATA-III
    PSU
    N/A
    Case
    N/A
    Cooling
    N/A
    Keyboard
    PC/AT Enhanced PS2 Keyboard (101/102-Key)
    Mouse
    Razer DeathAdder Essential
    Internet Speed
    FTTN 100Mbps / 40Mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    N/A
    Other Info
    USB2.0 HD UVC Webcam
I don't think I've ever tried Active@ Disk Image. I've tested Active@ Boot Disk briefly.

Activ@ Disk Jmage is inexpensive and no restriction on number of computers.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 11 ,Ubuntu Cinnamon - for tinkering only
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    No Name - Assembled by a Compute shop in a Strip Mall.
    CPU
    Intel i511400
    Motherboard
    ASUS PRIME B560-PLUS motherboard
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    0
    Sound Card
    0
    Monitor(s) Displays
    25 in BenQ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    9 SSDs 4 Nvme, 2 in M.2 slot and 2 in PCIE with adapter + 5 Sata. DVD drive
    PSU
    600w
    Case
    Antec- VSK4000E-U3 Mid Tower
    Internet Speed
    Bell pure fibre optic. 1 GB package. Wireless adapter +/- 500/500
    Browser
    Firefox, Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom