Why should I choose Macrium Reflect?


don-t-panic-the-answer-is-42.png
6x9 = 42 is true if you get point of the scrabble episode where Arthur select tiles randomly and the question pops up - "what do you get if you multiply six times nine". Clue for the baffled - think 13.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Hello community!

As an average (or above average) user myself, I have some experience in installing/ restoring Windows, doing a backup, etc. People have a natural preference for GUI over command line. But there are many who prefer built-in utilities to 3rd party solutions for multiple reasons:

1. Built-in utilities are good enough.
2. 3rd party solutions can be a privacy risk.
3. 3rd party solutions can be a security risk.
4. 3rd party solutions can be a resource hog.

In this context, let's look at the pros and cons of a very popular program - Macrium Reflect!

I have hardly used this program, but I do have some initial impressions:

1. I don't like the fact that they don't give you the link to download the actual program. They only give you an installer link, which then downloads the program for you. This itself raises a few questions on privacy.

2. The program size is very big compared to competition.

3. The program runs a mandatory background service.

4. The program punches a hole for an incoming connection in Windows Firewall, without your knowledge.

The above reasons are good enough for me to look at it skeptically.

Since I haven't used this program much, I would like to hear specific benefits of this program over others. If you love this program, please list the exact things you use it for, and why this is the best among competition.

Here, I'll post why I don't really need Macrium Reflect for doing my system backups:

I prefer to have my system images as an ISO for the following reasons:

1. Just two commands (in Windows Terminal/ Command Prompt/ PowerShell/ Deployment Tools from Windows ADK ) are required. It is extremely easy to copy and paste those commands. The 1st command generates the image.wim file and the 2nd command creates an ISO using the same file. You need to have files from an installation disk for the 2nd command though, and that is just about 700 MB in size.

2. It can be installed in a Virtual Machine (VM).

3. It can be installed in an external disk
(only Sysprep Generalized images will be bootable though on other computers).

4. I can extract the install.wim file from the ISO and use DISM to install/ restore the image on my system. No 3rd party utilities required. And no need to nuke the whole disk which happens if one were to use 3rd party utilties like Rufus or WinToUSB.

The built-in Windows System Image utility is good for the most part, but comes with limitations:

1. It can only be restored if partitions on your disk have not changed since the image was taken. If you force a restore, you will lose your existing partitions and the data in them.
2. It can only be used on the source machine that was imaged.

The default Recovery Disk created using built-in utilities is good enough to get your system up and running if you have an image backup like the one described above. If you have a working Recovery partition, then the Recovery Disk isn't even required.

Since I haven't used the program extensively, I may be missing something. I am interested in the following:

1. What are your reasons to choose Macrium Reflect despite the above?
2. What can Macrium Reflect do that built-in utilities can't?
3. Why do you think Macrium Reflect is the best among competition?

Thanks.
Because it always works correctly!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 (22H2) Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 577B5AA#ABA
    CPU
    Core(TM) i5-12400T
    Motherboard
    HP 89E9
    Memory
    12.0 GB (11.7 GB usable)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel(R) UHD Graphics 730
    Sound Card
    DFX Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HO Generic PnP Monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ10HBLB00BH1 SSD 1TB
    PSU
    HP Std. for this product
    Case
    All-in-One
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Mouse
    HP Wireless / Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 1000/1000 (Mbps)
    Browser
    Google Chrome; Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Pro / Windows Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP 15tegooo [HP Pavilion Laptop Intel I-7]
    CPU
    Intel I-7-1165G7
    Memory
    8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP HD micro edge, Bright View, 250 nits
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x768
    Hard Drives
    256 GB DD4-3200 SDRAM
    PSU
    HP
    Case
    Std HP Laptop
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    std
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
Hi folks,
Just wanted to add my bit in here.

So I just switched from Acronis 2021 to Macrium Home version. Backups are easy to make and fast. I like it.

What bothers me though is: (Correct me or the show me the way if I'm wrong. I'd appreciate it)
1) Recovery is only with USB WinPE on reboot. Acronis will reboot system and launch recovery without intervention. (I love that)
2) Saving a Veracrypt file on a NAS is very complicated with Macrium. I haven't even fully mastered it yet, but I'm close. I want to delete last file and shutdown. Manually it worked, scheduled it just ran but didn't replace the file and then shut the computer. With Acronis you choose the file, give a timeline, choose backup type to delete old version. I didn't use shutdown command because I have a batch file for that.

Like I said in another post, Macrium is offering me what Acronis doesn't anymore, a perpetual licence and a simpler way to disable cyber protect (which really isn't that hard to disable). I think Macrium is just as good as Acronis but the TI user interface is simpler. But for the price, Macrium wins hands down.:wink: (y)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
    WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 4.0
    Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    Samsung 970 Evo M.2 2280 2tb Pcie Gen3. X4
    PSU
    Corsair AXi Series AX860i Digital 860W 80 PLUS PSU
    Case
    Fractal Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi M705
    Internet Speed
    400 mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32
    Other Info
    Love fast boots
Hi folks,
Just wanted to add my bit in here.

So I just switched from Acronis 2021 to Macrium Home version. Backups are easy to make and fast. I like it.

What bothers me though is: (Correct me or the show me the way if I'm wrong. I'd appreciate it)
1) Recovery is only with USB WinPE on reboot. Acronis will reboot system and launch recovery without intervention. (I love that)
2) Saving a Veracrypt file on a NAS is very complicated with Macrium. I haven't even fully mastered it yet, but I'm close. I want to delete last file and shutdown. Manually it worked, scheduled it just ran but didn't replace the file and then shut the computer. With Acronis you choose the file, give a timeline, choose backup type to delete old version. I didn't use shutdown command because I have a batch file for that.

Like I said in another post, Macrium is offering me what Acronis doesn't anymore, a perpetual licence and a simpler way to disable cyber protect (which really isn't that hard to disable). I think Macrium is just as good as Acronis but the TI user interface is simpler. But for the price, Macrium wins hands down.:wink: (y)
Item 1 is incorrect. If you have setup Reflect as a boot option, you can setup a restore from the Windows environment and it will ask to if you wish to reboot to WinPe mode - you do not need a usb drive (you still need one in case a hard drive fails of course).

It is correct to ask if you wish to go to WinPe mode as you may be working on something you need to save first.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
My apologies if it has already been mentioned in this thread, but I could add that Macrium Reflect has Image Guardian which is very effective at protecting your backups from any attempt at malicious or otherwise tampering.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 OS Build 22621.675
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 5482 2-in-1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-8565U
    Memory
    8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ
    Internet Speed
    1Gbps/300Mbps (nominal)
    Browser
    Chrome, Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Defender UI, Voodooshield
Item 1 is incorrect. If you have setup Reflect as a boot option, you can setup a restore from the Windows environment and it will ask to if you wish to reboot to WinPe mode - you do not need a usb drive (you still need one in case a hard drive fails of course).

It is correct to ask if you wish to go to WinPe mode as you may be working on something you need to save first.
Ahh, now I'm getting somewhere. So I have to setup a boot option with Macrium?. OK this isn't necessary with Acronis, Reboot will automatically launch Acronis recovery console.

OK will do. Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
    WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 4.0
    Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    Samsung 970 Evo M.2 2280 2tb Pcie Gen3. X4
    PSU
    Corsair AXi Series AX860i Digital 860W 80 PLUS PSU
    Case
    Fractal Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi M705
    Internet Speed
    400 mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32
    Other Info
    Love fast boots
So I have to setup a boot option with Macrium?. OK this isn't necessary with Acronis, Reboot will automatically launch Acronis recovery console.
Actually you don't need to set up Macrium recovery as a boot option either, but it saves a little time in you have already done so. On choosing to restore an image of the C: partition from within Windows Macrium will try to boot to its recovery environment, and if that has not been set up yet will offer to build it for you before rebooting.
 

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.
Actually you don't need to set up Macrium recovery as a boot option either, but it saves a little time in you have already done so. On choosing to restore an image of the C: partition from within Windows Macrium will try to boot to its recovery environment, and if that has not been set up yet will offer to build it for you before rebooting.
Hi @Bree,

I get your point. I created the recovery boot option but reduced boot option to 4 seconds. What I like about Acronis is that you don't need to do any of that. Acronis does it all and you don't have to create a boot environment.

That's really not an issue for me what is a real pain is the backup schedule for my Veracrypt. :rolleyes:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
    WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 4.0
    Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    Samsung 970 Evo M.2 2280 2tb Pcie Gen3. X4
    PSU
    Corsair AXi Series AX860i Digital 860W 80 PLUS PSU
    Case
    Fractal Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi M705
    Internet Speed
    400 mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32
    Other Info
    Love fast boots
That's really not an issue for me what is a real pain is the backup schedule for my Veracrypt.:rolleyes:
I think I found the solution. A noticed that a template is only a template. I created the template but did not add the source files and options. So the template ran but without a source. DUHHH :wink: :oops:

1640266932673.png

Forgot to add shutdown. It's not in your face. o_O
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
    WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 4.0
    Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    Samsung 970 Evo M.2 2280 2tb Pcie Gen3. X4
    PSU
    Corsair AXi Series AX860i Digital 860W 80 PLUS PSU
    Case
    Fractal Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi M705
    Internet Speed
    400 mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32
    Other Info
    Love fast boots
Just checked. It's in the right place and it purged last backup. SUCCESS!! :giggle::coffee:

1640267573646.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Desktop Processor 16 (8P+8E)
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI D4
    Memory
    G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32gb (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Dual Geforce Rtx™ 3060 TI Edition 8gb Gddr6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ EW3270U 31.5” 3840x2160 UHD 16:9 HDR LED 4K LG 27UK850-W 27'' 4K UHD IPS LED Monitor with HDR10
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 with heatsink PRO PCIe 4.0 Gen 4 NVMe® SSD 1TB
    WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 4.0
    Crucial T500 2TB Gen4
    Samsung 970 Evo M.2 2280 2tb Pcie Gen3. X4
    PSU
    Corsair AXi Series AX860i Digital 860W 80 PLUS PSU
    Case
    Fractal Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
    Keyboard
    Logi MX Keys
    Mouse
    Logi M705
    Internet Speed
    400 mbs
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32
    Other Info
    Love fast boots
I changed from Acronis True Image 2020 to Macrium Reflect Home in the last month (partly in response to the points made in this thread). I was surprised to find that my system ran faster with Macrium Reflect. Of course this could be because I had some misconfiguration of the old Acronis installation, but I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I find the user interface inferior to Acronis, but I have tested it with all my usual backups and it runs quickly and has restored correctly. If I can work out how to do it, here is a picture of Performance test showing two results with Acronis and two with Macrium - no other changes.
1640796001400.png

Specifically, the 2D Graphics and the Disk Mark were faster.

John
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Ryzen 3900x
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Master x570 rel 1.0
    Memory
    32GB (2x16) @ 3600 MHz Corsair Vengeance LPX
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Windforce RTX 2080
    Sound Card
    No separate sound card.
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U2718Q
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB WD-Black SN850; 1TB Samsung Sata 850 Evo; 4 TB WD Blue Sata SA510 2.5''; 4TB Samsung Sata SSD 870 EVO 2.5".
    PSU
    Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 11 750W
    Case
    Lian Li PC-8FIB
    Cooling
    CPU: Noctua NH-U12A; Case: BeQuiet + Lian Li fans.
    Keyboard
    Steelseries Apex 7 brown keys.
    Mouse
    Logitech (wired) G403
    Internet Speed
    940 Mb/s down; 105 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Edge (Chromium)
    Antivirus
    Eset Internet Security
    Other Info
    Pioneer blu-ray optical drive.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 7373 2-in-1
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 8th Generation
    Motherboard
    Dell 0HG1FH (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620 (Dell)
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Touch screen generic monitor
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    256GB Micron SATA SSD.
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Eset Internet Security
    Other Info
    Dell says this system is not Windows 11 capable, but Microsoft seems happy with it.
I changed from Acronis True Image 2020 to Macrium Reflect Home in the last month (partly in response to the points made in this thread). I was surprised to find that my system ran faster with Macrium Reflect. Of course this could be because I had some misconfiguration of the old Acronis installation, but I'm quite pleased with the outcome. I find the user interface inferior to Acronis, but I have tested it with all my usual backups and it runs quickly and has restored correctly. If I can work out how to do it, here is a picture of Performance test showing two results with Acronis and two with Macrium - no other changes.
View attachment 17154

Specifically, the 2D Graphics and the Disk Mark were faster.

John
I always found Acronis very resource hungry
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Beta, 11 Dev, W11 Canary
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Alienware M15 Ryzen Edition R6
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX
    Memory
    32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3070 8GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    1 x Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
    1 x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB
I guess they all have there good and bad. I like Acronis so I can backup to the cloud, and you don't have to use a rescue disk, If your boot drive won't boot. My guess is even if you have your image backup on a slave drive, and the boot drive won't boot, you have to use a rescue disk? I just like to be able to stick in Acronis on my flash drive, and recover from my drive I have all my image backup's on, just is easier for this old man. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise, 11 Pro, Win LTSB Enterprise, Win LTSC, Win 10 Pro Win 7 Pro.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware PC
    CPU
    Intel i7 4790K
    Motherboard
    ASROCK Z97 EXTREME4
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG UE57 Series 28-Inch 4K UHD
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2
    PSU
    EVGA 850 watt
    Case
    Alienware Area 51 Black Tower Case
    Keyboard
    HyperX - Alloy Elite 2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.2 GHz
    Browser
    Chrome
Time this tedious thread was abandoned. OP had no interest in whether Macrium was any good or not as evident by various posts.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro + others in VHDs
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook 14
    CPU
    I7
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    N/A
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Optane NVME SSD, 1 TB NVME SSD
    PSU
    Yep, got one
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wired
    Internet Speed
    72 Mb/s :-(
    Browser
    Edge mostly
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0
Time this tedious thread was abandoned. OP had no interest in whether Macrium was any good or not as evident by various posts.
I just went back and read this whole thread, I believe you are correct!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise, 11 Pro, Win LTSB Enterprise, Win LTSC, Win 10 Pro Win 7 Pro.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware PC
    CPU
    Intel i7 4790K
    Motherboard
    ASROCK Z97 EXTREME4
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG UE57 Series 28-Inch 4K UHD
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2
    PSU
    EVGA 850 watt
    Case
    Alienware Area 51 Black Tower Case
    Keyboard
    HyperX - Alloy Elite 2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.2 GHz
    Browser
    Chrome
I just went back and read this whole thread, I believe you are correct!
That's incorrect.

The discussions in comment section has been aptly summed up here:

Of course. But as you can see for yourself, practically nobody cares about that, and so your criticism, although it is nonetheless valid, it gets treated like a formality by most, and so the behavior of treating it like a formality is best described as popular behavior.

It is difficult to pull people out of their comfort zones. People tend to become rigid and closed to a perspective that requires them to take an objective assessment of what could be potentially wrong with their existing practices and methods.

It is one thing to understand (and knowingly accept) the risks, and completely another to blindly deny that it exists.

I have no interest or motivation to pursue further when people like living in denial.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Hi folks
It really doesn't matter what backup system you use so long as you DO TAKE BACKUPS. I believe Macrium is simple easy and reliable like many on these Forums, while others use different programs. I also use things like rsync/grsync and the old DD. Others might simply use robocopy or even Windows/File explorer, or if they have cloud access use their cloud providers backup service if they have one.

However whatever system you use 1) CHECK THE BACKUP FROM TIME TO TIME TO SEE IF IT STILL RECOVERS, and 2 )TEST A FULL RCOVERY FROM BARE METAL.

These days often your data (e.g music, photos, documents) etc is often far more valuable than even the hardware its stored on so check whatever mechanisms you use that RECOVERY ALSO WORKS. Just because a backup appears to complete without any error you can't be sure until you've successfully tested that the recovery works.

Remember in most jurisdictions earnings records, invoices / tax records / VAT/sales tax details etc. need to be available for around 7 years -- and if the tax authorities want to investigate - an excuse "Records lost because of computer equipment malfunction" won't suffice. Remember even the notorious Al Capone went to jail eventually not because of his "organised Crime activities" but simply on "Income Tax evasion" charges !!!!!

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
That's incorrect.

The discussions in comment section has been aptly summed up here:



It is difficult to pull people out of their comfort zones. People tend to become rigid and closed to a perspective that requires them to take an objective assessment of what could be potentially wrong with their existing practices and methods.

It is one thing to understand (and knowingly accept) the risks, and completely another to blindly deny that it exists.

I have no interest or motivation to pursue further when people like living in denial.
To help people succeed at pulling me out of my comfort zone, usually I just try to keep everything as simple as possible. Not simpler. 😶‍🌫️
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
That's incorrect.

The discussions in comment section has been aptly summed up here:



It is difficult to pull people out of their comfort zones. People tend to become rigid and closed to a perspective that requires them to take an objective assessment of what could be potentially wrong with their existing practices and methods.

It is one thing to understand (and knowingly accept) the risks, and completely another to blindly deny that it exists.

I have no interest or motivation to pursue further when people like living in denial.
You seem to have a very high opinion of yourself to assume that everyone else are living in denial just because they do things differently to you or don't agree with your views, suggesting they are not aware of what is potentially wrong with their existing practices and methods.
You started this thread under the guise of asking people which backup software and practices they prefer, you then formatted it like a review of Macrium, whether that was your intention or not, while admitting you haven't even used the software much.
You then proceeded to argue with everyone else's views and preferences while promoting paranoid opinions on installation choices by companies providing the software.
It seems you have a problem accepting that other people use a variety of methods particular to their preferences and circumstances or that they are aware of privacy issues but have different opinions on what is acceptable or not, to them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2, build: 22621.521
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Scan 3XS Custom 1700
    CPU
    Intel i7-12700K 3.6GHz Base (5.0GHz Turbo)
    Motherboard
    Asus ProArt Creator B660 D4
    Memory
    64GB DDR 3600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus Tuff RTX 3080 10GB OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Gigabyte G32QC 32inch 16:9 curved @2560 x 1440p 165Hz Freesync Premium Pro/ Dell SE2422H 24inch 16:9 1920 x 1080p 75Hz Freesync
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p & 1920 x 1080p
    Hard Drives
    WD SN570 1TB NVME (Boot), Samsung 870QVO 1TB (SSD), SanDisk 3D Ultra 500Gb (SSD) x2, Seagate 3Tb Expansion Desk (Ext HDD), 2x Toshiba 1Tb P300 (Ext HDD)
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000X Modular
    Case
    Corsair 4000D Airflow Desktop
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H150i RGB Pro XT 360mm Liquid Cooler, 3 x 120mm fans, 1x Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Ergonomic
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    800Mbs
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Defender, Malwarebytes
That's incorrect.

The discussions in comment section has been aptly summed up here:
It was just my opinion, just like the many you offered here. :cool:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Enterprise, 11 Pro, Win LTSB Enterprise, Win LTSC, Win 10 Pro Win 7 Pro.
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware PC
    CPU
    Intel i7 4790K
    Motherboard
    ASROCK Z97 EXTREME4
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    SAMSUNG UE57 Series 28-Inch 4K UHD
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2
    PSU
    EVGA 850 watt
    Case
    Alienware Area 51 Black Tower Case
    Keyboard
    HyperX - Alloy Elite 2 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard.
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless
    Internet Speed
    1.2 GHz
    Browser
    Chrome

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