Using Macrium Free 30 Day Trial to Backup or Image your drives

Macrium Reflect is no longer free. It's now a 30-day Trial. They will continue updates until January 1, 2024.

The following is a tutorial to get you started utilizing the quite easy and full-featured backup program, Macrium Reflect Free 30-Day Trial

I have many years of positive experience with Macrium at work and home on multiple computers with a wide variety of configurations.

How to install it:

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Click here to download.



After downloading the file and clicking the executable, follow all the prompts on your screen. Make the choices that fit your needs.
Choose Home Use and download it to the desired folder. You can execute the program within the browser.

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Since this tutorial is for the Home version, choose Home and click next.
It will automatically populate the license key.
If it appears. I always uncheck the register box and click next. It’s up to you if you want to register or not, it does not change the functionality of the software.
Leave all checks default and click next.



Finally, click install.

Create the rescue media:

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1. Supports Windows 11/10/8/7, Vista, and XP. Also, you can choose what version of Windows PE you want to download at the next screen with the change PE Button.
2. Insert a USB stick into the PC you're creating the rescue media on.
3. From the Backup tab of the task pane, below Other Tasks, click Create bootable Rescue media.
   
   
4. Click Next, and you'll see the following as Macrium checks for Device Drivers compatibility. If you need to add Drivers, this is where you choose to do so.
   
   
   
5. Click Next to prepare and build the Windows PE image.
   
   
   
   
   You can leave this at default or choose your own WIM.
6. Click Next to begin the WIM build. Files will automatically be downloaded from Microsoft to complete the process if needed.
   
   
7. Once complete you can choose where to burn the media
   
   You can choose either CD/DVD or USB. I recommend USB.
   
   
   
8. Click Finish to create your rescue media
   
   Once you have your media created, it's wise to test it to make sure it will boot on your PC.

Create a full image of your system:

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You will choose the drive and partitions you want to image. Then, click Create an image of the partition(s) required to backup and restore Windows.



Make sure each partition you want to image is checked like above. Some of the partitions contain the boot files for Windows. Choose the location of the image file, preferably a separate or external drive.

You can name the image if you wish. Hit Next



You can add a schedule. As shown above, I have 2 Full backups and 12 Differentials, you can set it up any way that fits your needs. Explanation of Full, Differential backups: Incremental vs differential backup: what are the differences, and how do they compare?



Scheduling is self-explanatory.



This is your summary to check if all is well and to your specifications. You can also hit the advanced options and choose the option to verify the backup image before or after every run of the backup schedule.



This is it! You can run the backup you created now or uncheck that and let it run on the schedule you created.

What happens if you want (or need) to exclude files from your image?

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Check macrium knowledge base: Macrium KnowledgeBase v7.2 - how to exclude files from Disk Images and Clones (click)

Warning

Use caution when editing the registry, especially if you do not know what you are doing or without specific guidance from someone who is trained in manipulating the registry

In short:

1. Open regedit and navigate to:

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToSnapshotMacriumImage

2. It should already contain this multi-string (don't remove it):
   

   Multi-string value name: RestorePoints
   data: $AllVolumes$\System Volume Information\*{3808876B-C176-4e48-B7AE-04046E6CC752} /s

3. Add a new multi-string value, name it like you desire, fill it with the paths or files you want to exclude.
   
   Example:
   I have some films in c:\films, and I want to exclude them from the image (because it will be bigger otherwise).
   I added:

   Multi-string value name: film
   data: %SystemDrive%\film\*.* /s

   
   
   
   Be careful with system variables: given that the parameter /s is present, windows/macrium will search and exclude all \film folders (and the files inside them) in %systemdrive%.
   If you want to exclude c:\film\*.*, it will be simpler to use that one.

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One caveat that was brought to my attention by one of our experts here at Sysnative: Macrium, in some instances, breaks Windows Update in a way that prevents Windows Upgrade from completing successfully by modifying the ImagePath value of the WIMMount key. The fix for this would be to change the Image Path back to the default.

 

[xrobwx71]

Hi, Rob!

This is exactly what I was looking for today!

I have a question:

What does the Rescue Media save? What's the difference with the full image of the system?

Sorry @DR M, for some reason, I didn't receive a notification that you posted. I'm glad to see others addressed your question!

 

[DR M]

Finished!

I attach the default options. From what I see, my image now includes 12 full copies and 4 differentials?? Perhaps that is the reason it took so long? What does this mean actually?

Also, what is the Backup.xml file created in my Documents?

 

[DR M]

Sorry @DR M, for some reason, I didn't receive a notification that you posted. I'm glad to see others addressed your question!

Hi, Rob.

I have to refresh the site to see if I have notifications. I thought I would receive an email. My questions above. :)

Panos

 

[axe0]

Finished!

I attach the default options. From what I see, my image now includes 12 full copies and 4 differentials?? Perhaps that is the reason it took so long? What does this mean actually?

Those are the rules for retention when you schedule the backup plan.

What this means: if you have 12 Full backups and another Full backup is being made, the oldest Full backup will be deleted automatically. This prevents excess storage being used by backups you no longer need.

 

[xilolee]

Finished!

I attach the default options. From what I see, my image now includes 12 full copies and 4 differentials?? Perhaps that is the reason it took so long? What does this mean actually?

Also, what is the Backup.xml file created in my Documents?

Probably, the image has been automatically splitted by macrium; (I have to) check its advanced options.

 

[DR M]

OK... So my image now includes only one full backup because it's the first time I did a backup?

And the next time I will make a backup what are the steps I have to follow, considering that I'm using the same disk?

What about the xml?

I'm sorry I'm asking so much... I know nothing about that!

 

[axe0]

The backup.xml is a so-called Backup Definition File, the next time you want to use it you can go to that tab Backup Definition File in Backup and run, edit or delete the backup definition. The Scheduling is really to automate this process of running it.

What you have instructed Macrium to do is create a Full backup image, whenever you run this backup definition Macrium will create a new Full backup image in the location you specified.

 

[DR M]

But it will not delete the previous one, right?

What you have instructed Macrium to do is create a Full backup image, whenever you run this backup definition Macrium will create a new Full backup image in the location you specified.

 

[axe0]

It will not which is where the retention rules come in, they'll be used to decide when to automatically delete backups.

In case you didn't notice, there's also this 'purge' option in the backup definition that will also delete the oldest backup set(s) (in case you have a strategy like me, full backup with many differentials, that's considered a set I believe) when the free space is less than what's specified.

 

[DR M]

Thank you.

A last question: What's the purpose of scheduling a backup? Since I have to remember when I'm going to insert my disk for backup, what's the purpose of scheduling it via Macrium?

 

[axe0]

Automating the process of creating images. For me it's useful because I store the new images on an internal disk.

 

[DR M]

I see. I use an external, so it's not something I should take in mind, right? I mean I have to remember that from my own.

 

[xrobwx71]

If you have to plug in the drive, I would not create a schedule. It's easier to just manually start the backup once you're plugged in.

That being said, If you do create a schedule, it will try to run on that schedule, if it fails it will look at it as a missed schedule and re-try as soon as the computer is powered back on. It takes about 2-10 minutes to start the missed scheduled backup once the PC is powered on. The scheduling could serve as a reminder of sorts if that is an issue.

 

[xrobwx71]

Finished!

I attach the default options. From what I see, my image now includes 12 full copies and 4 differentials?? Perhaps that is the reason it took so long? What does this mean actually?

Also, what is the Backup.xml file created in my Documents?

The XML file was created as a language that both computers and humans could read. It's essentially what the Macrium software will "look at" for instruction on what to do per your scheduling instruction.

You can also read these instructions within the XML file and understand them without any kind of programming training.

 

[PeterOz]

Hi All
I notice no one has made the suggestion to check the backup is working.
Nothing worse then having to use a backup only to find out it did no work.
Just a thought

 

[xrobwx71]

@PeterOz If you look under Create a full image of your system:
Right under the 5th image just after Scheduling, you'll see where it's mentioned.
Thanks for looking out though.

 

[xilolee]

Hi All
I notice no one has made the suggestion to check the backup is working.
Nothing worse then having to use a backup only to find out it did no work.
Just a thought

I.e., verify the backup at the end of the task?

 

[PeterOz]

I was thinking more of create text file
Let backup run. Delete text file and see if it can be restored.

My comment was more for people like Dr.M who have never used backups.
Verify does not always work.
I have found that when I used to do backups the only way to test was to
do an actual delete and restore.
Call me cautious but better safe then sorry

 

[icotonev]

We are already working with New in Version 8.0..!

 

[andrewlen]

Wish I knew about this a few weeks ago. I've recently dealt with two people who asked for a walkthrough like this one and wasn't aware of it until just now. You've just saved me a ton of time re-inventing the wheel @xrobwx71

Thanks for this - beautifully formatted and presented.