Using Macrium Reflect

[Rich-M]

If you liked Ghost you would love Macrium Reflect because it is simple and easy to understand but never fails. The original Ghost was a Symantec creation which was really difficult to figure out and had many issues until the bought Power Quest and took the product Drive Image and made it Ghost ditching their own Ghost product!

 

[setishock]

It seems to be able to do the job. My hang up is getting a back up drive big enough.

 

[donetao]

Hi seti! Are you taking about cloning or just creating images?? How large is your OS?
Gary!!

 

[setishock]

The OS is relatively small at 6gigs I think. But there is so much more to keep besides the OS that it's rather large. Office and ESET and and and. None of that can be lost.

 

[donetao]

Hi seti! Here's the best way to explain the difference between cloning and imaging!!

Cloning copies the complete contents of one drive—the files, the partition tables and the master boot record—to another: a simple, direct duplicate. Imaging copies all of that to a single, very large file on another drive. You can then restore the image back onto the existing drive or onto a new one.
Typically, people use these techniques to back up the drive, or when upgrading to a larger or faster drive. Both techniques will work for each of these chores. But imaging usually makes more sense for a backup, while cloning is the easiest choice for drive upgrades.

How much free space do you have on your Operating Drive??
Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions. I feel like I'm pretty much a expert with Macrium and I'm just trying to help!!

 

[setishock]

Now we're talking the G7 laptop. There's about 540gigs left free. It's a 640 gig physical drive.
The problem with imaging is it uses compression to make it smaller. Cloning does not. Cloning leaves lesser chance of corruption.

 

[Rich-M]

First of all you don't have to use compression with imaging it just makes sense to because you can fit more image files on a drive that way.
Corruption of a drive really has nothing to do with compression I mean if the drive is really corrupted, then you won't be able to make and use an image file or a clone.

 

[donetao]

Hi seti! I have been imaging and restoring images for years. I have never had one little glitch. I have used images to restore a brand new HD. It worked perfectly.
Yes imaging does use compression. My HD is 500GB with 400 free. The image compresses down to 14 GB. I have at least 15 images on a external seagate. I have verified them and I can restore any one of them and I'll be back exactly like the day I created the image. Macrium is a wonderful program and once you have confidence in it you're going to love it, I guarantee.
Gary!

---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:02 PM ----------

Hey Rich! Thanks friend! I need all the help I can get convincing seti to create a image and forget about cloning unless he's upgrading to a new and larger HD
Then cloning is the way to go!!
Gary!

 

[donetao]

Hi seti! You know the way you feel when a OP asks you a question and then doesn't listen to you. That's exactly how I'm feeling right now. Believe me friend I know how Macrium works. I have been using it for many years!
Gary!!

 

[setishock]

I'll get it on my desk rig and dope it out. I got to go now. My tablet is beeping to let me know I've used have of my data plan. See ya'll in the morning.