Change Macrium Reflect rescue media download location.

[kol12]

I have installed Macrium Reflect and upon opening it it asks to download the rescue media files but I don't want to download them to my OS drive. There doesn't seem to be an option to change the download path. Can I download them from somewhere else to my data drive? or download through the app and then move them to my data drive?

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

The rescue media files are downloaded and incorporated in to your Macrium Reflect application.
So if Macrium Reflect is installed on your OS drive, the rescue media files must also be installed there.

 

[USAFRet]

I have installed Macrium Reflect and upon opening it it asks to download the rescue media files but I don't want to download them to my OS drive. There doesn't seem to be an option to change the download path. Can I download them from somewhere else to my data drive? or download through the app and then move them to my data drive?

Which rescue media files are you talking about?
Are you creating a rescue CD? Or some other function?

 

[kol12]

I have installed Macrium Reflect and upon opening it it asks to download the rescue media files but I don't want to download them to my OS drive. There doesn't seem to be an option to change the download path. Can I download them from somewhere else to my data drive? or download through the app and then move them to my data drive?

Which rescue media files are you talking about?
Are you creating a rescue CD? Or some other function?

I think it's a Windows PE rescue environment. These screenshots might explain better.

 

[USAFRet]

OK, yes.
"Creating the rescue media will require....blah, blah..."

530 megabytes
0.5GB, which you can find and delete later. Or leave it. It is 0.5GB.

Problem?

 

[kol12]

Can I move it to my data drive?

 

[USAFRet]

Can I move it to my data drive?

Move WHAT? That function is to create a Rescue DVD. After that is done, you no longer need whatever it downloaded from MS.

I'm not seeing the issue here.

 

[kol12]

I thought the files might have had to been permanently stored somewhere. So I can just create the disc then remove the files?

 

[kol12]

Is it ok to put the rescue media on a usb stick used for other files or is a dedicated stick better?

 

[kol12]

I need a bit of help with Macrium and backups in general. Is the idea with Macrium that I can make a disc image and then schedule it to keep backing up files on a set basis? Does this mean that those files are continually backed up to the original disc image or do whole new disc images need to made on regular basis? Can the disk image be made on an external usb drive? Does the drive have to be always plugged in for scheduled backups?

There is the option to backup to DVD but how could scheduled backups be made to DVD? I'm guessing the DVD backup is more suited for a one off disk image?

 

[USAFRet]

http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Macrium+Reflect+v6+User+Guide


With the free version, you can make Full disk images and Differential images.

A Full is obviously that. An image of the whole drive.
Differential - "A differential image stores the changes that have been made to the imaged file system since the last full image. Subsequent differentials can be taken, but only one differential and the full are required in order to fully restore the system.
This is quicker than creating a full image, however the longer the time between the full and the differential, the larger the differential image file is and the longer it takes to create"

So, you create a full, and then a series of Differentials.

If I want to go back to how the system was on Tuesday, I use the Full from the Sunday before, and the Differential from Tuesday.
(or whatever schedule you choose)

No, you don't make backups of the whole drive to DVD. I guess you could, but that would be a REAL pain.

Yes, both the drive you are backing up, and the drive you are backing up to, need to be on and available. It can be an external if you choose.

 

[USAFRet]

On my system, because I have enough drive space:

Full disk image of the C every night at 2AM. Keep for 2 weeks. (14 copies)
Full disk image of the C every Sunday to a different PC. Keep for 4 weeks (4 copies)

Other drives are backed up differently.

 

[kol12]

Right but why do you need to create a full disk image every night when you can have a differential store any changes?

Do you have Macrium set to automatically do the full image at 2AM or are you still up? I take it you leave your machine running?

 

[kol12]

The app really is quite technical isn't it? Am I meant to make a full disk image before creating a backup plan/template or can I go straight to creating a backup plan for a full disk image with differential backups?

There's options to schedule full and differential backups. Are you meant to choose which one you want or does it do both anyway? Sorry just a bit confused.

 

[USAFRet]

Right but why do you need to create a full disk image every night when you can have a differential store any changes?

Do you have Macrium set to automatically do the full image at 2AM or are you still up? I take it you leave your machine running?

It is set to automatically do it. Yes, the PC is on.
Why full? Just because....

 

[USAFRet]

The app really is quite technical isn't it? Am I meant to make a full disk image before creating a backup plan/template or can I go straight to creating a backup plan for a full disk image with differential backups?

There's options to schedule full and differential backups. Are you meant to choose which one you want or does it do both anyway? Sorry just a bit confused.

I believe the default template is a Full, and then Differentials.
You can create a schedule first, it does not matter.

 

[kol12]

Ok, I made a full disk image to external hdd and created a backup plan at the same time. I now have the "backup definition files" tab available with scheduling options etc as shown in the pic below.

When it done the disk image it said the size of the backup was 59GB which is the amount of used space on that drive (OS). The actual image file when completed is only 33GB. Where is the rest? Is there certain things it doesn't backup? I'm guessing maybe the hibernation file and page file? Still in my case that's only 7GB.

I also ran the backup definition manually (differentials) and noticed it makes another image file in the storage location for the backup image. How do the differential backups work? It looks like Macrium scans for changes and then makes a separate image file..

How can the differential backups be run automatically? Does Macrium have to be running constantly in the system tray?

 

[kol12]

Also I was just wondering that in the event that you did lose access to your drive (OS) or wanted to restore the image is it as good and reliable as a fresh install?

 

[USAFRet]

The image skips on the hibernation file, temp files, and pagefile.
It is also compressed a little. So 59-33 is just about right.

And yes, it is as good and reliable as the system was on the day you made that backup. That's its whole point.

 

[kol12]

The image skips on the hibernation file, temp files, and pagefile.
It is also compressed a little. So 59-33 is just about right.

And yes, it is as good and reliable as the system was on the day you made that backup. That's its whole point.

Right ok. I seemed to have created multiple backup schedules as shown in the pic below. I should only need one right? or maybe just a full and differential schedule? Can I delete these and start over? I noticed Macrium opens itself up for the automatic backup which is quite neat but I need to edit my schedules I think.

What is the best drive to store the image on? I'm thinking of storing it on my data hdd (internal) so I don't have to constantly have my external plugged in. If the system did go belly up would you be able to retrieve the image from the internal hdd?

 

[USAFRet]

Yes you can delete those and start over. I have.

Which drive? Points either way.
Internal is easier, the external is slightly safer and more portable.

 

[kol12]

Yes you can delete those and start over. I have.

Which drive? Points either way.
Internal is easier, the external is slightly safer and more portable.

What do you mean which drive? I have ssd for my OS and have a hdd for data/storage. I was thinking of storing the image on the hdd rather than my external hdd but the external sits right next to me so I could plug it in every time I know the backup schedule is about to start. What would you recommend?

 

[kol12]

What can I do if I want create one off disk images separate to the one that is being backed up on a schedule?

 

[USAFRet]

What can I do if I want create one off disk images separate to the one that is being backed up on a schedule?

You can do a new one at any time.

 

[kol12]

What can I do if I want create one off disk images separate to the one that is being backed up on a schedule?

You can do a new one at any time.

Oh right ok. Something else that doesn't make sense is the retention rule for full images is set to retain them for 26 weeks yet my backup plan is set to do a full image once a week. This would mean having 26 full disk images stored all the time which would be a lot of drive space! I've realised though this is probably my mistake and that I can change the amount of weeks to retain the full images but what is the purpose of retaining them if in my case I'm creating new ones each week?