Macrium Reflect – Free Disk Backup

This post was written by admin on August 12, 2009
Posted Under: Backup, Free Disk Imaging, Technology

Backups made easy with Macrium Reflect which is a free disk imaging program with which you can create a complete backup image, or clone, of single partitions or the complete drive.

It’s a very simple to use program and the installer will automatically install the correct version for your machine, whether running XP, Vista, 32Bit or 64Bit. So no guessing as to which version you need to install, how easy is that?

Please note: Macrium Reflect has some issues with Windows 7 which has a built-in imaging program and a System Rescue ISO ready to burn to disk.

Once installed, I would recommend that you remove all of the junk files and uninstall any unnecessary or unwanted programs, update all security and other programs and apply Windows Security patches.

Follow this with scanning for viruses and malware with your anti-virus and anti-malware programs, then defrag your system. This will ensure that you create a clean backup with all updates in place.

When running the program, on first run users are prompted to create a Boot CD. Make sure you do this as it will make restoring the image very simple and straightforward.

Once you have created your Boot CD, put it somewhere safe!

The user interface is very easy to navigate and settings can be left at the default settings for most users. Click on Backup Tasks and then click ‘Create a backup image….’ and the wizard will open with easy to follow steps.

Simply select the drive or partition that you wish to backup or select all of them. I prefer to create separate backups for each partition as it is quicker and the main drive -- normally (C:) -- is the one that most users need reliable backups for as this is the drive used most and also gets infected with malware etc.

Users can create image backups to External USB Drives, Firewire Drives, Partitions, CD, DVD or Network backup. There is also the option after selecting the source and destination drives to create an XML definition file.

While the backup is being copied, users can continue to use their computer as normal, although there may be a slight slowdown with some programs or browsing the internet.

Once the backup is complete, users can verify that it is a good copy and also verify the XML file which is stored in ‘My Documents’ folder. In the user interface, right click XML Definition Files and users can schedule regular backups or simply open ‘My Documents’ open the ‘Reflect’ folder and double click the XML file to launch a new backup.

Restoring an image is as simple as creating one. Insert the Boot CD into your drive and reboot, the Linux command window will open from where you can browse to the Image Backup to restore. If using external devices ensure that the USB drives are enabled in the System BIOS.

The Boot CD will load the Restore Wizard, follow the prompts and select the folder or local network drive that contains the image to be loaded. Select the disk or partition that you wish to restore, if restoring more than one partition hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key to multiple select.

Select ‘Active’ or ‘Primary’ partition, if restoring your OS Drive it will need to be ‘Active’. Users can choose to ‘Verify the image before restoring’ and replace the ‘Master Boot Record’ , in most cases users will want to select ‘Restore the Master Boot Record from the backup’.

Users can ‘Verify the file system integrity at reboot’ which is the same as running CheckDisk. After the selections have been made, click ‘Finish’ to begin the Restore operation.

When the image has been successfully restored a popup will appear, click ‘OK’, users then have the option to restore another partition or to click ‘Cancel’ to exit and reboot. A popup will inform users that the computer will reboot, click ‘OK’ and that’s all there is to it.

The secret to any image backup and restore operation is patience, don’t rush, and follow each step and your backups and restorations will succeed in most cases.

Download Macrium Reflect Free here