How Do I Re-create a Backup Definition in Macrium?  

If you have an existing (but different) xml file, you could try
- in MR, under Backup Definition Rules tab
- rt click a xml file
- duplicate it
- edit the duplicate, and amend to include your existing base image (if any).

Note: I've not tried this myself.

Or you might just create a new base image....

dalchina said:

If you have an existing (but different) xml file, you could try
- in MR, under Backup Definition Rules tab
- rt click a xml file
- duplicate it
- edit the duplicate, and amend to include your existing base image (if any).

Note: I've not tried this myself...

I have. It works just as you describe. You can right-click on the copy and rename it too.

Every time you set up a backup, the default is to save the settings as a 'My Backup.xml' file. The errors you find are most probably a missing drive path, due to the drive you originally backed up to not being there at the moment.

The idea of saving your settings in this way are that when you want to repeat the same backup you don't have to set it up all over again. You can click on the 'Backup Definitions files' tab and select the .xml you used last time. You can then edit it if, say, you want to change the comments. Then click Run to do the same backup as you did before.

I have just two .xml files, one to back up to a local partition on the same PC, the other to back up to an external HDD. I have renamed them appropriately.

The trick is to make sure you name each rule appropriately when you create it, and remember to delete any you don't intend to use again.

You can examine each one to see if it's still valid (See Operation and Destination fields displayed in the pane below when you click on a rule). You may need to scroll down.

If you know you only have one or two rules, you could simply delete them all and start again.

You can simply right click, rename when you wish.

I'm wondering if you are only ever using base images- the idea of a rule is that you can rt click it and start a differential image- so each rule corresponds to a base image and a number of differential images (maximum number retained specified in the rule). That's why the rule is there- to define how that image set is managed.