What tools are needed to back up laptop to external HDD?

RolandJS said:

MR can reside on a DVD or USB device.

I'm using a public computer right now and just downloaded MR to a flash drive. Are you saying I can just leave it on there and use it from there? Is it like a portable app? That sure would be convenient.

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cereberus said:

You do not have to provide ANY information or register at all to use Macrium Reflect Free.

Forget crappy windows version. MRF is a Rolls Royce by comparison and is fast and reliable.

They made me give them my email address, where I then had to go for a registration code.

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zbook said:

To backup important files there are options:
a) copy and paste users folders
b) make backup image
c) make backup clone

These can be done with a flash drive, HD, or the cloud.

For backup images there are free and pay versions depending upon the features:
(Acronis, Aoemi, EaseUS, Macrium, Paragon, etc.)

Macrium is widely used in TF:

Macrium Software | Your Image is Everything
Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect

I guess the main thing I want to do is back up everything in my laptop, and then update that backup about once a month so I could restore everything (the OS, programs, personal files) as it was before the crash. Probably to a different computer though since the original one would probably be dead.

I just checked and did a fresh download. I was asked for an email BUT it clearly stated that was optional.

Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

If you downloaded it onto a USB, I'd transfer that to your hard drive and do a formal install there.

That way you can use it from the HD if the HD still works.

If not, you would rely on the USB "recovery media" stick.

Do you have ONLY 1 HD in the machine--the same drive contains Windows as well as your personal data?

You might consider keeping your data on a separate partition and then excluding that partition from your image. That's a a common practice, but not required.

ignatzatsonic said:

I would assume that it's a method of restoring your PC to a factory state. I'd further assume that's not what you want to do. Instead, you want to be able to restore to a much more recent date--today, last week, but not as of the day you got the machine.

Whatever your USB is, it's not able to restore a Macrium image.

No need to waste a 64 GB drive on the task. 1 GB is enough. 64 will work.

The flash drive will NOT contain an image. The image would be stored on some other hard drive, internal or external. The USB recovery media is only a way to access Macrium and direct the restoration process.

I think I understand now.
Will the flash drive I use be able to be used for anything else? I just downloaded MR to a 16GB drive I use for other things, but am reluctant to click the file that downloaded. I was planning on moving it over to my laptop when I get home, but if I can just keep it on a flash drive, that would be nice. However, I don't want to have MR delete everything on my 16GB drive--assuming that's what happens if MR makes my 16GB a dedicated MR recovery device. I'd want to move my stuff to a different drive before then.

Delly10 said:

I think I understand now.
Will the flash drive I use be able to be used for anything else? I just downloaded MR to a 16GB drive I use for other things, but am reluctant to click the file that downloaded. I was planning on moving it over to my laptop when I get home, but if I can just keep it on a flash drive, that would be nice. However, I don't want to have MR delete everything on my 16GB drive--assuming that's what happens if MR makes my 16GB a dedicated MR recovery device. I'd want to move my stuff to a different drive before then.

The file you downloaded is an installer; not a "portable" app.

Here's what I'd do:

1: get a small 1 GB or 4 GB USB and use it ONLY for Macrium recovery.

I'm not sure if Macrium formats the stick when it makes the recovery media. It might.

So, if i wanted to use the stick for other purposes, I'd move everything off of it, then let Macrium make a recovery stick out of it. Then move your personal stuff back to it.

But unless you can't afford 5 bucks for a new USB stick, I'd devote one stick to Macrium ONLY.

ignatzatsonic said:

Do you have ONLY 1 HD in the machine--the same drive contains Windows as well as your personal data?

Yes.

ignatzatsonic said:

You might consider keeping your data on a separate partition and then excluding that partition from your image. That's a a common practice, but not required.

Now it's getting complicated!

I guess all I wanted to do is have a copy of what my current hard drive contains so that nothing would be lost if the hard drive suddenly died. That's happened to me before with a previous computer and I had to buy a new hard drive for it to replace the old, dead one. That new drive is what I am currently wanting to back my computer up to. I bought a hard drive enclosure for it which I just got in the mail today.

Delly10 said:

I guess all I wanted to do is have a copy of what my current hard drive contains so that nothing would be lost if the hard drive suddenly died. That's happened to me before with a previous computer and I had to buy a new hard drive for it to replace the old, dead one. That new drive is what I am currently wanting to back my computer up to. I bought a hard drive enclosure for it which I just got in the mail today.

Consider this:

May 1st, you make an image file.

May 13th, you take a bunch of pictures and keep them on your hard drive.

May 20, you have to restore the May 1 image for whatever reason.

Your May 13th pictures have just been overwritten and lost if not backed up by some other method.

You have to know how you will deal with that situation.

cereberus said:

MR does not actually delete stuff on drive when creating boot drive but like any tool, crap can happen. Besides usb drives are not that reliable and you should always backup valuable data elsewhere as a minimum. Drives fail!

Then perhaps I should create 2 MR drives. If the one has failed when it's needed, I wouldn't be able to do a backup at all, right? That's even though I have an external hard drive with a back-up image on it.

From what you described the best option is a backup image which is regularly updated.

Windows can always be reinstalled as a clean install with licenses on the Microsoft servers.

Please view the TF Macrium link in post #5.


There can be times in which a backup image could be created when there were problems in the OS or registry.
Backing up files is an extra layer of protection.
Also saving a backup image that is not updated is an extra layer of protection.