Using my Win10 USB instead of the Macrium rescue media?

GRH · 14 Mar 2020

Win10pro 1909

Could I use my Windows 10 installation USB instead of making a Macrium rescue media USB?
In other words, can I point to the Macrium system image from my Win10 USB?

Also, using Macrium, can I create a system image on a USB drive? What should it be formatted to... FAT32 or NTFS?

Thanks

dalchina · 14 Mar 2020

Could I use my Windows 10 installation USB instead of making a making a Macrium rescue media USB?
In other words, can I point to the Macrium system image from my Win10 USB?

No - they are two completely different things. It is, however, possible I believe to make a multiboot USB flash drive or disk.

E.g.
Make a multiboot USB pen
5 Apps to Create Multiboot USB - Linux and Windows ISOs Supported - LinuxBabe
How To Put Multiple ISO Files In One Bootable USB Disk | Create Multiboot USB Disk
..youtube guides etc

Also, using Macrium, can I create a system image on a USB drive? What should it be formatted to... FAT32 or NTFS?

Yes- indeed from some points of view it is better to store images on removable drives (powered down, removed and stored- fire,theft, flood, greater likelihood of not being infected by a virus...)

f14tomcat · 14 Mar 2020

"Also, using Macrium, can I create a system image on a USB drive? What should it be formatted to... FAT32 or NTFS?"

If the OP is referring to a USB attached external drive, yes. If he is referring to a Thumb Drive (which he's implying he is with the format question), you can, but not advisable.

GRH · 15 Mar 2020

f14tomcat said:

"Also, using Macrium, can I create a system image on a USB drive? What should it be formatted to... FAT32 or NTFS?"

If the OP is referring to a USB attached external drive, yes. If he is referring to a Thumb Drive (which he's implying he is with the format question), you can, but not advisable.

Yeah, I was referring to a Thumb drive - sorry, I always make that mistake.

RichardC · 15 Mar 2020

I use two thumb drives to backup my system. I make a backup after patch Tuesday and one after the end of month updates. Each thumb drive is partitioned into two separate sections. The first is one gig and formatted FAT32. The second is about 124 gigs and is formatted NTFS. When I plug in the thumb drive, file explorer lists it as two separate drives. When I start MR, I create a bootable rescue media and it automatically selects the FAT32 section. Then I select image disks on system and MR automatically selects the NTFS section. Granted that the mrimage created also includes the esp partition which is FAT32. Not sure how that works, but MR restore has never failed me.