Macrium Reflect Question

CChamp · 26 Jun 2020

Hi all, I know there is plenty of support for MR on this site but I could not find the answer to this particular question. I am thinking of installing MR and I noticed in KARI's how-to article (very good) that you could install Free or Home. I will just be using it on my daily laptop at home. Does it matter which one I install or are they both the same? I am really leary about using this as RollBackRX (another imaging program) trashed my last computer but then again Microsoft is doing their fair share of trashing computers so I know I need something. Any help or encouragement is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

dalchina · 26 Jun 2020

Home vs Free:

Google search for
macrium compare editions

=>
Macrium Software | Product Comparision

where you can see the differences listed.

Free- no access to their forum; you can create the bootable disk, get VSS repair and Fix boot utilities, schedule tasks, create backup jobs (not the same thing); create differential but not incremental images and you don't get some more advanced features.

Bottom line: Free version is good enough for most people.

Consider also using file backup for faster changing critical files.

Strategy: keep personal data off C: as far as possible so clean installing or restoring an image of C: affects your data as little as possible.

Also make use of System Restore- although restoring is known to fail quite often, when it works, it's great.

Bree · 26 Jun 2020

CChamp said:

... you could install Free or Home. I will just be using it on my daily laptop at home. Does it matter which one I install or are they both the same?....

The software is identical whichever you install, but the features available are determined by the installed licence key. If you install the Home Trial you get a key that allows Premium features to be used for 30 days, after which it prompts you to buy. If you decline the licence key reverts to the Free one and it continues to work, but with a Free licence key.

If you install the Free version, then you start with a Licence key for Free, but are offered an upgrade to the Home Trial licence should you try to use any Premium feature.

Your choice, but I would go for Free from the start. I was happy using it for years before I succumbed to the temptation to buy Home in one of their 'Black Friday' 50% discount offers. I then upgraded my installed Free to Home just by changing the installed key.

Macrium Software | Macrium Reflect Free

me75006 · 26 Jun 2020

I used the Free version for quite some time. I grew so enamored with the product, that when they sent me a discount Ad, I bought the 3 for the price of one.
Try the free, if you come to appreciate the product, wait for a Sale offer, and then decide. I have never been so pleased with a software product as I am with Reflect. Warms the cockles of my heart, it does.

CChamp · 26 Jun 2020

I looked at the comparatives and it does look like Free would be best for me. I do see that Home does files and folder and Free does not. So, does that mean that the Free version basically backs up and restores the system files and not personal files?

Bree · 26 Jun 2020

CChamp said:

I looked at the comparatives and it does look like Free would be best for me. I do see that Home does files and folder and Free does not. So, does that mean that the Free version basically backs up and restores the system files and not personal files?

No, Reflect Free backs up whole partitions, and that includes all your user files on those partitions. You would typically include in the image all the partitions required to restore Windows. But your personal files are on those partitions too, so they are all in the backup. With Macrium Reflect Free installed you can mount a Macrium image as a virtual drive and browse it in File Explorer to retrieve from the backup any files you may need.

What Files & Folders backup does is add the ability to make an image that just contains those folders you wish to back up, and nothing else. You could for example create an image that just backed up your Photos folder, considerably smaller (and quicker) to do than making an image of the partition containing that folder.

CChamp · 26 Jun 2020

I see, thank you all.

Steve C · 27 Jun 2020

Bree said:

No, Reflect Free backs up whole partitions, and that includes all your user files on those partitions. You would typically include in the image all the partitions required to restore Windows. But your personal files are on those partitions too, so they are all in the backup. With Macrium Reflect Free installed you can mount a Macrium image as a virtual drive and browse it in File Explorer to retrieve from the backup any files you may need.

What Files & Folders backup does is add the ability to make an image that just contains those folders you wish to back up, and nothing else. You could for example create an image that just backed up your Photos folder, considerably smaller (and quicker) to do than making an image of the partition containing that folder.

A workaround if you use the Free edition is to partition a single disk into two partitions. Use a small partition for the OS and installed programs and a larger partition for your user files. That way you can decide in Reflect which partitions to back up e.g. just the OS partitions or both partitions including user data.

cereberus · 27 Jun 2020

Steve C said:

A workaround if you use the Free edition is to partition a single disk into two partitions. Use a small partition for the OS and installed programs and a larger partition for your user files. That way you can decide in Reflect which partitions to back up e.g. just the OS partitions or both partitions including user data.

Whilst this is true, once data has been separated from the OS, there are better tools for backing up data drives.

CChamp · 27 Jun 2020

Got MR installed Rescue Disk made and an Image Backup. Feelin pretty good. One question tho, is it possible or even logical to put the image on a jumpdrive by itself, or is it better to put it on an external drive (which is what I did)?