How to backup and restore macrium scheduled tasks

I have a 4 PC Macrium reflect home license. I'm only using it for back up and restore, not interested in all the other features so I've stayed on 6.3.1865. The later versions have stuff that you just can't get rid of.

I re-install Windows from scratch on these 4 PCs at least twice a year.
I also have a PC I use for testing which could have Windows reinstalled as often as 2-3 times a week.

I backup and restore my definition files, but I have to build the schedules for all backups every time.
That might seem like a trivial task, but there are a total of 36 backups across the 4 PCs. I capture various groups of data and I do disk images multiple times a day.

So is there a way I can backup and restore the scheduled tasks?

In v6, Macrium tasks are WTS-based (Windows Task Scheduler). The WTS tasks them selves may be exported/imported (see HERE)... Macrium doesn't know they are there until your tasks are recreated using your definition setup. So that feature doesn't really help much/

In v6, I don't believe you can do what you are looking for...

FroggyTheGremli said:

In v6, I don't believe you can do what you are looking for...

This seems to be the case. It's easy enough to copy the XML files and put them back, but the scheduler registry entries are missing so they don't work. The scheduler entries exist in two places. There are two GUIDs for backups and one points to the other. I could backup the scheduler entries, but I'd get all the other Windows tasks as well, and have to manually edit the reg file..

damn! I was hoping there'd be a way to do it.

@idgat The .job files are in %windir%\Tasks. The XML files are in %windir%\System32\Tasks. Importing the XML file, which I'm already doing, does not re-establish the scheduler tasks.

I think you might be looking at a later version. 6.3.1865 does not have an import/export option.

It just might be time to move on from Macrium REFLECT. The FREE Hasleo Backup Suite probably contains all the Macrium capabilities you are looking for (Including RDR which was 1st offered in v6 of Macrium) and uses its own task scheduler (which can import/export its tasks without issue)

FroggyTheGremli said:

It just might be time to move on from Macrium REFLECT. The FREE Hasleo Backup Suite probably contains all the Macrium capabilities you are looking for (Including RDR which was 1st offered in v6 of Macrium) and uses its own task scheduler (which can import/export its tasks without issue)

I'll take a look at it. Thanks.

There are definitions files, which identify what to backup and scheduled tasks that determine when and to where the objects are backed up.

I back up the XML files and definitions, reinstall windows and restore those files. I then import the XML files, which creates a task in the registry key @;

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tasks

And creates a .job file with the same GUID as the scheduled task in %windir%\Tasks.

However, Macrium does not see these. It looks for entries in the registry @;

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\CompatibilityAdapter\Signatures

Which link to the GUID in the first registry location.

When creating a schedule via Macrium the registry keys are added to both locations. Importing the XML files does not create the registry entries in the second location.

There is a third location where the tasks have registry data @;

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree

Following the chain;

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tree\Macrium-Backup-{36C615A9-A063-4CBE-8C8B-ECB10AC6BEBC}

Points to

Code:

{5F087979-6F3A-400C-A641-F4FBCF3BC005}

@

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\TaskCache\Tasks\{5F087979-6F3A-400C-A641-F4FBCF3BC005}

which points to the location;

Code:

Macrium-Backup-{36C615A9-A063-4CBE-8C8B-ECB10AC6BEBC}.job

@

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\CompatibilityAdapter\Signatures

So when the scheduled task runs it doesn't find the corresponding GUID in the second registry location and dies, not knowing what to back up, because as far as Macrium is concerned there is no schedule.

I cant import the registry values. I get an error "Error accessing registry". Possibly a permissions issue.? the message is generic and doesn't help figure out the cause. I'm not fond of messing with registry permissions in case I brick something.

I did ask this on Macrium's forum and got some rather rude responses. I'd rather visit places like here where people are far more friendly and willing to provide genuine assistance.

Perhaps the answer is that figuring out why the registry import fails will enable me to resolve this issue. I'd still have to edit the exported registry file to remove all the scheduled Windows tasks. But if there is no other way to achieve this perhaps that's how I need to approach this.

dalchina said:

Found this with a quick search.. there's probably more on Macrium's forum if you were to search there.
Backup schedules?

I can't comment further myself as I don't use scheduled imaging.

That puzzles me- are they deleted? Do they need to continually be changed?

As you have a MR license, the best place to ask this would be on Macrium's forum.

All those import/export discussions reference v8 of Reflect, OP is using v6.