Deciding between AOMEI or Macrium...basic Backup

StarSeeker · 14 Apr 2017

Hello

I've been following Windows 10 forum on and off and after we got a new PC and went from Win 7 to Win 10 I figured I'd join and start asking questions.

We got a new PC...Cyberpower having issues with a HP and Windows 7...hardware and software. We really haven't put much on the new pc yet waiting to tackle how and what to backup as we add. The new PC is set up with two hard drives...a SSD with the OS and anther one for programs, files, document, videos and pictures.

I pulled two hard drives from a older PC with Windows XP and have an external hard drive...a 500gig I pulled from a PS4 after upgrading. That was in an external docking station from Thermaltake Black X Duet. That one has the OS and files from the older PC. I also have everything backed up to DVD discs.

We really don't do lots of personal work on the pc...gaming, emails, pictures and video editing, music, resumes, some scan files and such and it's not like everyday.

I've ben looking at both AOMEI and Macrium and still undecided. I like the easy GIU interface with AOMEI and seems to provide a lot while Macrium has more bells and whistles and gives you more options but seems to have a lot going on.

I want to pull everything off the older drives to a temp directory on the newer drive...it's 4TB so no worries there...and then put it all on a new 4TB in the External Docking Station. I then want to wipe the smaller 500gig drive and just put the OS from "C" on it. Sadly the "C-Drive" also has a couple of programs and Documents that I guess can stay and just do a complete backup of "C".

I'm concerned about the file format and compression as to accessing later and if I end up using another program. I prefer not to compress my video and pictures at this time especially if it risks changing their attributes; plus the cost of Hard drives make it no big deal and that's why I got a External Docking Station. I just need something to do a full and maybe once a week swapping out the hard drives in the docking station and doing a full one along with the Rescue Media....
.....which I wanted to ask...can I span multiple discs if I wanted to or is it better to just get a 20+ gig Flash Drive?

Probably have more but I'm just trying to get the ball rolling and get settled in with which program. Sorry for the long post but better to explain fully than half. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Kenny and Alice

Layback Bear · 14 Apr 2017

I went through the same thing of choosing about a year or so ago.
I tried Aomei and Macrium Reflect. For me Macrium Reflect worked easier and did a great job.
Plus Aomei to my knowledge comes from China and Macrium Reflect comes from the England. (UK)
I chose fish and chips over chop sticks.

That being said; It's been a year ago. Both programs have changed as most everything in computing does in a year.
I use Macrium Reflect to this day without problems.

I'm thinking a method to help in your choice would be to watch several videos on both programs.
That should help in your decision making.

Jack

lx07 · 14 Apr 2017

I think they are much of a muchness.

There is tutorial here for Macrium (Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - Windows 10 Backup Restore Tutorials ) and I couldn't find one for AOMIE.

I was converted to Macrium from the native system image as everyone on this forum always recommended it. I guess it doesn't make much odds what you use (as long as you use something) but I'm quite happy with it fwiw.

storageman · 14 Apr 2017

A few years back, I was looking for a replacement for Acronis. I had used that backup tool for 10 years but with their re-vamping of the UI, I wanted out. Today I have a paid version of MR and a free version of AOMEI. Comparing these two, MR is more robust and is much faster in creating backups. To the OP, you should not have any concerns on the integrity of the backup data. Just about any backup software solution prides itself on quality restoration. Your video files will be fine even when using compression and I would recommend using the standard default compression that these two use. The OP should be more concerned with how many backups and where are they stored. Doesn't do any good to back your systems up to an external drive/NAS etc. and they are in the same location as your system. I do offsite backups once per month (one to a local fireproof safe and one in another location). I also have duplicate local backups of my more important data ie duplicate backups. You may call me obsessed, but I've seen many situations where the customer said "I thought I had that backed up", but sadly they lost their backup. So I would recommend Macrium Reflect for yet another reason. The UK speaks Queens English, China doesn't and when you need support help, you don't want to hire a translator.

fdegrove · 15 Apr 2017

Hi,

My vote goes without any doubt for Macrium Reflect Free.
I've tried both programs but MR is faster and absolutely reliable. Industrial grade I'd say.

Best,

dalchina · 15 Apr 2017

Macrium deals properly with selecting all the necessary partitions for 'Windows Backup' whereas last I knew, Aomei didn't. (Just tried its System Backup - it appears superficially to omit the 16Mb partition)

Aomei's image wasn't compatible with a Laplink product which uses images to transfer programs from one PC to another (permissions error).

Aomei's error messages on the simplest of situations -e.g. external disk not present or allocated a different drive letter- are unhelpful- indeed in that situation, it takes a while for the problem to be detected, the backup seeming to start.

These may well have changed since I last tried Aomei.

Aomei free includes incremental imaging- Macrium free doesn't.

You can't post on Macrium's forum as a free user.

Both products are updated fairly frequently.

For a Chinese product, the English is pretty good, but you can immediately tell it's not native:
Incremental backup refers to back up the changed and new added data based on the first full backup or the last backup. Incremental backup will not back up the identical data based on the last backup. Incremental backup is on the basis of the last backup, so that there will be a mutual dependent relationship between them two.

There are tutorials on Aomei's site, although not on tenforums as far as I know.
System Backup, Backup Disk, Schedule Backup, Disk Clone - AOMEI Backupper Features
AOMEI Backupper Video Tutorials

Khzyvfonhes · 29 Apr 2017

I use both, as a matter of fact, I make a restore partition on my hd using Aomei free OneKey, then I use Macrium Reflect to image the whole thing to an external drive.

Indeed, my Windows 7 machines, have three redundancies:

Each one has an Aomei OneKey partition, a Macrium Reflect image, and a native Windows 7 image.

I no longer use Acronis, Ghost, or any other "commercial" backup solution.

btbuz · 29 Apr 2017

I've used them all over the years. I just recently found Aomei and have switched to that for local images. With others I have had problems completing the backup. Aomei is easy to use (once I figured out how to make the menu larger). I also use BackBlaze on my main machine which provides unlimited storage for all attached drives. That gives me backup of my backups.

dalchina · 29 Apr 2017

Hi, if you want
- clear error messages
- images that work with Laplink products to transfer programs to a new PC
- a boot disk with a good repair tool for boot problems

use Macrium rather than Aomei.

But if you need
- a free program which offers both incremental and differential imaging
- a simpler user interface
use Aomei.

I finally switched from Aomei when I couldn't see how to back up Win 10 with all relevant partitions (maybe they've moved on since then) to Macrium, which makes partition selection for that both automatic and visible.

I also dislike the way Aomei, if it doesn't have access to the previously created image set, will spend some time appearing to start creating an incremental or differential image, before finally proffering a very unclear message which doesn't indicate that that's the case. (For example, if you plug in an external drive with your images on it and it's allocated a different drive letter to that which Aomei expects for that image).

(There is a relatively easy way of making sure the drive is allocated the same letter using Drive Management).

Oops- just realised I made similar comments above - a long time ago!

RolandJS · 01 May 2017

Good pay-fors are Macrium Reflect and Image for Windows; there are many freebies that do the job very well. I add this recommendation: have two external hard-drives doing the backups, one after the other. Awhile back, I had HD A for laptop A and HD B for laptop B...A developed a "logical" error, forcing a re-format, after that, each computer has two dedicated usb external HDs.