Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect  

CountMike said:

I guess it should be enough to keep just couple or 3 of last differential backups. That won't task disk space much.

Hi Mike:

I know you've gotten a lot of good advice, but I thought I'd chime in here too. I've been using Macrium Reflect since 1917. Before that, for about 15-20 years, I used Acronis True Image. Both are excellent products.

For what it's worth, I thought I'd point you to a post by a Macrium Reflect forum evangelist (similar to our Guru titles) who gave me a lot of great advice when I first started with Reflect. The post is at Incremental Forever (Synthetic Full Backup) - (Page 2).

I have the paid version of both, although I stopped updating True Image years ago. I tend to think it's best to back up every day, even though all I have is a personal computer & don't run a business. It's not that there are so many changes each day or that I'm not careful; it's that I want to make sure that I have a backup that's virus free & that I don't lose anything.

If you look at the link above, you can see that one of the best methods is to use a full backup, followed by a certain number of incrementals (I use 7) & to use 2 exteranl drives. I backup my entire disk to one external drive...one full + 7 incrementals. It's set up so that it only keeps 7 incrementals & then consolidates the oldest incremental into the full one. Every week, I unplug one external & plug in the other.

Macrium Reflect automatically recognizes each external drive & automatically consolidates the oldest incremental into the full backup, after I create the 8th incremental. (Hope this is making sense.)

Also, although I don't use True Image for backups any more, they have one feature that Reflect doesn't have & that I use often enough...it's called Try & Decide. When started, you can make any changes you want, reboot as many times as you want. When you're done, it gives you the option of applying all changes, applying all changes with a reboot, & discarding all changes. [I've used the latter option many times because I often]

phrab said:

Hi Mike:

I know you've gotten a lot of good advice, but I thought I'd chime in here too. I've been using Macrium Reflect since 1917. Before that, for about 15-20 years, I used Acronis True Image. Both are excellent products.

For what it's worth, I thought I'd point you to a post by a Macrium Reflect forum evangelist (similar to our Guru titles) who gave me a lot of great advice when I first started with Reflect. The post is at Incremental Forever (Synthetic Full Backup) - (Page 2).

I have the paid version of both, although I stopped updating True Image years ago. I tend to think it's best to back up every day, even though all I have is a personal computer & don't run a business. It's not that there are so many changes each day or that I'm not careful; it's that I want to make sure that I have a backup that's virus free & that I don't lose anything.

If you look at the link above, you can see that one of the best methods is to use a full backup, followed by a certain number of incrementals (I use 7) & to use 2 exteranl drives. I backup my entire disk to one external drive...one full + 7 incrementals. It's set up so that it only keeps 7 incrementals & then consolidates the oldest incremental into the full one. Every week, I unplug one external & plug in the other.

Macrium Reflect automatically recognizes each external drive & automatically consolidates the oldest incremental into the full backup, after I create the 8th incremental. (Hope this is making sense.)

Also, although I don't use True Image for backups any more, they have one feature that Reflect doesn't have & that I use often enough...it's called Try & Decide. When started, you can make any changes you want, reboot as many times as you want. When you're done, it gives you the option of applying all changes, applying all changes with a reboot, & discarding all changes. [I've used the latter option many times because I often]

Although in general I don't like incrementals I've been trying out the perpetual incrementals on a couple of File and Folder backups to a NAS. Been running since last November and they work very well. Not my primary data backup though, I still use FreeFileSync for that.

kado897 said:

Although in general I don't like incrementals I've been trying out the perpetual incrementals on a couple of File and Folder backups to a NAS. Been running since last November and they work very well. Not my primary data backup though, I still use FreeFileSync for that.

I love FreeFileSync too, but that won't image my disk. I use it to backup (sync) files in my document folder to my WinXP machine. I recently discovered the option to create versions (keeps a copy of the previous files that you just ran the sync job). I found this was handy, as I use Real-Time sync for some jobs & accidentally deleted a file on one drive, which then automatically deleted the other copy. At least now I can restore the previous version when I screw up.

I have a lot of confidence in Reflect, including their incrementals, but I certainly see your point. I know I should also backup to an online server & I'm thinking of doing that. If hackers can put ransomware in an oil pipeline company's computers, they could probably hack mine.

All very good and useful advice. I don't test much SW any more so in one week I don't change much in the system or risk too much weekly. Normally I make one backup a week or in case of anticipated larger update, just before it and some time after when everything checks out.
That's all just for system and now for game partition (one disk). As for pure data (pictures, scans, documents, music etc.), for those I have several HDDs to which I just copy files manually. Actually I just keep them in own folders (according to type), copy whole folders to appropriate disk and choose to skip duplicates). That I do only when there's enough important new files to warrant backup.Maybe couple times a month.
Until few days ago I had triple removable tray for 3.5" installed but took it out (to improve cooling) as now I have only one HHD for permanent storage. Now I'm debating to either get a NAS (expensive), make a NAS (less expensive) or just get one of these:

Very cheap. Most probably will go for that last one.

CountMike said:

As for pure data (pictures, scans, documents, music etc.), for those I have several HDDs to which I just copy files manually. Actually I just keep them in own folders (according to type), copy whole folders to appropriate disk and choose to skip duplicates). That I do only when there's enough important new files to warrant backup.Maybe couple times a month.

Hi Mike:
Try the FreeFileSync that @kado897 mentioned above. You can set it to either sync folders or files automatically, or 1 click manual jobs. I use it several times a day. Download the Latest Version - FreeFileSync

phrab said:

Hi Mike:
Try the FreeFileSync that @kado897 mentioned above. You can set it to either sync folders or files automatically, or 1 click manual jobs. I use it several times a day. Download the Latest Version - FreeFileSync

It's a good one and still regularly updated. I've been using it for years. I particularly like the versioning that you mentioned.

Tnx, downloaded and installed it but at this time I have no connection to external disks, will try it in few days when I get interface.

CountMike said:

Tnx, downloaded and installed it but at this time I have no connection to external disks, will try it in few days when I get interface.

Any questions am happy to respond.

kado897 said:

Any questions am happy to respond.

Tnx. will do when I get to try it.