Discuss/Update Thread Macrium Reflect v8 (updates and discussions)

[Trooper]

Macrium Reflect Home v8.1.7469 ready via internal updater...

Bug fixes and Improvements v8.1.7469 - 18th April 2023 Disk Images We've improved the speed of mounting images in Windows File Explorer on some systems. When imaging a FAT32 partition with a very large FAT table, If the backup target ran out of space while saving the FAT table Reflect could crash. This has been resolved. Reflect now uses the improved Write method to calibrate the target disk write speed. While it may take slightly longer to perform the test than previously, the results are more realistic and closely match the image write performance. Drives encrypted with BitLocker would show as unformatted if the Windows BitLocker WMI component was not registered correctly. This has been resolved. Reflect could crash when an image restore was initiated from Explorer Context Menu, or via command line option. This has been resolved. SQL Backups SQL backups could sometimes not honor retention settings for password protected network shares and for unnamed SQL Server instances. This has been resolved. viBoot In extremely rare circumstances the MRVMDK driver could generate a buffer overflow. This has been resolved. viBoot may incorrectly display “No bootable drive detected error” when launched from Reflect. This has been resolved. CBT After resizing a volume, CBT will not re-enable on the volume until after a system restart. This has been resolved. MRCBT failed to attach to some partitions created with legacy MS-DOS tools. This has been resolved. General We've added a new theme that compliments the currently selected Windows theme. Take the ‘Other Tasks’ > ‘Change Theme…' menu option and select 'Windows Color Theme’ We've improved device driver compatibility with Microsoft DirectStorage. On some Windows 7 systems, due to third party DLL injection, Reflect could become unresponsive. This has been resolved. Email parameters {BACKUPFILENAME} and {BACKUPFILEPATH} would contain incorrect data for skipped backups as no file is generated. This has been resolved by replacing the parameters with empty text. The password ‘Reveal’ button has been removed from the default settings for the SMTP Server password field in the custom email configuration. This was highlighted as a potential security concern for our MSP customers that configured Macrium Reflect for their own customers. Various Various other minor fixes and changes to improve Macrium Reflect.

Source: Macrium Reflect Patch Details

Updated but have not tested it out yet.

 

[I Walk MY Way]

Working fine here tested it with 2 restore's Macrium Reflect Home is the best love it.

 

[Freki123]

Since I'm a bit unsure If I understood it right I wanted to make sure that I don't brick my pc before considering trying.

Bootkit zero-day fix – is this Microsoft’s most cautious patch ever?

When blocking buggy bootup modules, you have to be really careful not to lock your keys inside the car…

nakedsecurity.sophos.com

KB5025885: How to manage the Windows Boot Manager revocations for Secure Boot changes associated with CVE-2023-24932 - Microsoft Support

support.microsoft.com

So I apply the 9th may windows update. Create a new Macrium Bootmenue/Rescue USB and then follow the guide to apply the revocations?
Would creating the boot menu as Windows RE or as Windows PE WADK make any difference? (Windows 11 64bit 22H2)
If I understood it correct I then couldn't roll back to an earlier backup like march, right?

 

[I Walk MY Way]

I used Windows RE for the boot menu and Everything went fine.

 

[HarborFront]

I'm new to MR and I have some questions

I created a Win 11 22H2 bootable USB flash drive using Rufus

And I just used MR Home (on trial) to back up just Win 11 Pro OS to it.

Questions

1) When do you engage Macrium Image Guardian? Before the backup? I see no setting during the setting up for backup. Isn't Macrium Image Guardian always on or I need to engage it for every backup?

2) In the event my laptop cannot boot up normally so I boot up externally using my bootable USB flash drive. After that I'm supposed to restore my image using Macrium Reflect back to the C:, right? However, MR is installed in C: which means I cannot restore the image since I cannot boot up normally. So what is it now? Can MR restores the image if I cannot boot up the C: drive? Or is image restoration good only if you can boot up from the C: drive?

Or set up the Win 11 OS created by Rufus?

I believe I have 2 oprions here. Which is the better one?

Thanks

 

[Oldie1950]

I'm new to MR and I have some questions

I created a Win 11 22H2 bootable USB flash drive using Rufus

And I just used MR Home (on trial) to back up just Win 11 Pro OS to it.

Questions

1) When do you engage Macrium Image Guardian? Before the backup? I see no setting during the setting up for backup. Isn't Macrium Image Guardian always on or I need to engage it for every backup?

2) In the event my laptop cannot boot up normally so I boot up externally using my bootable USB flash drive. After that I'm supposed to restore my image using Macrium Reflect back to the C:, right? However, MR is installed in C: which means I cannot restore the image since I cannot boot up normally. So what is it now? Can MR restores the image if I cannot boot up the C: drive? Or is image restoration good only if you can boot up from the C: drive?

Or set up the Win 11 OS created by Rufus?

I believe I have 2 oprions here. Which is the better one?

Thanks

I permanently activated the Image Guardian in the settings. I only disable Image Guardian when I want to delete an image.
You can create a rescue medium on a USB stick with MR that you can boot from. You can then use MR on the USB stick to restore an image from the C: drive.

 

[HarborFront]

I permanently activated the Image Guardian in the settings. I only disable Image Guardian when I want to delete an image.
You can create a rescue medium on a USB stick with MR that you can boot from. You can then use MR on the USB stick to restore an image from the C: drive.

Ok found that Macrium Image Guardian is auto on to protect backups after MR installation

You mean have a copy of MR on the bootable stick to restore the image? How?

 

[Oldie1950]

Ok found that Macrium Image Guardian is auto on to protect backups after MR installation

You mean have a copy of MR on the bootable stick to restore the image? How?

1. Boot from the rescue USB stick. MR starts automatically.
2. Insert the USB stick with the image from drive C: into another USB port.
3. Select the displayed image in MR and start restoring.
4. Exit MR after recovery is complete. Windows restarts with the state that was saved in the image.

 

[HarborFront]

1. Boot from the rescue USB stick. MR starts automatically.
2. Insert the USB stick with the image from drive C: into another USB port.
3. Select the displayed image in MR and start restoring.
4. Exit MR after recovery is complete. Windows restarts with the state that was saved in the image.

Thank you for the steps.

But before inserting the bootable USB stick I need to know how to create the bootable USB stick, put a copy of MR onto it and put the backup image as well. That's a 3-in-1 thing

 

[Oldie1950]

Thank you for the steps.

But before inserting the bootable USB stick I need to know how to create the bootable USB stick, put a copy of MR onto it and put the backup image as well. That's a 3-in-1 thing

In MR there is a function "Create rescue medium". With it you can create the USB stick with all the necessary files as a bootable medium.
I have the German language version of MR. So it could be that the names in the English version are slightly different.

 

[silversurfer]

Thank you for the steps.

But before inserting the bootable USB stick I need to know how to create the bootable USB stick, put a copy of MR onto it and put the backup image as well. That's a 3-in-1 thing

@HarborFront You may still try Macrium Reflect Home?

In case you haven't found the related setting: Other Tasks => Create Rescue Media

 

[HarborFront]

@HarborFront You may still try Macrium Reflect Home?

In case you haven't found the related setting: Other Tasks => Create Rescue Media

View attachment 275543

So, this will create a bootable USB flash drive? Will it also load a copy of MR and the Windows OS as well or I need further steps to load the two latter?

 

[Oldie1950]

So, this will create a bootable USB flash drive? Will it also load a copy of MR and the Windows OS as well or I need further steps to load the two latter?

You still have to switch from the "Windows Boot Menu" option to the "Removable USB Flash Drive" option in the Silversurfer instructions. Then a bootable USB stick will be created containing MR with all the necessary files. You really don't have to do anything else.
However, it is easier if you select the "Windows Boot Menu" option. Then you don't need a USB stick and you don't have to change the boot order. Instead, you will be asked each time you start the computer during the boot process whether you want to start Windows or MR. If you don't answer this question, Windows will start automatically after a few seconds.

 

[Freki123]

I would always create/have at least two separate macrium recovery options. Like macrium bootmenue + macrium usbstick or m. bootdvd + m. usbstick or m.bootmeue . I killed my boot menue of my own fault some times so having another recoverymedia option saved me.

Warning: Using bitlocker may require additional steps.

 

[simmerskool]

Instead, you will be asked each time you start the computer during the boot process whether you want to start Windows or MR. If you don't answer this question, Windows will start automatically after a few seconds.

fwiw, this is how macrium8 interacts with my win10 boot, it offers me the option to boot win10 or MR. This is a helpful thread as I setup MR long enough ago that I don't recall how I did that (earlier version of MR) Never been an issues, so I am MR rusty.