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Browse an Image or File/folder Backup

Administrator — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:02:06 GMT

This tutorial shows you the options available in Macrium Reflect to browse your images and file and folder backups in Windows Explorer.

You can Browse or Explorean image by mounting the image file in Windows Explorer. This makes thebacked up data appear as a drive in Windows Explorer that you can accessjust like any other drive, it is mounted in its own drive letter. This drive letterallocated is temporary and the sections on 'Detach Image' show how toremove it. The instructions in this tutorial also apply to afile/folder backup.

The image is mounted as read only. This means that you cannot change the contents of the mounted drive but you can copy files from the mounted Image or file/folder backup in WindowsExplorer to your PC using Copy/Paste (orDrag and Drop). You can also open files (such as WORD documents) by double clicking.

(If you have a file/folder backup (not Image backup) there is also a wizard in Macrium Reflectto restore selected files and/or folders to a place of your choosing).

Note: The folder chosen must contain ALL of the files required to load an image. This means that an incremental backup requires the full backup set to be present, and a differential backup required the most recent differential and the first full backup to be present. If your image is split accross multiple DVDs then it isn't possible to mount the image.

Note: If you do a full shutdown, all temporary mounted Images are also detached.

1. Using Windows Explorer
2. Using Macrium Reflect
3. Using the Command Line Interface (CLI)

1. Using Windows Explorer

To mount an image from within Windows Explorer:

Right click on the Image or incremental or differential file name in Windows Explorer and select 'Explore Image'

You can now select which Image partitions to mount:

Select the partition(s) from your Image you wish to view in Windows Explorer.

Optionally, you can also select which drive letter each partition is displayed in, otherwise leave at the default letter.

Optionally, select access to restricted folder.

Then Click on OK

Your Image (or file/folder backup) will be displayed in Windows Explorer

To Detach a temporary mounted Drive using Windows Explorer:

Right click on the mounted drive letter and select 'Unmount Macrium Image'

2. Using Macrium Reflect

To mount an image from within Macrium Reflect

Either take the 'Restore' > 'Explore image' menu option...

or click 'Browse an Image or backup file in Windows Explorer' in the restore task panel.

The 'Backup Selecton' dialog will be shown

Select whether you wish to open an Image or a file folder backup.

Select the partition letter and folder where the Image or backup is located from the drop down combo box (click adjacent the N:\ as in diagram) to browse. The backups will be listed.

Select the partition(s) from your Image you wish to view in Windows Explorer.

Optionally, you can also select which drive letter each partition is displayed in, otherwise leave at the default letter.

Then Click on OK

Your Image(s) (or file/folder backup) will now be displayed in Windows Explorer

To Detach a temporary mounted drive using Macrium Reflect

Either take the 'Restore' > 'Detach Image' menu option...

or click 'Detach a backup image from Windows explorer' in the restore task panel.

The 'Detach Image' dialog will be shown.

Select Drive(s) to be detached and click on 'Detach'

3. Using the Command Line Interface (CLI)

To mount an Image using the Macrium Reflect CLI:

(i) Open Command Prompt and change directories as necessary so the path to reflect.exe is shown.

(ii) Complete the command line as follows:
reflect.exe ["Path to Image file"] [Add one or more switches]

(iii) Press Enter/Return key.

Instead of inserting "Path to Image file" you can also replace it with "LAST_FILE_CREATED" if you want the last Image created in the current Windows session to be mounted.

Available CLI switches:

-b	Browse Image, always needed to mount Image.
-auto	Do not show the 'Backup Selection' dialog and automatically assign the next available drive letter(s) for the mounted drive(s).
-drives	Define mounted drive letters, add the drive letters separated by a comma. e.g. -drives m,n If no drive letters included then the next available letters are used.
-pass	Use for password protected Image files, add password in inverted commas. e.g. -pass "password"

Note: If you do not use -auto you will be prompted with the 'Backup Selection' dialog to assign the drive letters

Some examples of using the CLI to mount images:

To mount an Image and prompt for a drive letter:
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe "J:\76FF71EBBB032A35-00-00.mrimg" -b

To mount all partitions of an Image using the next available drive letter(s):
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe "J:\76FF71EBBB032A35-00-00.mrimg" -b -auto

To mount all partitions for the last Image created in the current Windows session:
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe "LAST_FILE_CREATED" -b -auto

To mount all partitions in an Image using drive letters p,q,r
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe "J:\76FF71EBBB032A35-00-00.mrimg" -b -auto -drives p,q,r

To mount all partitions in a password protected Image using drive letters p,q,r where 'pwd' is the password, (the password is case sensitive):
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe "J:\76FF71EBBB032A35-00-00.mrimg" -b -auto -drives p,q,r -pass "pwd"

To Detach a temporary mounted drive using the Macrium Reflect CLI:

(i) Open Command Prompt and change directories as necessary so the path to reflect.exe is shown.

(ii) Complete the command line as follows:
reflect.exe [Optional, drive letter to detach] [Add switch -u]
If no drive letter is included the switch '-u' will detach all temporary mounted drives.

(iii) Press Enter/Return.

Examples:

To Detach all temporary drives:
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe -u

To Detach Drive J only:
C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect>reflect.exe J -u

Using VBScript for alternate backup locations

Administrator — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:34:39 GMT

This article takes you through the steps required to enable alternate backup locations for a disk image or file and folder backup.

In a typical backup rotation scenario you may have two (or more) external USB drives that are rotated on a weekly basis. The external drive that isn't currently in use can be stored off-site for extra security.

This example assumes that you have two external USB drives that when connected to your PC, show up as drive 'E:' and drive 'F:'. Your images of drive 'C' are saved to 'E:\Images' and 'F:\Images' and the ideal solution is for Macrium Reflect to save your image file(s) to whichever drive is currently connected to your PC.

This can be achieved by using the VBScript feature of Macrium Reflect to detect which drive is connected and run the appropriate backup definition.

Here's how...

Create two XML backup definitions. One to save the image of drive 'C' to 'E:\Images' and the other to save to 'F:\Images'. We'll call them 'Image to E.xml' and 'Image to F.xml'
Right click on 'Image to E' and select 'Generate a VBScript file'.
Accept all the defaults and click 'OK'.
Click the 'VBScript' tab, right click on the VBScript file and select 'Edit'
The file will now open in 'Notepad'. Turn of 'Word Wrap' to make editing easier...
Edit the file in notepad as follows:

Replace the line:

ExitCode = Backup ("""C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect\reflect.exe"" -e -w ""c:\users
ick\documents\reflect\Image to E.xml""")

With the following lines:

If DoesDirExist("E:\") = true Then
ExitCode = Backup ("""C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect\reflect.exe"" -e -w ""c:\users
ick\documents\reflect\Image to E.xml""")
Else
ExitCode = Backup ("""C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect\reflect.exe"" -e -w ""c:\users
ick\documents\reflect\Image to F.xml""")
End If

Note: Replace XML path and file names with the correct names for your scenario.

At the end of the VBScript source paste the following lines:

Function DoesDirExist(byVal pathname)
Dim objFSO
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
DoesDirExist = objFSO.FolderExists(pathname)
Set objFSO = Nothing
End Function

7. Save the file.

You can run VBScript files like XML files and you can schedule the VBScript file to run by right clicking on the file and selecting 'Execute' or 'Schedule'.

Using VBScript to delete differential images

Administrator — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:13:21 GMT

This article shows you how to use VBScript to delete differential images in a backup set. This enables you to retain a specified number of recent differential images.

In the following example we will generate a VBScript source file that creates a differential image and then deletes differentials in the same image set retaining the '4' most recent differential images.

Right click on your differential XML definition and select 'Generate a VBScript file'.
Accept all the defaults and click 'OK'
Click the VBScript tab, right click on the new VBScript list entry and select 'Edit'. Notepad will open.

Make sure you turn off 'Word Wrap' as this makes editing a lot easier.
Edit the file in Notepad as follows:

After the line:

ExitCode = Backup ("""C:\Program Files\Macrium\Reflect\reflect.exe"" -e -w ""PATH TO XML""")

Copy and paste the following:

DeleteDifferentialFiles ExitCode, 4

Note: The number '4' above is the number of recent differential files you want to keep in the backup set

At the very *end* of the file copy and paste the following code:

'******************************************************************************
'* Function: DeleteDifferentialFiles
'*
'* Purpose: Deletes all but most 'n' recent differential file(s).
'*
'* Uses Macrium environment variables to
'* determine which files to delete.
'*
'* Input: ExitCode -The exit code of the last backup
'* NumberOfDifferentialsToKeep - The number of differentials to retain
'*
'******************************************************************************
Function DeleteDifferentialFiles(Byval ExitCode, Byval NumberOfDifferentialsToKeep)
Dim objShell
Dim objWshProcessEnv
Dim strEnvName
Dim nFiles
Dim Count
Dim strEnvPrefix
Dim strCurrentDifferentialNumber
Dim strFileToDelete
Dim objFS

' Only delete files if backup was successful
if ExitCode <> 0 Then
Exit Function
End If
Set objFS = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set objWshProcessEnv = objShell.Environment("VOLATILE")

' Get the prefix for the last backup set
strEnvPrefix = objWshProcessEnv("MACRIUM_PREFIX")

' Get the total number of files for the last backup set
nFiles = CInt(objWshProcessEnv(strEnvPrefix + "_FILECOUNT"))
' Get the last differential number. Note: differential 0 is the full backup
strCurrentDifferentialNumber = objWshProcessEnv(strEnvPrefix + "_CURRENT_INCREMENT")
for Count = 1 To nFiles
' Construct the environment variable name for the differential for eachfile
strEnvName = strEnvPrefix + "_INCREMENT" + CStr(Count)
' Don't delete the current differential or the full image
if CInt(objWshProcessEnv(strEnvName)) < ( CInt(strCurrentDifferentialNumber) -NumberOfDifferentialsToKeep + 1) AND objWshProcessEnv(strEnvName) <> "0" Then
' Construct the environment variable for the full filepath
strEnvName = strEnvPrefix + "_FILEPATH" + CStr(Count)
strFileToDelete = objWshProcessEnv(strEnvName)
' Delete the file if itexists
If objFS.FileExists(strFileToDelete) Then
ON ERROR RESUME NEXT
objFS.DeleteFile strFileToDelete
End If
End If
Next

' Clean up
Set objShell = nothing
Set objWshProcessEnv = nothing
Set objFS = nothing
End Function

5. Save the file. You can run VBScript files like XML files and you can schedule the VBScript file to run by right clicking on the file and selecting 'Schedule'.

	Note: You should only run this script on *differential* backup sets.

How to automatically shut down your PC after a Macrium Reflect backup

Administrator — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:36:17 GMT

This article shows you how to automatically shut-down your PC after a Macrium Reflect disk image or file backup. This enables you to perform a backup job at the end of the day without having to wait until the backup finishes to turn off your PC.

You can also create a Desktop shortcut to the backup job. This enables you to run the backup and shutdown your PC with a simple double click!

First you need to create an xmlbackup definition file and then follow the steps below :

Right click on the xml file and select 'Generate a VBScript file'
The following dialog is shown. Select the 'Shutdown' option.

Select 'Enable Shut Down' and choose the 'Shut Down' radio button.
You might want to explore the other options within the window to see if there are any you would want to enable or modify, then click 'OK'

That's it! You should now get an email every time that you run the VBscript that you have created!

How do I run it?

To run VBScript source files fromMacrium Reflect, click the VBScript tab, right click on thefile and select 'Execute'. You can schedule thescript by taking the 'Schedule' option.

You can also create a Desktop Shortcut to the VBScript source and simply double click the icon on your Desktop to start the backup.

To create a Desktop Shortcut, click the VBScript tab, right click on thefile and select 'Create a Desktop Shortcut'.

How to send backup completion emails with Macrium Reflect

Administrator — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:06:56 GMT

This article takes you through the steps required to send email notifications of backup completion status. Emails are sent using the VBScript generator in Macrium Reflect, and the VBScript source can easily be modified for SSL and SMTP authentication if required.

First you need to create an xml backup definition file and then follow the steps below :

Right click on the xml file and select 'Generate a VBScript file'
The following dialog is shown. Select the 'Email' option

Click 'Enable Email Component' and enter your SMTP server and email address details.

Attach log file to Email - This option attaches the log file from Reflect to the email that is sent.

SMTP Server - This is the address for the email server that Macrium Reflect will use to send the email, this can be a FQDN such as smtp.domain.com, or an IP address, for example, 86.184.0.5

From Email - This is the email address that will be sending the email, for example, backup@yourdomain.com.

To Email - This is who you want to send the email to, you can enter multiple addresses like so: bob@yourdomain.com; bill@yourdomain.com;

Success and Failure Tabs - These two tabs allow you to modify the content of the email by success or failure, the top box allows you to ammend the subject of the email, the bottom box allow you to modify the email content.
You might want to explore the other options within the window to see if there are any you would want to enable or modify, then click 'OK'

That's it! You should now get an email every time that you run the VBscript that you have created!

How do I run it?

To run VBScript source files from Macrium Reflect, click the VBScript tab, right click on the file and select 'Execute'. You can also schedule the script by taking the 'Schedule' option.

How to modify the generated VBScript to send email via GMail

Aftercreating the VBScript you can modify the source directly in notepad to add additional email settings. In this example we'll modify the settings to use GMail's SMTP server.

	Note: You can easily change the settings outlined below to work with any SMTP server.

Right click on the VBscript list entry, and select 'Edit'

This will open up notepad with the VBScript for editing.

Make sure you turn off 'Word Wrap' as this makes editing a lot easier.
Scroll down until you see the following lines:

'******************************************************************************
'* Sub: SendEmail
'*
'* Purpose: Uses CDO to send an email message
'*
'* Input: strSubject subject text
'* strBody main body of the email
'* strLogFileName file name of the log file to attach to the email
'* Output: None
'*
'******************************************************************************
Function SendEmail(ByRef strSubject, _
ByRef strBody, _
ByRef strLogFileName)
Dim objMessage

Set objMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message")

objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing")=2
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver")="smtp.mydomain.com"
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Update

objMessage.Subject = strSubject
objMessage.From = "from@mydomain.com"
objMessage.To = "to@mydomain.com"
objMessage.TextBody = strBody
objMessage.AddAttachment strLogFileName
objMessage.Send
Set objMessage = nothing
End Function

The function 'SendEmail' contains all the source lines to send the email notification.
Replace the following line:

objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver")="smtp.mydomain.com"

With:

objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver")="smtp.gmail.com"
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport")=465
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpauthenticate")=1
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusername")="user@gmail.com"
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendpassword")="gmail password"
objMessage.Configuration.Fields.Item("http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpusessl")=1

smtpauthenticate options are: 0 - No Authentication, 1 - Basic Authentication or 2 - NTLM authentication (Secure Password Authentication)

That's it!. Click 'File' > 'Save' in notepad. You can run andschedule VBScript source files just like your XML backup definitions.

	Make sure you use a valid GMail account and password for the 'sendusername' and 'sendpassword' lines.

How to remove Macrium Reflect without accessing 'Add/Remove Programs'

Administrator — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:58 GMT

Macrium Reflect uses the standard Microsoft Installer Package (MSI) to install and register itself with Windows. If your Windows installer database is corrupt then you might not be able to see Macrium Reflect in the Add/Remove programs section of the control panel. To overcome this you can run 'xreflect.exe' to run the uninstaller directly.

Please download and run 'xreflect' from here: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/utilities/xreflect.exe

How to create a bootable DVD with automatic restore

Administrator — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:23:09 GMT

Thisarticle explains how to create a Macrium Reflect image of your PC thatcan be restored from a single DVD by simply booting the DVD. This isuseful for quick, uncomplicated restores and enables simple deploymentof a 'master' image to multiple similar PCs.

Image deployment to multiple PCs requires a deployment license for each PC deployed. Please see here for information on puchasing deployment licenses
If you deploy an image to a different PC then you should make sure your installed software, including Windows and Macrium Reflect is suitably licensed for the new PC.

Your disk image must be able to fit on a single DVD. This means 4.7GB or less for a DVD+/-R or 8.5GB or less for a DVD+R DL (Dual layer). It isn't possible to boot from Blu-Ray media.

Prerequisites

Macrium Reflect

Installor update to the latest version of Macrium Reflect. You must have thepurchased edition of Macrium Reflect installed on your PC. To check forthe latest version take the 'Help' > 'Check for updates..' menuoption.

Windows PE

Installor update to the latest version of Windows PE. Windows PE is onlyavailable with the purchased edition of Macrium Reflect. For informationon installing Windows PE please see this knowledge base article: http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50045.aspx.If you already have Windows PE installed then make sure you are runningthe latest version by clicking the 'Updates' button in the Rescue CDburn wizard.

DiskRestore

DiskRestoreis a free utility that will restore Macrium Reflect disk images fromWindows PE without any user interaction. You need to download andinstall 'DiskRestore.msi' from here: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/utilities/diskrestore.msi . More information on DiskRestore can be found in this knowledge base article: http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50004.aspx

The procedure

Create a disk image of your primary disk partition(s) and save it to a local hard drive or network share.

Make sure that you have set the maximum file size in the backup wizard advanced settings to be 4GB because the file system on the DVD image that we are creating can only support a maximum single file size of 4GB. If your image file is greater than 4GB then it will be split into multiple files.

If you don't want Macrium Reflect installed when you create the image then uninstall Macrium Reflect, boot your PC with the Windows PE rescue CD and create the disk image from there.

This is important if you are using this technique to deploy Windows to multiple similar PCs. If Macrium Reflect is also restored to each PC then you will require a license for Macrium Reflect for each restored PC.

Start 'DiskRestore' and select the image file just created. By default, your system disk will be selected as the target disk.
Click 'Restore'.
It won't be possible to restore the image while Windows is running so you'll receive the following dialog box:

Select 'Unattended mode' if you want the restore to run automatically when you boot from the DVD. Leaving it un-checked will allow you to confirm your selections before clicking 'Restore'

De-select the 'Automatic boot' option if it's enabled.

Several files will be added to folder 'c:\boot\macrium'.
Copy the image file(s) created in step 1 to folder 'c:\boot\macrium\temp'. You will need to create the folder first.
Edit the file 'c:\boot\macrium\pestartup.ini' (or 'pestartupx64.ini for Windows PE 64 bit) in notepad.

Change:

[COPY]
FILE1=diskrestorex64.exe
[RUN]
COMMAND=diskrestorex64 "X:\2B0657890DD7DF82-00-00.mrimg" --password "" --sourceid 00018D47 --targetid 00018D47 -g -u

To:

[COPY]
FILE1=diskrestorex64.exe
[RUN]
COMMAND=diskrestorex64 "D:\temp\2B0657890DD7DF82-00-00.mrimg" --password "" --sourceid 00018D47 --targetnum 0 -g -u --reboot

[OPTIONS]
runfromCD=1

Bold text shows additions and changes.

i) The path to the image file should be changed to the drive letter of your DVD reader with sub-folder '\temp'

ii) If you intend to restore to a different disk then you should also change 'targetid' to 'targetnum' followed by the disk number as shown in the Disk Management console, otherwise leave the option as '--targetid'

iii) If you want the PC to automatically reboot after restore then add --reboot to the end

iv) Finally, add two lines, '[OPTIONS]' + 'runfromCD=1' to direct DiskRestore to load these parameters from the DVD

Save and close the file.
Return to Macrium Reflect and take the option to burn a Windows PE rescue CD. You can either create an .ISO image or burn directly to a DVD.

After burning your DVD you should move/delete the image file(s) from the temp folder.

That's it! Oncebooted, the new DVD will automatically start DiskRestore and will restore your system to the exact state it was at the time you createdthe image.

ReDeploy Troubleshooting Guide

Administrator — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:52:35 GMT

This Knowledgebase article is designed to help troubleshoot errors that might occur after using Macrium Reflect ReDeploy to deploy an operating system to new hardware. For more information about using Macrium Reflect ReDeploy please click on the below link:

http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50051.aspx

	Please be aware, that some unusual hardware configurations make it impossible for older Windows OS's, such as XP, to boot. In these rare cases, using ReDeploy will not help.

Please be aware, that some unusual hardware configurations make it impossible for older Windows OS's, such as XP, to boot. In these rare cases, using ReDeploy will not help.

ReDeploy does not detect any operatingsystems

Check that

The OS has been restored or the disk containing it connected to the target PC.
If you are using firmware raid or non-standard mass storage hardware then check that the drivers have been loaded.

Windows never boots – machine appears to cyclecontinuously

Windows is probably experiencing a BSOD on booting but it is displayed sobriefly that your screen can't display it. Rerun Redeploy and set the “Disablereboot on system stop” option. Reboot and note the BSOD error code.

While booting Windows - Bluescreen message 0x0000007B

This is an indication that Windows hasn't correctly loaded, or associatedyour hardware with mass storage drivers for the disk containing the OS.

Rerun Redeploy. For each mass storage device, chose locate driver to manuallylocate the best driver on your driver CD. Consider checking for the availabilityof newer drivers from your hardware vendor.

It can also be caused by your BIOS configuration – for example XP will notboot with AHCI SATA mode set.

While booting Windows - Bluescreen message0x00000024

This is an NTFS read error. It is likely that a single disk of a raid 0 orraid 5 set being mounted by the standard IDE driver.

After booting Windows – Two drives appearcontaining the OS image

If windows boots correctly and you have RAID 1 (Mirror) configured and yousee your windows folder on two drives then Windows has used the standard IDEdriver and you are not operating in RAID mode.

After booting Windows - Bluescreen message 0x0000007E

This typically indicates that the configured HAL is incompatible with thehardware.

Rerun Redeploy and either set the HAL to the recommended type or set “Allowwindows to set HAL” if redeploying Vista or later.

After booting Windows becomes unstable or locksup.

The most likely cause of this the configured HAL being incompatible with thehardware. Rerun Redeploy and either set the HAL to the recommended type or set“Allow windows to set HAL” if redeploying Vista or later.

While booting Windows – Driver not signed error

You will see this if you are using 64bit Windows Vista or later and you haveinjected an unsigned driver. Reboot, hitting F8 to get the windows boot optionsmenu. Chose the allow unsigned drivers option and Windows should completebooting. Locate signed drivers from your hardware vendor and either rerunReDeploy, using the Locate Driver option or use the Update Driver option in theWindows device manager.

Keyboard and mouse never become active

If the keyboard and mouse don't become active try reinserting the their usbconnectors or moving them to different usb sockets. If you do have ps/2 devicesavailable, then try those – note they need to be connected before the systemboots to become active. If this does not help, try rebooting (power cycling isprobably your only option).

If that doesn't help, then maybe your system has locked up. Consult therelevant troubleshooting section if this seems to be the case.

How to Use Macrium ReDeploy

Administrator — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:26:27 GMT

Note: This product does not support Windows Server. A separate product to support server class operating systems will be made available in the future

What is Macrium Redeploy?

There a variety of scenarios where you might need to move a windowsinstallation to a new machine. Some examples are listed below:

Migrating to a new machine due to hardware failure or planned upgrade.
Moving between a physical and a virtual machine (P2V / V2P ).
Changing a non-raid to a raid installation or legacy SATA to AHCI SATA

Thereare various aspects of the windows boot processes that will typicallycause a boot failure after significant changes to the hardware. Thepurpose of ReDeploy is to attempt to overcome these issues enabling aWindows installation to run on new hardware.

The discovery ofhardware and association with a matching device drivers is a timeconsuming process. It must be undertaken when windows is being installedbut then is skipped during a normal windows boot to make the bootdelay acceptable.

Early in the boot process, the boot loaderloads the windows kernel (the core of the operating system) andselected “critical” drivers required to get windows up and running. Ifthe new hardware configuration requires a new driver to read the diskcontaining the operating system then windows will fail to boot.

Oncethe kernel and the critical drivers are loaded, the kernel is started.The kernel and its associated HAL need to match the motherboard to bestable. A driver is optionally loaded to handle specific cpu features.Again, for a stable system, this driver needs to match the hardware –in this case, the cpu model.

ReDeploy is designed to detectchanges to these critical system features, locate relevant drivers andinject them into your windows operating system to enable it to boot.

Youwill need to run ReDeploy from the Windows PE Reflect rescue CD. Thisallows the new hardware to be detected and the configuration of thewindows system modified to enable it to boot.

ReDeploy isdesigned make the complex process of getting an offline windowsoperating system running as easy and intuitive as possible. What it willnot do is install the complete driver set for the new hardware. Youwill be able to complete the driver installation for devices such asnetwork and graphics adaptors once your windows installation has bootedon your new hardware.

Note: Image deployment to multiple PCs requires a deployment license for each PC deployed. Please see here for information on puchasing deployment licenses
If you deploy an image to a different PC then you should make sure your installed software, including Windows and Macrium Reflect is suitably licensed for the new PC.

Installing Macrium Redeploy

After purchasing MacriumAdditions you should get an email linking to the Redeploy installer(this email should also include your licence key). After downloading theinstaller please run it, the following screen should appear:

please insert your licence key into the textbox and click next. Additions will install.

Note: After Additions has installed you will need to create a new Windows PE rescue CD. Please see the following knowledge base article for help with this:
http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50045.aspx .

The WindowsPE Rescue CD will now have Macrium Redeploy installed and ready to use

Using Macrium ReDeploy

Note: ReDeploy will modify an existing offline operating system to work with new hardware. If necessary, you should restore your system image to the PC being deployed before running ReDeploy.

Boot the target PC with the Windows PE rescue CD.
Take the 'ReDeploy and fix boot problems' button.
Select 'Deploy Windows to new hardware' and click 'Next'.

Your PC will now be searched for operating systems to redeploy.
If you have a multi-boot system, then you will be presented with a list of operating systems. In the case of a single OS, this page will be skipped.

The following screen will follow asking for you to specify driver locations for your mass storage devices (such as RAID card). If you haven't already done so, please insert a driver disk for the hardware you are going to boot from. This will typically be the motherboard or RAID card driver CD. You can also specify additional paths such as network folders. click 'Next'

Note: ReDeploy will first search through any user specified driver locations. If none are specified or no matching drivers are found then removable devices such as CD's and floppy drives are searched. ReDeploy will also search through Windows' database of drivers.

ReDeploy will now seek drivers for all discovered mass storage devices and a list will be displayed with details to the right. Click 'Next'

ReDeploy will now seek drivers for all discovered mass storage devices and a list will be displayed with details to the right.

For each mass storage device, there are three possibilities:

The driver is already installed. It might still need to be enabled at boot – this will be done automatically.
The driver has been located, either from a CD, user specified path or from the Windows database. This driver will be installed on completion of ReDeploy.
No matching driver has been located.

If no driver has been located or you wish to override the displayed driver, then the 'locate driver' button can be used to manually specify an .inf file.

Note: If you have multiple mass storage interfaces in your system, then you only need to locate drivers for the hardware that contains the windows system and active partitions.

The options on this page maybe left at the defaulted values. If you have trouble booting then these options can help resolve issues. Click Next. For more information about the options please see below:
1. Disable reboot on system stop
  Set this option to stop automatic rebooting if a BSOD occurs while Windows is loading or running. If this option is not set and Windows generates a BSOD , there will be no time to note the BSOD error codes.
2. Display boot drivers as they load
  Set this option to show which drivers are being loaded as Windows loads. Once Windows is loading and running without issue this option can be reverted using the Windows MSCONFIG utility. You can use the Pause/Break key to freeze the list as it scrolls past, use space to un-pause.
3. Enable boot logging
  Set this option to enable logging of drivers being loaded by Windows as it loads. The resulting log file 'ntblog.txt' can be found in the windows folder. Once Windows is loading and running without issue this option can be reverted using the Windows MSCONFIG utility.
4. Disable CPU Driver
  Set this option to disable CPU drivers. This may be useful if you see BSOD's in the selected Hardware Abstraction Layer drivers or system lockup on entering standby or shutdown.
5. Set Hardware Abstraction Layer
  Set this option to choose which Hardware Abstraction Layer is to be used in the selected Windows operating system. The recommended HAL for this machine will be the one initially selected. If you have the incorrect HAL configured, your Windows installation will typically be unstable and you will often see random BSOD's or lock ups after Windows has booted. In particular, if you are redeploying from or to Virtual Box with APIC unchecked (the default) or very old physical hardware, the you will need to set a new HAL.
6. Allow Windows to detect Hardware Abstraction Layer
  Set this option to allow Windows to determine the best Hardware Abstraction Layer to use at boot time. For Vista, use this in preference to the “Set Hardware Abstraction Layer” option. This is a Vista and later only option.
7. Enable SATA AHCI
  Set this option to enable support for generic SATA AHCI hardware. You will typically also need to enable an option in your BIOS for your mass storage hardware to operate in this mode. This is a Vista and later only option.
You will be presented with a list of actions that will be performed and clicking finish will apply these options to the target operating system. A log file 'ReDeploy.log' will be saved to the drive containing the operating system redeployed.

Click 'Finish' to inject drivers and apply your settings. After a reboot your OS should be compatible with your new hardware!

Windows 7 image and restore considerations

Administrator — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:37:46 GMT

Most installations of Windows 7 include a tiny 100 MB partitionnamed 'System Reserved'. This is also known as the MSR or “MicrosoftSystem Reserved' Partition. For brevity I'll refer to this partitionas MSR throughout the rest of this article.

Note: Some OEM installations may name this partition 'System' or even 'Recovery'. In all cases it will be the 'Active' partition on the same disk as drive 'C'.

Have I got an an MSR partition?

SomeOEM installs of Windows 7 don't include the MSR partition. To checkwhether you have this partition start up Macrium Reflect and look for a100MB partition on the system disk named 'System Reserved'.

Note:If drive 'C' is your 'Active' partition you just need tobackup and restore 'C' for fullsystem recovery.

What does the MSR partition do?

TheMSR partition handles the second stage of the boot process after theMaster Boot Record (MBR). The MBR resides on the first sector of thedisk and is loaded at system start-up, after loading control is passedto the partition boot sector code of the active partition, this is theMSR partition if it exists, if not it will be your 'C' drive. The MSRcontains a '\boot' directory that contains the Boot Configuration Data(BCD). The BCD controls the next stage of the boot process and loadsthe Operating System from drive C:.

The MSR partition is alwaysthe 'Active' partition on your system disk and should be restored asthe 'Active ' partition. The contents of this partition doesn't changeand, by default, isn't assigned a drive letter by Windows so you can'tmodify it.

Do I need to image it?

Imagingthe MSR partition is essential to recover your system from a disk crashor to move your system to a new disk. However, if you just need torecover your system to an earlier date then restoring the MSR partitionisn't necessary, you just need to restore drive C.

It'snecessary to restore your Windows 7 partitions to the same locationsfor the BCD to still be able to reference them when booting. If you arerestoring to a new or unformatted disk then first restore the MSR as the 'Active' partitionfollowed by drive C as 'Primary'. An easier solution is to useDiskRestore to restore both partitions at the same time. DiskRestore isavailable with the Windows PE rescue CD and can be run from BartPE ifyou are running the free edition of Macrium Reflect. For moreinformation on DiskRestore please see here: http://www.macrium.com/KB/KnowledgebaseArticle50004.aspx

Summary

You should create at least one image of the MSR partition if it exists on your system. However, as the partition is only 100MB it is only a small overhead to image it along side all images of your 'C' drive.
If you want to restore your system to an earlier point then you just need to restore drive 'C' (as 'Primary not 'Active'), it isn't necessary to restore the MSR partition but it won't hurt.
If you are restoring your system to an empty or unformatted disk then you should first restore the MSR partition as the 'Active' partition, then restore drive 'C' as Primary.

Understanding Image Verification Failures

Administrator — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:49:06 GMT

Though they do happen, verification errors are extremely rare. We estimate that less than 1 in 1,000 systems have problems that lead to image file corruption. The vast majority of Macrium Reflect users will never encounter a single verification issue.

This article explains what happens during the image verification process and how to troubleshoot problems with your system.

What is a verification failure?

Quite simply, it means that data that was written to the backup or image file is not the same as is read back from the same file.

Errors of this type are symptomatic of a computer system with a marginal hardware problem. The most likely suspect is your backup media - but memory and motherboard faults can also cause this issue.

How does Macrium Reflect check the data integrity?

Macrium Reflect uses the unmodified code from the reference implementation of the RSA Data Security MD5 message-digest algorithm. This guarantees that the same block of data cannot generate a different message digest (hash) value. If data is read back with a different MD5 hash to that that was generated when the data was written, it is guaranteed to be corrupt. This is always outside of the control of Macrium Reflect as the OS will report a write without any error.

When an image is created each block of data (generally 64K but may be larger depending on the partition size) has an MD5 hash created after it is read from the disk and before it is written to the image file. This hash value is saved in the index of the image file. When the file is read back the hash value is recalculated and compared with the original hash in the index. Any discrepancy between the two values indicates that the image file is corrupt or cannot be read back reliably.

Why can't Macrium Reflect validate the data as it is written?

It isn't possible to verify the file as it is written because the buffers and caches in the write process aren't flushed to disk until after the file is closed. The only way to verify data integrity is to close the file at the end of the backup process and then read the file back. It's possible to do this automatically by selecting the 'Auto-Verify' option in Macrium Reflect.

Note: Auto-verify is only available with the full edition of Macrium Reflect. Please see here for information on turning this feature on: http://www.macrium.com/webhelp/Advanced_Settings.asp?nohead=y#AutoVerify

Why don't I have any other problems with my system?

You do, you just haven't noticed it yet. If your PC can't write and read back data reliably then this won't just be a problem with Macrium Reflect, all software on your PC will be vulnerable to same problem. Macrium Reflect is either the first to trigger it or is the only software reporting the problem to you.

Files are not checked for integrity by Windows, so unless an application does it explicitly, disk errors could have been occurring silently. Macrium Reflect handles very large volumes of data with a consequently high chance of triggering any intermittent hardware errors.

I don't believe you. How can I be sure it isn't a problem with Macrium Reflect?

To independently corroborate the problem you can use a third party utility to show the same corruption:

Use the DOS copy command with the '/v' switch to copy a large single file (peferably the same size as the image file that's failing) from the source of the image to the same backup device. The '/v' switch will verify the file after copying and will report any errors.
If you want to use a GUI based application the try the free utility ExactFile available from http://www.exactfile.com. A pdf article on using ExactFile is available here: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/utilities/exactfile.pdf
Try a different imaging application that provides verification such as Acronis or Norton Ghost.

Note: The DOS copy command and ExactFile checks aren't conclusive as file checkers read the file sequentially and the error may only occur during random access. Due to the different execution and data paths, success in any of the detail test is not an absolute guarantee that your hardware is fault free.

Troubleshooting verification problems:

The key to resolving verification errors is to locate the source of the corruption. This can be very difficult and may involve replacing PC components or upgrading firmware or software drivers.

1. Isolate the backup drive

If the backup drive is an external drive then backup to the same drive using a different PC. If your system is generally stable then the issue causing the verification error may have very low probability of occuring. Therefore, to optimise the chance of triggering it, you should try to backup the same or a greater volume of data. If you still receive verification errors then your drive is faulty and you should use a different backup device.

2. Try a different backup destination

Try combinations USB/Fire-wire/eSata/Network. If you only get corruption with one of the connection types then that sub-system has a problem. Updating the firmware or software drivers for the controller might resolve the problem.

3. Replace or swap out your RAM modules

If the error can't be traced to a single component then you may have faulty system RAM. If you have more than one RAM module installed then swapping out the memory can isolate the faulty RAM module.

Note: Memory checkers such as 'memtest86' will often fail to find any problems even though there is a latent issue with the RAM.

4. Turn off your anti-virus software

We have had an uncorroborated report that some anti-virus software can corrupt disk writes. If you find that your images pass verification after disabling your AV software then we strongly recommend that you un-install your AV software as it is compromising your system.

Out of Memory error during File and Folder backup

Administrator — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 09:43:57 GMT

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista 32 Bit Only

32 bit Windows has a limit to the amount of application memory it can address regardless of the amount of internal RAM you have installed. Your memory can become fragmented and this means that you may receive an 'Out of memory' error during a file and folder backup even though Windows task manager shows memory available. To overcome this Windows can be set to allocate more memory to compatible applications that are configured for Physical Address Extension (PAE). Macrium Reflect is configured for this.

To enable PAE on Windows 7 and Vista download and execute 'EnablePAE.exe' from here: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/utilities/enablepae.exe

Note: You will need to reboot Windows after the program has run

How to use MRRestorePoints to include restore points in images

Administrator — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:00:01 GMT

This article explains how to use the MRRestorePoints.exe utility in include or exclude Windows system restore points from Macrium Reflect disk images.

Note: This article does not apply to Windows XP. Windows XP does not use the Microsoft VSS Optimization writer necessary for file exclusions from a volume shadow copy. This means that restore points are always included in Windows XP images.

What are system restore points?

Windows regularly creates system restore points to save system state during normal operation. Creation of restore points are 'triggered' by events such as running a program installer and a snapshot of the Windows registry and all system files and settings are saved. This information is saved in an inaccessible folder named 'c:\system volume information' and the contents of this folder can grow to 10% of your disk capacity and more. This means that with a 1TB disk you may have 100GB of restore point data saved to disk.

By default, Macrium Reflect does not include restore points in disk images. This ensures that your images are an optimal size to restore your system to the same working state as it was at the time of creating the image.

How do I include restore points in disk images?

If you want to include restore points in your images then take the following steps:

Download and run 'MRRestorePoints.exe' from here: http://updates.macrium.com/reflect/utilities/mrrestorepoints.exe
Simply un-check the 'Exclude..' option and click 'OK'

VSS Error: 0x8004231f - Failed to Create Volume Snapshot

Administrator — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:48:08 GMT

Error

0x8004231f - Failed to Create Volume Snapshot

Description

Error code 0x8004231f indicatesVSS_E_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE (Insufficient storage space for the shadowcopy). Shadow storage space is used for system restore points and byMacrium Reflect. You may have too many restore points on your system.

Solution

To see the amount ofstorage space allocated and used for Volume Shadow Copies run thefollowing command from a command prompt with elevated privileges:

Vssadmin list shadowstorage

Toallocate more storage (e.g. 20GB) run the following command:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=20GB

VSS Error: 0x80042318 - Failed to Create Volume Snapshot

Administrator — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:01:00 GMT

Error

VSS Error: 0x80042318 - Failed to Create Volume Snapshot

Description

The error indicates a problem communicating with VSS writers on your system. Please have a look in your Windows Event log for VSS error messages that might give more information and check that the VSS service is started.

Solution

Make sure thatthe VSS service isn't disabled

Changing the startup type of the VSSservice and rebooting can often resolve issues.

Right click on 'My Computer'.

Select 'Manage'.

Select the 'Services' tree node.

Right click on 'Volume Shadow Copy'

Select Properties

Change the startup type to 'Automatic'

Reboot

Re-register the VSS components

Sometimes re-registering VSS core components can fix errors. Copy the following commands to Notepad and save the file with a ‘.bat’ extension. Run the .bat file by opening a command prompt and entering the .bat file name.

cd /d %windir%\system32
net stop vss
net stop swprv
regsvr32 /s ole32.dll
regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 /s vss_ps.dll
vssvc /register
regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll
regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll
regsvr32 /s es.dll
regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll
regsvr32 /s vssui.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll
vssvc /register
net start swprv
net start vss

VSS Error: 0x8004230f - Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume Snapshot

Administrator — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:26:42 GMT

Error

Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume Snapshot. Result Code: 0x8004230f

Description

This error often occurs if a product called 'ShadowProtect' from 'StorageCraft' or other similar programs such as Acronis are or have been installed on your PC.

If you receive the following error at the end of your image log then it's likely that Macrium Reflect has a conflict with other imaging software on your PC~

Solution

To fix this problem please take the following steps:

If ShadowProtect is installed on your PC then you must uninstall it if you want to use Macrium Reflect.

Remove the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Providers\{24602736-bed9-4619-91b0-243447c6409c}
This key can be left behind after uninstalling ShadowProtect and will cause a VSS error when Reflect creates a shadow copy.
Restart Windows.
For help on editing the registry please see here:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/regedit_overview.mspx?mfr=true

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/136393

We also provide a program which will recreate the correct registry setting and re-register all VSS components. Please download one of the below programs to fix your problem:

VSSfix 32bit - download

VSSfix 64bit - download

Hardware: Lenovo Preboot Issue

Administrator — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 10:43:58 GMT

Error

Boot issue with IBM Lenovo laptops

Description

After restoring a Reflect image your IBM Lenovo laptop will not boot.

Some older IBM/Lenovo notebooks use a system called 'IBM PreDesktop' to handle system recovery. This essentially uses the BIOS to 'fake' the drive geometry of the boot disk by reporting incorrect Cylinder/Head/Sector (CHS) values. This leaves part of the disk 'invisible' to Windows and is where the recovery partition is hidden. The OEM MBR supplied with PC requires the faked drive geometry values in the partition table in order to operate.

Solution

If you restore an image to the same disk attached to another PC or to an external drive then the disk will have a different (correct) drive geometry reported and the restored image will fail to boot in the original PC. This is because the restore process correctly updates the MBR partition table to correspond with the drive geometry on the restored disk.

To restore a IBM/Lenovo PC that uses PreDesktop you must have the boot disk attached to the primary disk controller of the same PC that created the image.

VSS Error: 0x80042306 - Volume Shadow Copy Error

Administrator — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:05:10 GMT

Error

VSS Error: 0x80042306 - Volume Shadow Copy Error

Description

This error occurs when a VSS provider blocks the creation of the VSS snapshot. This may be caused by

Installing a new 3rd party VSS provider
An existing provider becoming corrupted
Destination drive not compatible with NTFS format

Solution

Re-register the VSS components

Re-registering the VSS components normallt solves this issue:

VSS Error:0x8000ffff - Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume Snapshot.

Administrator — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:04:23 GMT

Error

VSS Error:0x8000ffff - Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume Snapshot

Description

This error can occur for a number of reasons such as the VSS service has not been started or other software has cause VSS to stop working

Solution

Make sure that the VSS service isn't disabled

Changing the startup type of the VSS service and rebooting can often resolve issues.

Right click on 'My Computer'.
Select 'Manage'.
Select the 'Services' tree node.
Right click on 'Volume Shadow Copy'
Select Properties
Change the startup type to 'Automatic'
Reboot

Re-register the VSS components

Create a bootable Windows PE USB stick

Administrator — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:56:09 GMT

In this tutorial I'll show you the simple steps required to create a USB stick that boots into the Macrium Reflect Windows PE Rescue Environment.

Make sure your USB stick is formatted as FAT32 or NTFS.

Open ‘My Computer’, right click on your USB drive and select properties
Make sure that FAT32 or NTFS is selected as the file system. It’s best to leave the ‘Quick Format’ option un-checked.

Note: If you receive a message saying ‘Windows was unable to complete the format’ then in some cases the format has actually finished and this message can safely be ignored.
Use DiskPart to set the partition on the USB drive 'Active'.

From a command prompt type:

DiskPart
Select Disk n
Select partition 1
Active
Exit

Install the WindowsPE Component

We need to create an image of the bootable CD so we can transfer the contents to the USB stick.

Start Reflect, take the ‘Other Tasks’ menu option and select ‘Create a bootable Rescue CD’ The wizard opens and In the wizard window, select ‘Windows PE 2.0' and click ‘Next’.
The Windows PE component isn't supplied with the Macrium Reflect installer and is an additional 100MB+ download. Make sure you are connected to the Internet, and click ‘ OK’.

Note: To ensure that Reflect is not blocked by a firewall you may need to add www.macrium.com to your firewall allowed list,

If you receive the following dialog then you have already downloaded the Windows PE installer. Somewhere you will have a file WinPEInstall.exe (32 bit version) or WinPEInstallx64.exe (64 bit version) depending where you saved it. Running this executable will install Windows PE. To reinstall, double click the existing WinPEInstall... file.

Note: You only get one download as each copy requires a license from Microsoft. You can order another copy by clicking on the 'Purchase download' link.
In the next window you select where you are going to save your download. You may want to create a new folder titled ‘Reflect Download’ or ‘Windows PE Download’. The folder ought to be in a location where you can easily find it. Click ‘Save’.
After downloading the installer will automatically start....’.
After the WindowsPE component has installed close down Marcium Reflect and copy the contents of 'c:\boot\macrium' to the root of the USB stick.

If you cannot see the directory then please click 'start' then click run, in the box type 'c:\boot\macrium' (without ')and click 'OK' This should open a new window with the contents that you need.

Note: The location of '\boot\macrium' might be on a drive other than 'c'.

That's it! You should now have a bootable USB copy of Windows PE Rescue Environment

Windows PE Rescue Environment

Administrator — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:10:19 GMT

The Windows PE rescue environment has the same user interface whether started from the Windows boot menu the Windows PE Rescue CD or the Bart PE Plug-In

*At start-up Windows first loads any additional drivers that you may have added to the boot directory. The load process continues by searching for plug-and-play devices and finally displays the following options:

*This does not apply to BartPE

	Start the Reflect restore wizard. Navigate to the location of your stored image file and recover saved partitions. Each partition is restored independently and can be expanded to fill a larger disk if required.
	Mount an image or backup file as a drive letter in Windows explorer. Once a backup or image is mounted you can recover individual files and folders by copying them to an existing drive using PE Explorer.
	Windows PE explorer is similar to Windows Explorer. Using this program you can copy, rename and delete and files on your hard disk. You can also copy individual backup and image files (see above).
	Start the regular MS-DOS command window. The main use of this option is to run the Microsoft 'drvload.exe' command. Drvload is used to add drivers to Windows PE and has the following simple command syntax: 'drvload.exe <path_to_inf_file>'
	Configure your network card IP address.
	*If a system partition is restored to either a different starting position or partition sequence then it is possible that the BCD or 'boot.ini' file will be incorrect. Taking this option will rebuild both these files if necessary.
	This option will cleanly un-mount all NTFS and FAT partitions before re-booting.

Kaspersky anti-virus conflict with Macrium Reflect

Administrator — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:25:34 GMT

Kaspersky anti-virus software can cause a problem when creating backup and image files using Macrium Reflect. This program attempts to open and scan all files created by Reflect.

There are two issues with this.

Image files of many GB could take a long time to open.
The image sometimes cannot finish correctly because Kasperky has an exclusive lock on the file being created.
If you receive the following information in the log file then it's possible Kaspersky could be to blame:

Backup aborted! - Write operation failed - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

To resolve this issue you must add reflect.exe and reflectservice.exe to the Kaspersky trusted zone. (Settings->Threats and Exclusions->Trusted Zone )

Response from Kaspersky below:

"The new software due out on the 1st of July across the UK (it is already released across much of Europe) will work in a different way to the older version. It will check for digital signatures and then assign rights to these programs without asking the user so the issue should be fixed with that version - our users will be able to upgrade to Kaspersky 2009 free of charge - they should keep a look out on our site for details.

With the current version 7 users would have to add the executables as suggested to the trusted zone."

Macrium Reflect DiskRestore

Administrator — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:49:47 GMT

DiskRestore is a utility to quickly restore Macrium Reflect disk images. DiskRestore provides the following benefits over the conventional Macrium Reflect restore process:

Multiple partitions (whole disks) can be restored at the same time
Partition placement is exactly the same as the original imaged disk.
Disks can be restored with a few mouse clicks.
Windows PE integration enables automatic/unattended restores.

The normal Macrium Reflect restore process is a partition based restore. This enables control over partition size and placement. This flexibility comes at a cost and the restore wizard can seem overly complex for some restore tasks, plus you are restricted to restoring a single partition at a time. With DiskRestore you simply select the partitions you want to restore and click 'Restore'.

Get DiskRestore

DiskRestore .msi installer. This is required to run in Windows and integrate with Windows PE for unattended restores - download

DiskRestore Executable for BartPE - download

Note: To run DiskRestore directly from the Windows PErescue CD just take the 'File' > 'Disk Restore' menu option inWindows PE; there's nothing to download. You must be running Windows PEv2.1.2733 or higher.

How do I use it?

Start DiskRestore and click the '...' browse button to select your image file.

By default all partitions included in the image will be selected and the target disk will also be the same as the disk originally imaged.

In this example we are restoring a Windows 7 system. Both the 'System Reserved' and C partitions are selected.

Click 'Restore' to start the restore process.
If your restore target disk cannot be *overwritten then you will receive the following dialog, if not then the restore will begin.

*If a disk partition contains system files then the disk cannot be dismounted and restored. In this example we are restoring both the 'System' and 'Boot' partitions for Windows 7.

Automatic Boot - This option is only available if you have installed the Macrium Reflect Windows PE component and enabled the Windows boot menu. If selected, you only have to restart your computer and Windows PE will automatically boot.

Unattended Mode - If selected, the restore process will begin and complete automatically. The main use of this feature is to enable recovery of remote systems where you don't have physical access to the PC.

Click "Run from Windows PE".
If your image file is stored on a network share then you will receive the following dialog. Enter your network logon credentials so that Windows PE can access and read the share.

Click 'OK' to continue.

You will now receive a restart dialog.

Click 'Restart Now' to initiate the restore process.

Note: To integrate with Windows PE you must have purchased Macrium Reflect and installed v2.1.2525 (or later) of the Windows PE rescue CD .

Command line options

DiskRestore can be run from a batch file by using the following command line options:

Usage DiskRestore <imagefile> [options]:

Generic options:
-h [ --help ] produce help message
-g [ --GUI ] display the the GUI interface
-u [ --Unattended ] when combined with GUI will start and complete the restore with no user interaction
--reboot reboot after restore

Operation options:
-r [ --restore ] restores an image to a disk
-d [ --describe ] describes disks and partitions in an image file

File options:
--imagefile arg full path and name of the image file
--password arg password protecting the image file
--netuser arg network share user name
--netpass arg network share password

Restore options:
--sourcenum arg source *disk number [default 1st disk in image]
--sourceid arg souce disk identifier [default 1st disk in image]
-p [ --partition ] arg list of partitions to restore, e.g. -p 1 -p 2 [default - all]
--targetnum arg target *disk number
--targetid arg target disk identifier
-v [ --verify ] verify image before restoring
-e [ --continue ] continue on errors

*Note: Disk Number refers to the number displayed in the Windows Disk Management console and the DiskPart utility not the number that is displayed in Macrium Reflect. Macrium Reflect disks are numbered from 1 DiskRestore numbers the same disks from 0.

Examples:

To display the image information of file 'e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg' and information on locally attahed disks

diskrestore.exe "e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg" -d

Example output:

File name: e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg
Backup Date: 17/01/2010 10:58
Image ID: 80794226B5928CAE

Disk 5 [FF346F5E] - Samsung S2 Portable <596.162 GB>

Drive Type Start End Size Used Free
1 [M:] Primary 1024 625130495 174.00 MB 907.12 MB 3.284 GB

Local Disks

Disk 0 [000139F3] - ST3500320AS SD15 <465.762 GB>
Disk 1 [4C832380] - SAMSUNG HD501LJ CR100-11 <465.762 GB>
Disk 2 [0000F9D8] - SAMSUNG HD501LJ CR100-11 <465.762 GB>

To restore all the partitions in image file 'e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg'

diskrestore.exe "e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg" -r

To restore the first partition in image file 'e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg'

diskrestore.exe "e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg" -r -p 1

To restore all the partitions in image file 'e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg' to a different disk with Disk ID '0000F9D8'

diskrestore.exe "e:\80794226B5928CAE-00-00.mrimg" -r --targetid 0000F9D8

Troubleshooting

The image file is part of a backup set...

It's only possible to use DiskRestore if all parts of the image are in the same directory. If you have saved an image to multiple DVDs then copy the contents of each DVD to a single directory and try again.
You are creating a clone disk...

You are restoring an image to another disk and the original is still attached to your PC.

A restored image will update the unique Disk ID ( Disk Signature ) of the disk that is being restored to. This will result in duplicate IDs if the original disk is still attached. When Windows mounts the restored disk it will update the Disk ID to make it unique. For this reason the restored disk will not be mounted after the restore process by DiskRestore.

Note: The Disk ID plays a crucial part in the Windows boot process and changing it will probably result in your OS being un-bootable. If a restored partition contains a Windows OS then you should remove the original disk before attempting to boot with the cloned disk attached.
The target disk is too small...

The destination disk is too small to contain the partitions being restored. The restored partition(s) are placed in exactly the same location as the original. If the start and/or end of a partition is beyond the reported size of the destination disk then you will receive this error.
Windows PE is not installed..

To use the automatic restore feature you must have purchased Macrium Reflect and installed the Windows PE component.
The installed Windows PE version must be updated...

You must have Windows PE v2.1.2525 (or newer) installed to use the Windows PE automatic restore feature. Click the 'Updates' button in the Macrium Reflect CD burn wizard to update your installation.

Note: You can also manually run DiskRestore from BartPE or from an earlier version of Windows PE. Just run DiskRestore once booted into the rescue environment and repeat the steps above to restore your image.

How to create a Virtual machine from a Macrium image backup

Administrator — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:49:47 GMT

ImgToVhd is a utility that creates VHD files from Macrium backup images. These can then be used to create a bootable virtual machine facilitating quick access to a failed machine whose repair would be time consuming or not possible.

We have created a utility, ImgToVHD to enable the conversion of a Macrium backup image file to VHD files (one per disk). The VHD file(s) can then be used as the storage component of virtual machines from Microsoft (Virtual PC and HyperV), VMWare and Oracle/Sun (Virtual Box).

This enables a previously backed up machine to be reincarnated as a virtual machine. A significant use of this is to quickly regain access to a machine that has suffered a fatal hardware failure.

Please note that this is beta quality software. It is being released to the public for evaluation purposes only. No guarantees are made for its quality or fitness for purpose. Use is not recommended in a production environment.

Feedback is welcomed as this will help us improve the quality and utility of this tool and this blog post. Comments are currently enabled for this post - constructive comments will be helpful to both us and the other users of this tool.

Please take care to ensure that you are not breaking the terms on any licences by running a virtual machine from a backup image.

Get ImgTOVHD

You can download ImgToVHD from here.

Invoke the downloaded msi as per any other installer.

ImgTOVHD Usage

ImgToVHD offers both a GUI and a command line interface.

If you wish to use the command line interface, ImgToVHD --help will emit some instructions.

The ImgToVHD user interface is straight forward.

Firstly, you will need an Macrium image file - a file and folder backup file will not work here. If you wish to create a bootable VM from scratch, and not just add a disk to an already bootable VM, then the image will need to contain an image of both the active and the windows system partition. Typically the system partition is also the active partition.

You will need enough spare disk space to store the resulting VHD file. If you have selected all the partitions from the source image and the image is compressed, then the resulting VHD file size is likely to be rather larger than the source image as VHD files don't support compression and have a larger sparse granularity than the image files. Calculate the sum of the used space of the selected partitions and ensure that you have slightly more free space than this for the VHD file.

Once you have selected a source image, a list of disks will be presented to you. Select from this, the one in which you will to convert to VHD and then you will be presented with a list of partitions. Select as many of these as you require.

There are three options that are best left unselected unless you understand the consequences.

Remap partition table. In the case where not all the partitions are selected or backed up in the first case, this option only include those selected partitions in the partition table. This doesn't effect extended (logical) partitions. If you don't remap, partitions not included in the VHD creation or the original backup will appear as RAW in the disk management console. Remapping can prevent Windows XP from booting.
Reset disk ID. This will definitely result in a non-bootable VHD. It is useful only if mounting the VHD on the machine containing the original disk.
Continue on errors. If there are errors in the source image, and this is checked then the VHD creation process will continue. However, the resultant VHD file is guaranteed to have missing data. Dependent on the location of the errors, the image might or might not be usable.
Once the disk, partitions and options have been selected, hit convert. The conversion process will probably take a significant period of time due to the large volumes of data handled. Now would be a good time to consider a hot beverage of your choice.

There are a number of caveats to be aware of. Of particular significance is the fact that the VM is likely to represent a significantly changed hardware environment from the original machine.

Windows OEM licensed installs, typical for retail machines delivered with the operating system preinstalled, do not allow a change in the motherboard.
The HAL and mass storage drivers might not match the those presented in the virtual environment. This may prevent Windows from booting. See here for further details on how to reconfigure Windows XP. Virtual Box enables some flexibility in the hardware environment so it can be made to match the original hardware.
Don't mount/attach this image on the original machine if you plan on booting from it as Windows will detect the duplicate disk ID and will change it, invalidating the BCD disk references.
The vhd file size must be limited to 127GB if you wish to use it with Virtual PC.
If the vhd is being created on a FAT32 filesystem, the creation process will fail if the created file size is greater than 4GB. This is a due to a limitation of FAT32; though the vhd specification supports splitting across multiple files, ImgToVHD doesn't currently support this feature.

Using the vhd with Virtual Box

Virtual box comes in two flavours, an open source edition (missing RDP and USB support) and a commercial version that is free for evaluation or personal use.

Configuration is quite straightforward. Note the following instructions refer to version 3.14.

From the main window, hit new to create a new VM which will launch a wizard.

Select the OS to match the OS to be virtualised as below.

The next wizard page (not shown for brevity) allows you to specify base memory. Chose a value that matches what is required for your virtualised OS, bearing in mind that there must be enough memory available on your host machine.

To specify the vhd you have created with ImgToVHD as a hard disk, you first have to add it to Virtual Box using the Virtual media manager by clicking on the yellow folder icon.

Click the Add button and select your vhd file, the hit select. Repeat this process for each vhd file you have created.

All being well, you should now have a working VM. Hit the start button and your old machine should now appear in a window on your host.

If it fails to boot, then you might have a kernel/Hal/Mass storage driver miss-match issue.

VirtualBox enables various hardware environment options to be configured. Hit the settings button to edit your VM. Select the system item on the left. Things to try are enabling the IO APIC (motherboard tab) and 1/multiple CPU's and disabling PAE/NX features (processor tab). Also, consider reconfiguring the vhd as a SATA device if that's how the original machine was configured.

Using the vhd with Hyper-V

Hyper-V is a hypervisor based virtualisation system. It only runs on x64 Windows Server 2008 and requires hardware assisted cpu features.

To create a VM, select 'New Virtual Machine from the Hyper-V Manager. Chose location, name and base memory size the new Virtual Machine Wizard.

When you get to the connect Virtual Hard Disk page, select 'Use existing virtual hard disk' and chose your previously converted vhd file.

Complete the wizard and start the VM. All being well, the VM will boot. Unlike Virtual Box, there is no flexibility to change the virtual hardware options - if it doesn't boot, the OS booting options / HAL etc will need to be reconfigured.

Note: If an error regarding incompatible sector size is raised, it does not refer to the VHD file as indicated, but the disk upon which the vhd is stored.

Using the vhd with Virtual PC

The process is similar to the hyper V configuration again specifying the generated vhd file an existing disk.

The only caveat is the 127GB disk size limitation, as previously noted.

Note that you must use imgToVhd v1.0.2597 or later.

Using the vhd with VMWare Server

VMWare Server lacks the flexibility to use vhd files as a virtual disk file and you are required to use vmware's own vmdk file format. Unfortunately, VMWareConverter will only convert complete vm configurations not individual virtual disk files.

The starwind V2V converter has been found to work well and is available cost free from here... http://www.starwindsoftware.com/converter

Once you have a vmdk file, the process of generating a virtual machine is similar to that discussed above. Note, be careful to chose the correct hardware connection for the vmdk i.e. ide or scsi. The correct choice will depend on source machine configuration.

Conclusion

We hope you find this tool and blog post useful.

The intention is for this blog to grow. Specifically, expect instructions for use with VMWare and Virtual PC to follow.

ImgToVHD history

v1.0.2544 - First beta release.
v1.0.2586 - Correct XP partition alignment problem.
v1.0.2597 - Improve Virtual PC 2007 compatibility

How to Create a Windows PE Rescue CD

Administrator — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:49:47 GMT

In this tutorial I'll take you through the stepsrequired to build a Macrium Reflect Windows PE rescue CD. The Windows PErescue CD is only included with the purchased version of MacriumReflect and is a separate download. The first time you attempt to burnthis CD the installer will be automatically downloaded.

Why do you need a rescue CD?

This is a good question. The simple answeris because Windows won't let you access all the files on your harddisk. Windows uses both the RAM (main memory) and the hard diskduring normal operation. Many of the thousands of files in your Windowssystem directory are open and running to keep your PC hummingalong. You can't simply replace them with a different version becausethey may be loaded into memory and inaccessible from the disk. The onlyway you can freely access every part of your system partition is tostart your PC with another operating system that loadsentirely into RAM.

Enter Windows PE. This is licensedfrom Microsoft and has greater flexibility than the other rescueenvironments. You can add missing drivers to the Windows PE build toenable access to RAID volumes and include drivers for unrecognisednetwork interface cards (NIC).

1.	Start Reflect, take the ‘Other Tasks’ menu option and select ‘Create a bootable Rescue CD’ The wizard opens and In the wizard window, select ‘Windows PE 2.0' and click ‘Next’.

The Windows PE component isn't supplied with the Macrium Reflect installer and is an additional 100MB+ download. Make sure you are connected to the Internet, and click ‘ OK’.

Note: To ensure that Reflect is not blocked by a firewall you may need to add www.macrium.com to your firewall allowed list,

If you receive the following dialog then you have already downloaded the Windows PE installer. Somewhere you will have a file WinPEInstall.exe (32 bit version) or WinPEInstallx64.exe (64 bit version) depending where you saved it. Running this executable will install Windows PE. To reinstall, double click the existing WinPEInstall... file.

Note : You only get one download as each copy requires a license from Microsoft. You can order another copy by clicking on the 'Purchase download' link.

3.	In the next window you select where you are going to save your download. You may want to create a new folder titled ‘Reflect Download’ or ‘Windows PE Download’. The folder ought to be in a location where you can easily find it. Click ‘Save’.

4.	After downloading the installer will automatically start....’.

5.	After installation, return to the .‘Create a bootable Rescue CD’ wizard, select 'Windows PE 2.0' and click 'Next'.


6.	Put an empty or erasable CD or DVD in your burner and click 'Finish'. Note: It's better to use non-erasable CD-R or DVD+/-R media. This tends to be more reliable than RW media for booting.

Note: If your CD burner has problems creating the disc, you can save the image to a special file called an ISO image file. Click on the CD/DVD burner drop-down list and select 'Create ISO image; file'. You can then use any burning software that you have on your PC to create the rescue CD. Click ‘Finish’ to save, the .iso file. It is usually saved to the folder with the Windows PE download at step 3. Then Burn this .iso file using your CD/DVD burner as ISO image.

You should now have your Rescue CD ready to restore an image. Keepthe rescue CD in a safe place

You should boot yourcomputer with the rescue CD to make sure it can see all your drivesincludingthe backup location.If your disks aren't detected by Windows PE then you may need to adddrivers to the Windows PE build and create a fresh CD. You can findadditional information on this here: http://www.macrium.com/webhelp/Adding_Drivers.asp?nohead=y