Better Macrium Free option for creating disk image?

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Which is the better option to use to create a disk image on Macrium free version?32206-Untitled
Many thanks
Dave

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The better option is the Windows PE version, because it has more comprehensive hardware support, but observe that you have to download the “Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7 KB3AIK_EN.iso” (or equivalent) which is a 1.7 GB download!

Personally, I’d create both, for belt-and-braces/better-safe-than-sorry, but if you find that the Linux version works OK for your environment, then the long download wasn’t needed!

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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The better option is the Windows PE version, because it has more comprehensive hardware support, but observe that you have to download the “Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7 KB3AIK_EN.iso” (or equivalent) which is a 1.7 GB download!

Personally, I’d create both, for belt-and-braces/better-safe-than-sorry, but if you find that the Linux version works OK for your environment, then the long download wasn’t needed!

Can I uninstall: “Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7” after making the “Windows PE 3.1 Recovery Media?

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Can I uninstall: “Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7” after making the “Windows PE 3.1 Recovery Media?

I would keep the WAIK ISO around somewhere, because from time to time you need to re-create the Rescue Media CD. This requires Macrium Free to have access to the WAIK ISO file.

-- rc primak

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I would keep the WAIK ISO around somewhere, because from time to time you need to re-create the Rescue Media CD. This requires Macrium Free to have access to the WAIK ISO file.

I made the recovery disk and it booted up alright, but then a command like prompt told me there was incomplete formatting, so that is as far as it went. I don’t know went wrong, do you have any idea’s?

Update: The program had a update, which I ran and then made another disk, and this time it works.
Thanks for the information.

jkitc

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I made the recovery disk and it booted up alright, but then a command like prompt told me there was incomplete formatting, so that is as far as it went. I don’t know went wrong, do you have any idea’s?

Update: The program had a update, which I ran and then made another disk, and this time it works.
Thanks for the information.

jkitc

Sounds good. Now keep the downloaded WAIK ISO somewhere safe for next time. And there will be a next time.:)

Just to make sure folks understand, the WinPE disk does depend on the correct match of 32-bits or 64-bits. I have both because my Windows XP laptop is 32-bit while my Windows 7/8 laptop is 64-bit. The WAIK ISO remains the same for either version of the WinPE Rescue Disk.

The WinPE Disk can do a lot more than the Linux Disk. For one thing, you can restore to a moved, resized or entirely different partition, even on a different hard drive or a different device. Your drivers will need to be corrected (which is why I push the free DriverMax for driver backups) but the WinPE environment is flexible enough to handle these Different Hardware or Different Partition restore operations. The Linux CD can’t do Different Anything.

When it first boots for a Restore, WinPE can even pick up drivers from an un-ZIPped DriverMax backup archive on a USB drive or stick. That can prove very handy if you need a Network Connection or something like that.

-- rc primak

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Hi Batcher
Will do
Many thanks

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Which is the better option to use to create a disk image on Macrium free version?

If the Linux version ONLY allows one to restore an image to exactly the same place (and to exactly the same size) that it was when you took it, I’d find that quite limiting (I’m not a Macrium user so I don’t know that’s what they meant; Acronis variants like Disc Wizard are much more accommodating without requiring a WinPE environment).

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I have both on hand.
But I also have a laptop that does not play well with the Linux disk and therefore needed to create the WinPE disk for it.
My desktop does fine with the Linux disk.

The Linux option is far simpler and faster to create.
The WinPE disk is more involved and will require a large download, but it is almost guaranteed to work 100% of the time.

Macrium Reflect USB Rescue Options

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