Macrium FREE v8 How to view past images files to ensure PC files are there?!

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[Deo]

Using Macrium 8 Free. Is there ANYWAY to OFFLINE view any past backups on external wd drive to ensure files (docs/pics etc) are still there? Mount/unmount instructions if possible pls, how to view past backups. Have a few  until July 15.

Issue: In prepping for July Win 10 Pro updates today, I always do TWO things (offline).

1. Manual: plug in separate WD Hdd ‘backup drive’- here, I manually drag & drop and drop (copy) any newer since last backup (docs, pics, desktop docs, occasional downloads) in separate folders in b/up drive. Eject when done.

2. Separate M/R ext wd hdd drive: I plug in MR wd hdd backup drive, make full image. Eject. THEN go online to tend to Windows update.

Todays prob: a) file explorer was Not in taskbar? Came back after a while, b) Plugged in Step one manual b/up drive: noticed any new files from March on (and lots from 2022/23 not there, nor on PC itself? ) was not on manual b/up drive? Still offline, manually I dragged and dropped what I still had.. B/up drive is 1TB, only 140 GB used!

Before I panic, as I have not yet progressed to Step 2, my monthly ‘MR b/up’, until I know for sure all files are there (and retrievable) from previous M/R backups on external. ie March and monthly since. Is this possible? (No, it don’t have MR free in Windows Recovery, ie setup only to do manually with ext hdd as/when.)

Still offline until I am assured I can view files from past M/R b/ups, and if I can manually recover (drag/drop) of files is possible without a full restore from March?.

PC has been offline (no internet) since July 15- hid July updates via winshowhide then.

Help pls AW! Thank you muchly.

PS unsure why my paragraph breaks aren’t working on AW site, am posting from ipad? Pls advise how to fix for ease of read. Has not happened before.

• This topic was modified 10 months ago by Deo.
• This topic was modified 10 months ago by Deo.
• This topic was modified 10 months ago by Deo.

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Right click on an archive file and select “mount in MR”. This will create a new drive you can browse.
Don’t forget to dismount the disk when you’re done.

cheers, Paul

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Deo

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Should have simply said “how to view folders, docs etc to ensure they are there.” Period.

Thk for the effort PaulT, but instructions weren’t spelled out/pics.

After ‘browsing’ for exact steps, on both AW site (to no avail) & internet, I attempted to “mount” via File Explorer. It asked me to ‘assign a drive letter’ to view ‘C’. I chose arbitrarily ‘K’.
Last b/up of July 1 showed those files.
I ‘unmounted’ , via ‘PC>MR drive K’. Ejected usb drive. Restarted PC.

Upon restart, and trying to run a M/R backup, it did NOT find my MR E:/ drive. It had renamed it as D:/, and is stuck there. No way to backup.

M/R ‘existing bups show my E drives with red circle ’ unavailable’. I have never ‘assigned’ a letter to any drive or thumb drive. Ironically, a thumb drive I just put in now shows as E:/? No, I have never assigned E:/ to MR drive in 2 yrs, nor would I want to (as its then permanent).

1. I searched online for resolution to this why this keeps occurring with Win 10 Pro. One search said ‘ check Device Manager, select View, select View hidden files’. Doing so = tons under ‘Portable devices’, and a separate section at bottom ‘WD Device Mgmt devices’ (4 in my case?).

As in my case, none were plugged in when checking Device Manager, properties in each said ‘ not avail’ .

Does deleting these numerous entries from Device Manager stop the drives/thumb drives from being recognized in future??? Permanently unrecognized?

I have ext WD passports set up for other backups, unassigned as I switch Pc’s, would not want to impact them.
Is this a windows thing?

And NO, in lieu of this, I have not been able to us MR to b/up, thus can’t attempt July Updates NOR b/up iphone/pad to PC, prior to their updates! Argh.

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Windows arbitrarily assigns drive letters to USB drives. For whatever reason Windows has decided to move your USB, but you can move it back with DriveLetterView.

cheers, Paul

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Deo,

This is the reason all drives in use should have a LABEL along with their letter (e.g., [C:]System), because of this sort of drive letter switching during a restore.

Zig

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Paul T

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I gave up on this post due to no proper response. Having a broken ankle/foot surgery doesn’t help.

I followed Paul T’s instructions ‘mounting/unmounting” then, and at that instant could ‘see everything. (pics/docs/dloads etc.) Upon EJECT, then looking AFTER on my PC, there was nothing from 2023?? (How could files from ‘viewing’ a back up vanish from the PC itself and from a separate EXT wd hdd ‘drag drop b/up?)

I have left this until now due to medical issues, haven’t even backed up nor updated. I’m ready to do so, but my usual drag/drop to my other WD HDD drive as backup shows now anything (pics/docs/downloads) from 2023 GONE!!

This all began after mounting a backup as above.

*Note: MR backup drive 2TB had keep showing ‘red’ ie out of space??? No, had lots.

I’m reluctant to back/up to MR to prep for Win 10 Sept update, as it may override (as it has, delete older b/ups), and I will not have access to older files, that btw, were never deleted.

What on earth should I do? More importantly what can I do to regain old files, if following Paul T’s advice led me to this??

ps doing a M/R  b/up at this point would not only only do so in PC current state (ie missing 2023/24 files), but delete past backups that may contain those precious files!!

I have a costly blank WD passport hdd I was saving for another PC b/up. If used now, It would only  backup what is there now. NOT the 2022/2023 items, so of no use except the aug-oct 2024 items (2022-23 items would be gone).

Help pls! Some and all AW direction appreciated. What would YOU do? (Note: MR 8 free).

(Virus scan clean. Sophos Enterprise. Have only been on PC since Sept to b/up iph via Apple Itunes, offline)

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*to note: under my User local account Nothing from 2023 under File Explorer>This PC>docs (pics etc) that have always showed & mirrored the ‘Quick Access’ listings of folders (docs,pics, dloads etc)? Yet under File Explorer>Quick Access> docs, etc show ‘Some’ 2023 files, but not all.

HAS something changed in Aug updates in Win 10 Pro? Why would I have lost all rest using M/R? Anyone have this happen? What to do? (Local account, never ms acct, never One Drive(is off in GP stgs). Is this M/S or a Macrium free issue? (Aug was a M/R drive ltr issue, sudden but easily resolved using disk mgmt to choose letter. HOWEVER, that has no bearing as to loss of actual files on PC itself, nor drag/drop drive).

Any thoughts? Thank you AW.

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There are a couple of ways MR can lose data.
You delete backup images manually.
You set MR to delete old images if disk space is low.

If you look at the disk with the MR images on it, what  is the date of the oldest image?

cheers, Paul

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Deo

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I managed to change my MR definition script: increase retention FULL to 15 from 13 ; Diff increase etc from defaults.. I also lowered ‘purge oldest set’ from default of 5 Gb to 1GB.

Bought me time to sort out. Thx. @paul-t

Note for others: Right hand MR screen, toggle to ‘definition files’ tab and select ‘edit’> next. Change nothing until you choose ‘Next.’ Change  3. define retention rules (Full-I increased) (Differential-I increased.)  Changed ‘Purge the oldest backup sets’- I decreased.

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Oldest backup is : Full: 11/25/2023. Latest backup is unfortunately Sept 2. Yet loss of data occurred in Aug as stated above. After  ‘mounting’ image and dismounting loss began on PC.

In Aug, I had red line ie out of space. I had to manually delete March 2022 backup. As I had FULL independent backups since then, M/R said ok to do so.

Pls explain – ‘delete manually’ & where to find ‘Delete old if disk space too low’

 

* after I did your mount/dismount, M/R deleted old b/ups.

See attached.

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Deo wrote:

Using Macrium 8 Free. Is there ANYWAY to OFFLINE view any past backups on external wd drive to ensure files (docs/pics etc) are still there? Mount/unmount instructions if possible pls, how to view past backups.

I use the paid version Macrium 8, but I’ll assume the mount/unmount works the same in the free version.  It might not.

Very simple.  In file explorer, double click on the image backup you want to mount and view.  Double clicking starts the mounting process with a separate letter and the mounted files show there in file explorer as though you’re viewing them at the point in time the image was made.

Desktop mobo Asus TUF X299 Mark 1, CPU: Intel Core i7-7820X Skylake-X 8-Core 3.6 GHz, RAM: 32GB, GPU: Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 4GB. Display: Four 27" 1080p screens 2 over 2 quad.

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Deo

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Mounting opens the backup archive so you can read / copy files. It does NOT delete or change anything unless you tell it to.

Deo wrote:

In Aug, I had red line ie out of space

At which point MR deletes old backups so it can make new ones.

Old backups should never contain the only copy of old data. If they do they are not a backup.

cheers, Paul

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If they do they are not a backup.

YES! Agreed. That was the point of my entire post! I have been missing ALL 2023 data from both Admin & User. Hence concern if I could extrapolate from older back up. Worrisome to say the least.

For some odd reason, today upon booting up (Win 10 Pro, pre Sept updates), ALL files were there!! I quickly changed MR def files, took Full back up. Hail Mary moment. And manually drag/dropped to separate wd passport drive.

You set MR to delete old images if disk space is low.

Thx Paul T! I changed those settings to buy me time to sort this out; had to dig but found those settings-thank you! (I think Paul has muted me)

TechTango wrote:

In file explorer, double click on the image backup you want to mount and view.  Double clicking starts the mounting process with a separate letter and the mounted files show there in file explorer as though you’re viewing them at the point in time the image was made.

Thank you! Bless you! Paul T in another post also said there was another way via MR program. I had done it your way (and Paul’s way up in this post) to deleterious for me results.

For others, here’s the link  to both ways, hope they works with MR8 free? https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW80/Browsing+Macrium+Reflect+images+and+backups+in+Windows+Explorer

My last question if anyone knows: IF I take this unit in for repair (as obviously something is up), how do I get M/R reflect 8 free back on (and recognizing my back ups?) I have a “free licence # that shows up, non- emailed, and I believe a 8 free download still in my downloads from 2022 (and on a b/up drive- would that work?)

Anyone have success trying that? TY AW!

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Deo wrote:

For some odd reason, today upon booting up (Win 10 Pro, pre Sept updates), ALL files were there!!…IF I take this unit in for repair (as obviously something is up), how do I get M/R reflect 8 free back on (and recognizing my back ups?)

Hi Deo:

The latest 32-bit and 64-bit Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 installers are available on the MajorGeeks site at https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/macrium_reflect_free_edition.html. From the bottom of that download page:

Editor’s Note:

To get to the free version. During installation, you need to check personal use > and agree to use the software only for personal, non-commercial purposes. Then, you will need to uncheck register this installation of Macrium Reflect.

I haven’t tested myself, but I assume that if you have to reinstall Macrium Reflect Free v8.0 after your computer repair and set the default path for creating new images to the same path you currently use on your external backup drive (e.g., D:\My Macrium Backups) then it will recognize your older images. However, if you restore an old full disk image created before your computer repair just keep in mind that this might restore whatever corrupted system files were on your computer prior to the repair.

Before you take your computer into the repair shop (or try a major repair yourself) I would advise that you make a “regular” (uncompressed, unencrypted) backup of all your personal files to a separate folder on your external backup drive so that you can do a simple copy / paste of your personal files back to your repaired computer.  That way you won’t have to mount / dismount old Macrium Reflect images to recover any personal data.

That’s essentially my own backup plan – I run a “regular” backup of my C:\Users\<myusername> folder at least once a week to an external USB backup drive using an old utility called Karen’s Replicator (see PKCano’s tutorial <here>).  I also create a Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.x full disk image at least once a month (typically just before Windows Update installs my monthly Patch Tuesday updates) on the same external backup drive that would only be required if I had to perform an emergency recovery of my entire hard drive (i.e., if I had to roll my entire system back to an earlier  date).
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4894 * Firefox v131.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24080.9-1.1.24080.9 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.11.133-1.0.5048 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Karen’s Replicator v3.7.6

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Deo

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Thank you for helpful detailed info. Would Karen’s Replicator back-up my Itunes backups? I don’t think ph/ipad back up files are in ‘Docs’, but spread throughout system via the Itunes program ie App Data etc etc

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I use Karen’s Replicator to backup my C:\Users\<ID> on a regular basis. I use the “Global Exclusions” to block a bunch of open system files, particularly in the “AppData” folder. I also allow it to delete files in the backup that I have deleted, and overwrite old files with the current version so the versions are the same in the backup as in the source.

Karen’s Replicator does a “file copy” similar to Robocopy and Xcopy. The settings allow you to exclude chosen file types. It does deal with some errors. But it is not a comprehensive backup. I don’t believe it uses the Shadow Copy Service to backup in use files, for example.

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lmacri

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Deo wrote:

Would Karen’s Replicator back-up my Itunes backups? I don’t think ph/ipad back up files are in ‘Docs’, but spread throughout system via the Itunes program ie App Data etc etc

Hi Deo:

Yes, I believe so, as long as you don’t deliberately exclude any of the subfolders under C:\Users\<yourusrename>\. Before I run my weekly data backup with Karen’s Replicator I purge my temp files with CCleaner’s Custom Clean feature (which deletes a huge number of useless temp files in C:\Users\<myusrename>\AppData\Local\Temp that don’t need to be backed up) and then let Karen’s Replicator back up everything it can find in C:\Users\<myusername>\, including all the hidden data in my C:\Users\<myusrename>\AppData\ subfolder.

I have an old 7th gen iPod Touch that I sync with the iTunes library on my laptop, and as far as I know all my iTunes-related data is located in C:\Users\<myusrename>\Music\iTunes. As long as all my important .mp3 and .m4a music files and album artwork in that folder is backed up by Karen’s Replicator that’s all I really care about, because I always have a recent Macrium Reflect Free v8.0 full disk image on hand that I can use to re-image my entire hard drive if something goes seriously wrong.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.5011 * Firefox v131.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24080.9-1.1.24080.9 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.11.133-1.0.5048 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Karen’s Replicator v3.7.6 * CCleaner Free Portable v6.28.11297 * 64-bit iTunes for Windows 12.13.3.2

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Deo wrote:

IF I take this unit in for repair (as obviously something is up), how do I get M/R reflect 8 free back

I am currently running 7 free, installed from the setup exe. No issues.

cheers, Paul

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Paul T wrote:

installed from the setup exe. No issues.

Thank you so much! Was my biggest concern; you’ve taken a huge load off! Kudos! (Ps did you mute me or is it a AW glitch?)

ps would a reinstall still recognize my backups? ie where would definition files go if PC was wiped and I had to reinstall MR free?

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Re-install does not change your backups. If they were made using MR8 then MR8 and above will be able to read them.

Backup definition files should be in the backup – check the MR site for restore details.

cheers, Paul

p.s. I never mute anyone – but I am tempted sometimes. 

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Deo wrote:

I don’t think ph/ipad back up files are in ‘Docs’, but spread throughout system via the Itunes program ie App Data etc etc

iPhone, iPad to computer backups using iTunes are saved in : C:\Users\’user’\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync

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lmacri

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