Macrium Reflex 8

[hlewton]

Not sure how many of you use Macrium Reflex 8 but it is mentioned frequently in our posts. Also not sure how many of you received an email today saying that on Oct. 8, 2024 a new version called Reflex X will be released and support for Reflex 8 will end a year from that release date. This would not concern me so much if I could update to Reflex X and purchase a perpetual license like I own for Reflex 8. That is not an option, it will be sold by subscription only. I don't like subscriptions and tend to shy away from them any time I can. I am wondering what you may think when Macrium's support ends if the program I now have a perpetual license for will still be sufficient for my needs. So, that is my question, would you be updating your Macrium Reflex 8 or staying with what you have now.

[StuartR]

I use Acronis TrueImage and they replaced their perpetual license product with a new version that only had subscription licenses. I kept running the old version for a year or so and then they sent me a link to purchase a perpetual license for the latest version - even though their web site still doesn't show any possibility of perpetual licensing.

[hlewton]

I use Acronis TrueImage and they replaced their perpetual license product with a new version that only had subscription licenses. I kept running the old version for a year or so and then they sent me a link to purchase a perpetual license for the latest version - even though their web site still doesn't show any possibility of perpetual licensing.

Thank you for that information. I rarely use what I have and still need to learn how to use it to make the most out of it. I guess I'll stick with what I have.

[StuartR]

I wasn't suggesting that you switch, just pointing out that there may be a future offer for long term users

[hlewton]

I wasn't suggesting that you switch, just pointing out that there may be a future offer for long term users

Yes I know. However, out of curiosity, I searched for Acronis TrueImage and it does not offer a perpetual license to new customers. So, maybe there is hope that Macrium will come around too after, hopefully, finding out that their current customers won't do subscriptions.

[JoeP]

You ought to check out Terabyte Unlimited Image for Windows Suite. There is a thirty day free trial. One license is good for 5 PCs. When you license x.yy, you get all updates until x changes. Then there is a very reasonable upgrade charge. You are not forced to upgrade. Your software will work as long as Microsoft does not make any changes to break it.

[hlewton]

You ought to check out [https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image-for-windows]Terabyte Unlimited Image for Windows Suite[/url]. There is a thirty day free trial. One license is good for 5 PCs. When you license x.yy, you get all updates until x changes. Then there is a very reasonable upgrade charge. You are not forced to upgrade. Your software will work as long as Microsoft does not make any changes to break it.

Thank you. I will look into it.

[JoeP]

For reference, Image for Windows 3.0 was released August 4, 2016. Version 4.0 was released May 19, 2024. Almost 8 years without having to pay a nominal upgrade fee. I'm not associated with Terabyte Unlimited in any way, but I certainly would not guarantee that cadence in the future.

[hlewton]

Nothing is for certain anymore, that's for certain. Thanks Joe.

[hlewton]

For reference, Image for Windows 3.0 was released August 4, 2016. Version 4.0 was released May 19, 2024. Almost 8 years without having to pay a nominal upgrade fee. I'm not associated with Terabyte Unlimited in any way, but I certainly would not guarantee that cadence in the future.

I wanted to let you know that I did follow your link and sent off an email to them asking about price and permanent licenses for my network. I couldn't seem to locate that information. Hopefully I will get a reply from them. Thanks again.

[hlewton]

You ought to check out Terabyte Unlimited Image for Windows Suite. There is a thirty day free trial. One license is good for 5 PCs. When you license x.yy, you get all updates until x changes. Then there is a very reasonable upgrade charge. You are not forced to upgrade. Your software will work as long as Microsoft does not make any changes to break it.

Just want to let you know that I did purchase this product. There was a little back and forth with their sales people first because I could not find a price. In the end, it turned out that the price was very reasonable. Not sure I'll ever get support from them though because whoever was answering me, accused me of using a double negative. I, of course, didn't and pointed it out in somewhat dramatic fashion. He just didn't read my question correctly and understand what had transpired in the first email. I ended the reply with this, "I didn’t not use double negatives there, now did I?” Do you always point out, what you think are mistakes, to potential customers?" Of course that double negative was on purpose and I look forward to his reply.

Now the real reason for this post. Has anyone here used this type of software and used it to recover your computer on a new machine or new drive and had it fire up and work the same as the one you backed up? I know I don't know what I should about using it, but I did make an image of one and had it used on a new machine after the computer failed. Also, a backup of the hard drive was obtained from one that failed by the fellow who builds my machines. In both cases the new machines did not work out of the box like the ones they replaced. I'm just curious because the way I had been doing it was to install the software and then replace all the data files from current copies. That's a bit of work, admittedly, but so was trying to restore the computer using an image or a backup of the entire drive.

[JoeP]

You need to make sure to create a USB thumb drive recovery drive. I suggest you visit Image for Windows support. There are tutorials you can view, a knowledge base to explore, and a user guide.

[BobH]

Thanks, Joe.

I'm looking into it. I started by looking at the user guide. I'm nowhere near all the way through it, but I found this sentence delightful:
"Before you know it, the fully functional, well-behaved computer you fondly
remember from 30 minutes ago is gone, and, in its place, you now have a devil
child that won’t even boot. "

[hlewton]

You need to make sure to create a USB thumb drive recovery drive. I suggest you visit Image for Windows support. There are tutorials you can view, a knowledge base to explore, and a user guide.

Thanks, I see it takes me to TeraByte. I haven't installed it yet but I will soon and I'll look into that tutorial. I see they have tutorials and videos. That should be helpful.

[Jay Freedman]

Now the real reason for this post. Has anyone here used this type of software and used it to recover your computer on a new machine or new drive and had it fire up and work the same as the one you backed up?

Simply restoring an entire drive from an image backup does work if the hardware (other than perhaps a new drive replacing a failed one) is the same as when the image was made. Restoring an image on a different computer or a substantially upgraded computer may but probably won't work seamlessly.

As an example, a couple of months ago I pulled all the parts out of the PC that I've been using for almost 9 years: Intel Core i7 CPU, GigaByte motherboard, 16 GB RAM, and power supply. I replaced those parts in the same case with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, an Asus motherboard, 32 GB RAM, and a larger power supply. To experiment, I put in the unchanged system drive (equivalent to restoring the image that I also have) and booted up. Windows refused to run, saying correctly that the computer didn't match the description that was stored in my Microsoft account when Windows was installed on the drive, and was therefore unlicensed. (It politely offered to visit the website where I could purchase a new license. )

After I installed the new Windows that I had already bought a license for, I reinstalled most of the programs that I had on the old PC, for which I had a list and all the license keys. For most of them, that reinstallation was necessary to make the correct entries in the registry. The image that I made just before the teardown supplied only my data files.

[hlewton]

Now the real reason for this post. Has anyone here used this type of software and used it to recover your computer on a new machine or new drive and had it fire up and work the same as the one you backed up?

Simply restoring an entire drive from an image backup does work if the hardware (other than perhaps a new drive replacing a failed one) is the same as when the image was made. Restoring an image on a different computer or a substantially upgraded computer may but probably won't work seamlessly.

As an example, a couple of months ago I pulled all the parts out of the PC that I've been using for almost 9 years: Intel Core i7 CPU, GigaByte motherboard, 16 GB RAM, and power supply. I replaced those parts in the same case with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, an Asus motherboard, 32 GB RAM, and a larger power supply. To experiment, I put in the unchanged system drive (equivalent to restoring the image that I also have) and booted up. Windows refused to run, saying correctly that the computer didn't match the description that was stored in my Microsoft account when Windows was installed on the drive, and was therefore unlicensed. (It politely offered to visit the website where I could purchase a new license. )

After I installed the new Windows that I had already bought a license for, I reinstalled most of the programs that I had on the old PC, for which I had a list and all the license keys. For most of them, that reinstallation was necessary to make the correct entries in the registry. The image that I made just before the teardown supplied only my data files.

Thank you. That is exactly, or at least very close, to what I experienced. In the cases I mentioned above, the restore was always on a new computer with updated hardware. I did, in hind sight, make a mistake in thinking if I cloned a Windows 10 machine and had it restored on a new Windows 11 machine, I could continue to use an app that I really like. The App's site went out of business and I could no longer transfer or activate the license I owned. That didn't work. In addition, that restore gave me fits for sometime but I believe I have the machine working smoothly now. It's my wife's, so I don't use it on it on a daily basis, however, I'll never attempt that again.

[JoeP]

With most backup software there are procedures available to restore a backup image to dissimilar hardware. Product requirements may each be different. A free version may not do that.

[hlewton]

Thank you Joe for that information.