Why do you prefer Macrium Reflect over Windows own built in imagePROGRAF?
Hi, everyone. Leo Notenboom here for
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Here's the question.
Is Macrium Reflect superior to the disk
imaging utility included in Windows, and if so, in what regard?
Yes, it is in a lot of regards.
Not the least of which is that Microsoft
has actually said we should start using something else.
Let me explain.
Since Windows 10,
if you look carefully for the backup and restore utility in Windows,
you'll see that it actually has a parenthetical comment.
It says backup and Restore and Restore, parentheses, Windows 7.
Even though we're in Windows 10
and in Windows 11, this backup and restore utility is referred to specifically as
the backup and restore utility from Windows 7.
That is because Microsoft is no longer updating the Backup and Restore utility.
In fact, they have stated that we should stop using it.
The fact feature is also known as
the Backup and Restore Windows 7 Legacy Control Panel.
For full disk backup solutions,
look for a third party product from another software vendor.
In other words, they're saying, use something else.
Don't use this.
If you're trying to make image backups, use something else.
Now, to be clear,
Windows 7 backup is like the first of the Windows backup utilities to really
meet what I would consider to be the bare minimum minimum.
What do I mean by the bare minimum?
Well, full image backups that you can schedule to happen automatically.
It controlled an obvious way of managing
your disk space so that you know what you're getting.
The ability to restore not only a full
image, but to be able to extract individual files from an image and some
sense that the backups are reliable and will be there when you need them.
Windows Backup meets that just barely.
All of those things are met, just not very well.
My biggest complaint about the Windows 7 backup utility, to be honest,
is that once you turn it loose, I have no idea what it's doing.
There's no progress information, errors are horrible,
there's very little flexibility about exactly how and where things get stored.
It's just a frustrating experience.
And if there weren't better alternatives,
of course, I'd be saying we should all be using it.
But the bottom line is that there are much better alternatives.
Now, you've mentioned Macrium Reflect.
To me, that is one of the most robust
and professional backup solutions you can have for the home.
In fact, it is something that I believe in so strongly, I've actually created
an online course saved backing up with Macrium Reflect 8
to help you understand, install, get your backups configured,
understand how to restore, prepare for all of the inevitable failures
that could come along when you're using your technology.
To be clear, Macrium is not the only solution.
There's a bunch of them out there.
Another one that I often recommend is EaseUs ToDo.
The neat thing about EaseUs ToDo is that they have a free version that is
something that you absolutely can be using for these kinds of backups within
the limits of the features that are available in that free version.
But the bottom line is that there are so
many better solutions to the Windows 7 backup program.
There is simply no need, no reason
to continue to use it, especially since Microsoft says you shouldn't.
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I'm Leo Notenboom and this is Askleo.com.
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