Win XP and Macrium P E Component

What is the importance of P E Component with Macrium in Win XP?
Is it essential to install P E Compnent with Macrium in Win XP SP3?
Can Macrium Work properly in Win XP SP3?
Does Macrium work like a Image backup utility similiar to Acronis True
Image?
I am sorry I am not familiar with this type of utilities,
An aadvice is highly appreciated? Thanks.

AAH wrote:
What is the importance of P E Component with Macrium in Win XP?
Is it essential to install P E Compnent with Macrium in Win XP SP3?
Can Macrium Work properly in Win XP SP3?
Does Macrium work like a Image backup utility similiar to Acronis True
Image?
I am sorry I am not familiar with this type of utilities,
An aadvice is highly appreciated? Thanks.

The Macrium download comes in two pieces. The smaller file,
is the Macrium application. The larger file contains
WinPE material, which Macrium uses to make a boot CD.

You need the boot CD, only if restoring your backup to a new hard
drive. Imagine, for example, the hard drive with C: on it, breaks
thirty seconds from now. There is nothing to boot the computer
with. If you have the Macrium CD, you can boot into the Macrium
environment, find your backup .mrimg file stored on your
external USB hard drive, and restore that to a brand new
replacement hard drive installed inside your computer.

That's what the boot CD is for.

If you downloaded the Macrium smaller file, that *includes* a
Linux-based boot CD. But that one, doesn't have as many functions
as the WinPE one does. The Linux based boot CD, is good enough
to complete a restoration. So it is perfectly functional, and
"good enough". (Note - when the Linux CD boots, you don't
need to know anything about Linux - all you see is the
Macrium program window, and you cannot escape from Macrium.
As a consequence, there is no way to verify the disc is
actually Linux based.)

The WinPE boot CD, includes a fuller set of functions. You
can backup/restore/clone. Whereas the Linux CD has fewer
of those functions.

If you're on dialup networking, this represents a hard choice.
On the one hand, the smaller Macrium file is barely within
the bounds of a download over dialup. If you selected the
WinPE file as well, that would kill you and take forever.
Using the smaller file alone, meets the requirements of
a full backup and restore function. So it does protect you
if the C: hard drive breaks, and you've just plugged in
a completely empty new drive. But I like the WinPE disc,
as it can do anything the Windows installation of Macrium
can do.

For people on dialup, I recommend a visit to the public library.
I've used them before, when I was between ISPs (new install
didn't happen on the date it was supposed to). You could
download both files, while you visit the library. Or,
you could drink coffee at the Starbucks and use their
Wifi networking.

You could also (gasp!) buy the software from Macrium. I
don't even know what their retail software looks like,
what is in the box and so on. But that might be worth
investigating if you cannot afford the download.

Note that Macrium provides frequent online updates,
so even after it is installed, it'll pester you to
install the latest update. You can click "No" to that,
so that is not a big deal. But in terms of bandwidth
usage, it's like a lot of other software that never
leaves you in peace for a minute.

Paul

In message , Paul
writes:
AAH wrote:
What is the importance of P E Component with Macrium in Win XP?
Is it essential to install P E Compnent with Macrium in Win XP SP3?
Can Macrium Work properly in Win XP SP3?

Paul's reply below answers everything else with his usual thoroughness
and clarity; just to clear up the one part of your question that I think
he didn't fully answer - yes, Macrium works fine in XP SP3; I recently
was able to rescue my system using it. (I'm not sure about "properly";
it certainly works, and I haven't spotted anything not working as I'd
wish, other than it being a bit fiddly on this netbook to make it
actually _see_ the external optical drive to boot from, but I suspect
that's a matter of the machine's BIOS rather than anything to do with
Macrium. It's fine once it _has_ booted from it.)

Does Macrium work like a Image backup utility similiar to Acronis
True Image?
I am sorry I am not familiar with this type of utilities,
An aadvice is highly appreciated? Thanks.

I was able to make a .mrimg file, containing the partitions I wanted
(fortunately the stuck drive was still readable after I'd unstuck it),
and restore from those to a new drive, having booted from the Macrium CD
(see below). When making the image, it offers you the choice of imaging
the whole disc, or only the parts with data on (I chose the latter), and
varying levels of compression (I chose none, not sure why - I felt
slightly more secure, and I was only imaging my system area [hidden plus
C:], not my data).

The Macrium download comes in two pieces. The smaller file,
is the Macrium application. The larger file contains
WinPE material, which Macrium uses to make a boot CD.

You need the boot CD, only if restoring your backup to a new hard
drive. Imagine, for example, the hard drive with C: on it, breaks
thirty seconds from now. There is nothing to boot the computer
with. If you have the Macrium CD, you can boot into the Macrium
environment, find your backup .mrimg file stored on your
external USB hard drive, and restore that to a brand new
replacement hard drive installed inside your computer.

That's what the boot CD is for.

Even the PE version of the boot CD will fit onto a mini-CD. (I like
mini-CDs!) Or would when I used it, and I don't think it has grown much
(if at all) since then.

If you downloaded the Macrium smaller file, that *includes* a
Linux-based boot CD. But that one, doesn't have as many functions
as the WinPE one does. The Linux based boot CD, is good enough
to complete a restoration. So it is perfectly functional, and
"good enough". (Note - when the Linux CD boots, you don't
need to know anything about Linux - all you see is the
Macrium program window, and you cannot escape from Macrium.
As a consequence, there is no way to verify the disc is
actually Linux based.)

The WinPE boot CD, includes a fuller set of functions. You
can backup/restore/clone. Whereas the Linux CD has fewer
of those functions.

If you're on dialup networking, this represents a hard choice.
On the one hand, the smaller Macrium file is barely within
the bounds of a download over dialup. If you selected the
WinPE file as well, that would kill you and take forever.
Using the smaller file alone, meets the requirements of
a full backup and restore function. So it does protect you
if the C: hard drive breaks, and you've just plugged in
a completely empty new drive. But I like the WinPE disc,
as it can do anything the Windows installation of Macrium
can do.

For people on dialup, I recommend a visit to the public library.
I've used them before, when I was between ISPs (new install
didn't happen on the date it was supposed to). You could
download both files, while you visit the library. Or,
you could drink coffee at the Starbucks and use their
Wifi networking.

You could also (gasp!) buy the software from Macrium. I
don't even know what their retail software looks like,
what is in the box and so on. But that might be worth
investigating if you cannot afford the download.

Note that Macrium provides frequent online updates,
so even after it is installed, it'll pester you to
install the latest update. You can click "No" to that,
so that is not a big deal. But in terms of bandwidth
usage, it's like a lot of other software that never
leaves you in peace for a minute.

Paul

Indeed - the version I downloaded works fine with XP, so I don't see any
need to get later - I suspect any enhancements won't make _much_ (if
any) difference to how it works with XP, so see no reason to get them.

By the way, there seem to be 32 and 64 bit versions; I presume (though I
may be wrong) the 32 bit version will work on either hardware, though
the 64 bit version may do so more efficiently on 64 bit hardware. I'm
guessing maybe the 64 bit version _of the Windows application_ might be
needed for running under Windows-64, but I've never been too clear on
that area. (For something like backing up to/from discs, I imagine the
hardware is the limiting factor speed-wise anyway, but there must _be_ a
reason they do the two versions. Maybe file and/or disc/partition size?)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Anybody who thinks there can be unlimited growth in a static, limited
environment, is either mad or an economist. - Sir David Attenborough, in
Radio Times 10-16 November 2012

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

Indeed - the version I downloaded works fine with XP, so I don't see any
need to get later - I suspect any enhancements won't make _much_ (if
any) difference to how it works with XP, so see no reason to get them.

By the way, there seem to be 32 and 64 bit versions; I presume (though I
may be wrong) the 32 bit version will work on either hardware, though
the 64 bit version may do so more efficiently on 64 bit hardware. I'm
guessing maybe the 64 bit version _of the Windows application_ might be
needed for running under Windows-64, but I've never been too clear on
that area. (For something like backing up to/from discs, I imagine the
hardware is the limiting factor speed-wise anyway, but there must _be_ a
reason they do the two versions. Maybe file and/or disc/partition size?)

I can't see how the 64 bit version would help matters. If your OS
is 64 bit, you could choose the 64 bit one, but I'd expect the
32 bit one to still work. I've been putting the free version
of Macrium, on more than one computer here, but I don't
honestly remember what version went on each. In some
cases, I just take the files saved from a previous download,
and kick off the process with those. My current WinXP OS setup is
32 bit, but my Windows 8 OS installs are 64 bit. And as far as I know,
any .mrimg I open with the 32 bit, it doesn't seem to care that
the .mrimg came from Win8 x64. So the file format is not
sensitive to the program type.

There are some softwares which are picky, and the 32 bit won't
run on the 64 bit system. An example is Microsoft DevCon.
You can't run the 32 bit version on the 64 bit machine.
Or Sysinternals ProcMon, where a file saved from the
64 bit program, refuses to open on the 32 bit program.
There's always something like that waiting for you.

The best policy, is to "test it and see". That's all I can
suggest, as attempting to rationalize it, doesn't have much
value. Things that should work, sometimes don't.

And if you're still on dialup... it's a miracle.
I use dialup when I visit back home, and it makes
doing anything, just about impossible. And it's all
the fault of wasteful software. (Like the 700MB
Windows 8 x64 November rollup... A "CD" for Patch
Tuesday. Download *that* on your dialup.) But
the Library or Starbucks, are your friends. I
wonder if Starbucks has their own Windows Update
server ?

Paul

If I may pile on.
Yesterday, afer killing my Win XP SP3 and not being able to do as it
requested by installing SP3 from CD, I used another PC to download and
then create a Macrium Reflect Free (MRF) rescue CD with the PE rather
than Linux option. That went very quickly compared to the old days
when MRF wanted to download a huge PE file. The new PE is relatively
tiny. Fortunately, after listening to this and other groups, I had
created both a MRF IMAGE of this dual boot (Win XP SP3 and Win 7)
travel desktop (one image for each partition). I booted (after fixing
the BIOS to look at the CD on boot) tried the MRF rescue CD and it
immediately found the corrupt (hundreds of system files were deleted by
me by mistake) XP partition and the XP IMAGE I had stored on the same
PC in a different partition. It took 45 minutes to restore 66GBytes
and claimed it was successful.
I booted to a Win XP (blue dots scanning) screen then to darkness
forever. Dual boot had not been corrupted so I still had the two
options.
I rebooted to XP and only then got the option to use a previous XP (one
that had worked before) and then it went all the way to the desktop. A
few more hours of restoring and fixing XP from the IMAGE created state
and I am now up again with my Win XP and ready to crash it all again if
I am not careful. lol

Strangely (maybe) a few options that I am sure I installed before I did
the MRF IMAGE were not there or not "connected". e.g. several apps
were missing but when i went to re-install after the rescue it asked do
i want to overwrite the existing apps. I said yes and off it went and
was successful. Again fortunately. I keep images of certain critical
apps in my back pocket. Thankfully the do not bend like iPhones. lol
My eFAT (from Microsoft) driver was not there so when I plugged in my
eFAT formatted Flash drive it asked if I wanted to format it. I said
NO!!! and remembered (thank goodness) that I needed an eFAT driver and
downladed and installed from MS.

Updating virus scanners and browsers, downloading old eMails etc.

So far so good. (if only the spel chacker in my MesNews wuz wurking).

Paul
Thanks for your details.
The small file is very easy to install it but it leaves out
the the Windows PE part.
How do I setup that part to prepare the
rescue cd to start the windows to recover.
or restore the image backup files ?




"Paul" wrote in message
...
AAH wrote:
What is the importance of P E Component with Macrium in Win XP?
Is it essential to install P E Compnent with Macrium in Win XP SP3?
Can Macrium Work properly in Win XP SP3?
Does Macrium work like a Image backup utility similiar to Acronis True
Image?
I am sorry I am not familiar with this type of utilities,
An aadvice is highly appreciated? Thanks.

The Macrium download comes in two pieces. The smaller file,
is the Macrium application. The larger file contains
WinPE material, which Macrium uses to make a boot CD.

You need the boot CD, only if restoring your backup to a new hard
drive. Imagine, for example, the hard drive with C: on it, breaks
thirty seconds from now. There is nothing to boot the computer
with. If you have the Macrium CD, you can boot into the Macrium
environment, find your backup .mrimg file stored on your
external USB hard drive, and restore that to a brand new
replacement hard drive installed inside your computer.

That's what the boot CD is for.

If you downloaded the Macrium smaller file, that *includes* a
Linux-based boot CD. But that one, doesn't have as many functions
as the WinPE one does. The Linux based boot CD, is good enough
to complete a restoration. So it is perfectly functional, and
"good enough". (Note - when the Linux CD boots, you don't
need to know anything about Linux - all you see is the
Macrium program window, and you cannot escape from Macrium.
As a consequence, there is no way to verify the disc is
actually Linux based.)

The WinPE boot CD, includes a fuller set of functions. You
can backup/restore/clone. Whereas the Linux CD has fewer
of those functions.

If you're on dialup networking, this represents a hard choice.
On the one hand, the smaller Macrium file is barely within
the bounds of a download over dialup. If you selected the
WinPE file as well, that would kill you and take forever.
Using the smaller file alone, meets the requirements of
a full backup and restore function. So it does protect you
if the C: hard drive breaks, and you've just plugged in
a completely empty new drive. But I like the WinPE disc,
as it can do anything the Windows installation of Macrium
can do.

For people on dialup, I recommend a visit to the public library.
I've used them before, when I was between ISPs (new install
didn't happen on the date it was supposed to). You could
download both files, while you visit the library. Or,
you could drink coffee at the Starbucks and use their
Wifi networking.

You could also (gasp!) buy the software from Macrium. I
don't even know what their retail software looks like,
what is in the box and so on. But that might be worth
investigating if you cannot afford the download.

Note that Macrium provides frequent online updates,
so even after it is installed, it'll pester you to
install the latest update. You can click "No" to that,
so that is not a big deal. But in terms of bandwidth
usage, it's like a lot of other software that never
leaves you in peace for a minute.

Paul

AAH wrote:
Paul
Thanks for your details.
The small file is very easy to install it but it leaves out
the the Windows PE part.
How do I setup that part to prepare the
rescue cd to start the windows to recover.
or restore the image backup files ?

Start Macrium, look under "Other Tasks" and "Create Rescue Media".

I don't know what the steps would look like after that.

If it offers you an ISO9660 file, then you'll need a
burner program like Nero or Imgburn to make the boot CD.
Many third-party burner programs, have the option to
convert an ISO9660 file, into a bootable CD or DVD.

Paul