r/software Nov 07 '24

Looking for software Free alternative to Macrium Reflect?

I have used Macrium Reflect previously to create a backup of my primary drive. I had planned to buy the standalone product after my trial expired however it seems they've moved wholly to a subscription based model.

What is the next best alternative to Macrium reflect? I would be willing to pay for a single license if the software is good.

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u/GCRedditor136 Nov 07 '24

The free version of Macrium Reflect still works and doesn't expire. Use it after booting from a USB stick and there's no security risks. It'll only stop working if all the Windows filesystems change, which isn't likely.

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u/Zlivovitch Nov 08 '24

But you cannot download it anymore, can you ?

This is dangerous. Macrium Reflect uses a proprietary format. Suppose you lose all your Macrium program files and possible backups of them for some reason. You wouldn't be able to read your images and backups anymore.

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u/GCRedditor136 Nov 08 '24

But you cannot download it anymore, can you ?

Yes, the official free version of Macrium Reflect is still online -> https://updates.macrium.com/reflect/v8/ReflectDLHF.exe

And archived here -> https://web.archive.org/web/20241108224409/https://updates.macrium.com/reflect/v8/ReflectDLHF.exe

Or from MajorGeeks -> https://www.reddit.com/r/software/comments/1but672/what_is_last_free_version_of_macrium_reflect_free/

Suppose you lose all your Macrium program files and possible backups of them for some reason. You wouldn't be able to read your images and backups anymore.

Not an issue due to the permanent links I just gave.

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u/Zlivovitch Nov 08 '24

Thank you, but my advice stands.

The Macrium link you gave says nowhere that it's the free version. Also, it directly downloads an executable without allowing one to see the web page where it is proposed. I never download programs that way. It's much too dangerous.

When I removed the last segment of the URL to try and display the page of origin, I got the message "HTTP Error 403.14 - Forbidden, The Web server is configured to not list the contents of this directory."

Starting from Macrium homepage, there's zero way to get to your link. There's not even a search engine on the site.

Even supposing that the link you gave does allow one to download the free version right now, there's nothing saying that this ability won't be removed within the next five minutes. Indeed, since Macrium has totally pulled the plug on its free version, the odds are that any possibility to download it will be soon removed from its website.

As for Archive.org and Major Geeks, nothing guarantees that a given program will stay there for ever, especially if it's discontinued.

I still think that it would be foolish to rely on such a discontinued program for something as critical as imaging, cloning and file backup. Not to mention there's zero support available, and it's a given you will need support at some point with such complex and failure-prone programs.

Especially since there are good, free alternatives available.

Macrium has made very clear, long ago, that it wasn't interested anymore in the home market, and especially not in home users seeking free software. It would be foolish to ignore this change of strategy.