1. Create Rescue Media
2. Add Recovery Boot Menu

I must say after 2 full product releases of Macrium Reflect implementing saving the associated "Advanced Options" to "Create Rescue Media" and "Add Recovery Boot Menu" so that information can be used a DEFAULT rather than having to set that information each time they are used. I'm perplexed. As a software developer the complexity and investment appears minimal, and, yet, appropriate. Is there some technical reason why this hasn't been implemented? It's a total time waster having to reconfigure with each use. Please educate me. What can I do to help get this implemented?

Hi 

Thanks for posting. 

Adding the recovery boot menu is a one off process. It isn't necessary to re-add at any other time.  The Rescue media only needs to be re-created if an update to Macrium reflect requires a new version of Reflect in the rescue media. The Windows Image File (WIM) is shared between the  rescue media and boot menu, so rebuilding the rescue media automatically updates the boot menu. 

Can you elaborate on "rather than having to set that information each time they are used" so we can better understand the problem you are having?  Many thanks 

Kind Regards

Nick

Macrium Support

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+x

 

Nick - 2 July 2017 9:49 PM

Hi 

Thanks for posting. 

Adding the recovery boot menu is a one off process. It isn't necessary to re-add at any other time.  The Rescue media only needs to be re-created if an update to Macrium reflect requires a new version of Reflect in the rescue media. The Windows Image File (WIM) is shared between the  rescue media and boot menu, so rebuilding the rescue media automatically updates the boot menu. 

Can you elaborate on "rather than having to set that information each time they are used" so we can better understand the problem you are having?  Many thanks 

Nick,
When I use the "boot menu" method of accessing Reflect, I'd expect the "Advanced Options" to be synchronized with the "Advanced Options" in the 'normal' Reflect configuration -- specifically:

* Compression
* File Size
* Password
* Auto Verify Image
* Reparse Points (F&F)
* Backup Set Matching (F&F)
* Shutdown (with the exception hibernate/ would be suspend)

These values always default to some baseline which I'm always having to modify. At a minimum I'd expect the above to be retained from session to session for the boot access method of Reflect and I'd expect to see these values recorded when an ISO of Reflect is created so the environment baseline would be the same as I use in my Windows environment. Obviously, if an ISO is created and the then current values above are recorded to the ISO, thereafter changing in the Reflect Windows environment would require creating another/updated ISO to reflect those "baseline" defaults.

The "Advanced Options" settings are specific to definition files, and users may well configure those settings differently for various definition files -- and definition files can't even be used in the Rescue environment.  Have you tried changing those settings under Other Tasks > Edit Defaults in Reflect so that the defaults for those settings for all subsequently created definition files are set as you specify there?  I don't know if even that would cause the Rescue Media to store those settings since I haven't tested it, but that's the only place I would expect that type of "settings parity" to make sense.  If it still doesn't work, then my guess is that it's simply because the Rescue environment is envisioned primarily as a means of performing restores rather than backups, but that's certainly not to say that this couldn't be implemented, so perhaps this should be a Wish List item.

+x

 

jphughan - 8 May 2018 1:09 PM

The "Advanced Options" settings are specific to definition files, and users may well configure those settings differently for various definition files -- and definition files can't even be used in the Rescue environment.  Have you tried changing those settings under Other Tasks > Edit Defaults in Reflect so that the defaults for those settings for all subsequently created definition files are set as you specify there?  I don't know if even that would cause the Rescue Media to store those settings since I haven't tested it, but that's the only place I would expect that type of "settings parity" to make sense.  If it still doesn't work, then my guess is that it's simply because the Rescue environment is envisioned primarily as a means of performing restores rather than backups, but that's certainly not to say that this couldn't be implemented, so perhaps this should be a Wish List item.

That's my concern. The Other Tasks -> Reflect Defaults should be exactly that, defaults for Reflect, but they are only defaults for Windows Reflect and the values there are NOT used in the Recovery Boot Menu OR Create Rescue Media environments of Reflect. IMHO they should be, that's my concern. I've made the request years ago.

If Reflect "rescue" media's intent is restoring only, then the backup features should be removed or implement using the "Other Tasks -> Edit Defaults" when the media is created. Same goes for the Recovery Boot Menu.