F5F Stay Refreshed Software General Software Do you need a free program to clone, backup, or restore your Windows 11 computer?

Do you need a free program to clone, backup, or restore your Windows 11 computer?

Do you need a free program to clone, backup, or restore your Windows 11 computer?

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Merppi
Junior Member
10
09-07-2026, 03:20 AM
#11
Actually, the paid version works better than the free one. Even though it's more expensive, you don't need to worry about saving every folder on your drives when you have the advanced features included in the premium plan.
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Merppi
09-07-2026, 03:20 AM #11

Actually, the paid version works better than the free one. Even though it's more expensive, you don't need to worry about saving every folder on your drives when you have the advanced features included in the premium plan.

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Agman10
Senior Member
690
09-08-2026, 08:22 PM
#12
Surely you could try paying for Macrium's file and folder backup feature... but it feels super complicated and too much work. I tested this thing out for a whole week and just quit using it completely.
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Agman10
09-08-2026, 08:22 PM #12

Surely you could try paying for Macrium's file and folder backup feature... but it feels super complicated and too much work. I tested this thing out for a whole week and just quit using it completely.

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Ungenuine
Member
214
09-09-2026, 04:55 AM
#13
Hey Guys, @USAFRet @Lafong Thank you so much for all your helpful tips - this really helped me get things figured out. I'm really happy about that news! But just in case, maybe it's a good idea to create some partitions. It would make the setup cleaner and easier, plus it would help me remember which files are system stuff versus what I need for backups. So you know exactly what's going where? If this sounds right, then yes, you could do a clean install on your 1TB drive first. Once everything is set up and running fine, just use Disk Management to split the 1TB into two parts: one part for the System Drive and another part for Storage. Do you think that's the best way to go? And how exactly do I actually do this step by step? I'm pretty nervous about this part - a little worried I'll spend hours doing all that setup, update it all, and then undo everything back to square one! Also, since I've only ever used Win 8.1 before not Win 10 or 11, there might be steps I just don't know how to do. Plus, I haven't done this kind of stuff for a very long time. It all sounds good though - thanks so much! I got it now, and I feel better about this. Great idea, thanks again guys!
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Ungenuine
09-09-2026, 04:55 AM #13

Hey Guys, @USAFRet @Lafong Thank you so much for all your helpful tips - this really helped me get things figured out. I'm really happy about that news! But just in case, maybe it's a good idea to create some partitions. It would make the setup cleaner and easier, plus it would help me remember which files are system stuff versus what I need for backups. So you know exactly what's going where? If this sounds right, then yes, you could do a clean install on your 1TB drive first. Once everything is set up and running fine, just use Disk Management to split the 1TB into two parts: one part for the System Drive and another part for Storage. Do you think that's the best way to go? And how exactly do I actually do this step by step? I'm pretty nervous about this part - a little worried I'll spend hours doing all that setup, update it all, and then undo everything back to square one! Also, since I've only ever used Win 8.1 before not Win 10 or 11, there might be steps I just don't know how to do. Plus, I haven't done this kind of stuff for a very long time. It all sounds good though - thanks so much! I got it now, and I feel better about this. Great idea, thanks again guys!

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The_dano
Junior Member
48
09-09-2026, 09:51 AM
#14
There are some times when Disk Management won't do that for me. You'll figure it out when you try. If it works for your specific situation, use it. If not, buy a third-party tool instead. Don't worry about it right now. Whenever you make an image of your data, be sure to include the proper partitions correctly. You can choose to keep your storage drive included or excluded from the backup. You need to decide if "storage" (meaning just my drives and files) should be backed up only by Macrium alone, or also/instead by a separate app that simply copies everything without breaking anything else. I prefer using full images because it meets my needs perfectly. Every month, I create a fresh image of the whole thing. My boot drive holds Windows and all applications, but it's pretty small. This is backed up just by Macrium imaging software. ALL of my personal data lives on a completely separate 2 TB drive (not another partition on the main drive). I don't use Macrium to back this one drive at all. That's how I do it. Other methods will work too. Do whatever makes sense for you.
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The_dano
09-09-2026, 09:51 AM #14

There are some times when Disk Management won't do that for me. You'll figure it out when you try. If it works for your specific situation, use it. If not, buy a third-party tool instead. Don't worry about it right now. Whenever you make an image of your data, be sure to include the proper partitions correctly. You can choose to keep your storage drive included or excluded from the backup. You need to decide if "storage" (meaning just my drives and files) should be backed up only by Macrium alone, or also/instead by a separate app that simply copies everything without breaking anything else. I prefer using full images because it meets my needs perfectly. Every month, I create a fresh image of the whole thing. My boot drive holds Windows and all applications, but it's pretty small. This is backed up just by Macrium imaging software. ALL of my personal data lives on a completely separate 2 TB drive (not another partition on the main drive). I don't use Macrium to back this one drive at all. That's how I do it. Other methods will work too. Do whatever makes sense for you.

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