Does Macrium Reflect encounter backup loading issues?
Does Macrium Reflect encounter backup loading issues?
Hello,
I prepared a complete backup of my PC on 21 Dec 2024 and stored it on an external hard drive. On 22 Dec 2024, I set up an incremental scheduled backup to run daily at 4am using the file named IncrementalScheduledBackupsDailyEveryDay0400AM.xml. Until today, 06 May 2025, I haven’t used Macrium Reflect software. I typically wait until the external drive is full before the daily incremental backup fails with the message “No space on destination.” Then I replace another empty external hard drive and repeat the cycle. This process has been ongoing for many years without any issues, and in recent years no full backup was created automatically. As of 06 May 2025, my external hard drive shows 544GB free space, which should cover several days of incremental backups. Each day’s incremental files range from about 5GB to 10GB.
I have some questions and attached screenshots for your reference.
Q1
Why on 06 May 2025 did I notice that all Macrium files were renamed with an extra ".error_loading" at the end, such as “561E5C36E5DA831F-00-00.mrimg.error_loading”? I recall it used to appear as “561E5C36E5DA831F-00-00.mrimg”. The logs from 04 May 2025 indicate Macrium was renaming the files. The completion message on 04 May 2025 mentioned an “Out of memory” situation.
Q2
I reviewed the Macrium logs and found that on 04, 05, and 06 May 2025, the incremental backup attempted a full backup. What causes this? I already created a full backup of my PC on 21 Dec 2024 on the same drive, and the incremental backups worked until 03 May 2025.
Q3
In the Macrium software logs between 21 Dec 2024 and 03 May 2025, the result was marked as Success. However, the files on my external hard drive showed ".error_loading" at the end. Are the backups from that period still usable and in good condition?
Q4
In the logs for 04 May 2025, the completion message stated “Out of memory.” I suspect this happened because there were too many browser tabs open during the scheduled backup on 04 May 2025. The error occurred, but the earlier backups (from 21 Dec 2024 to 03 May 2025) were successful. Can I rename all files by removing the ".error_loading" part and then proceed with the 22 Dec 2024 incremental backup at 4am using the same schedule?
Q5
What actions should I take to resolve these issues?
I’m running Windows 10 Pro Version 22H2 and Macrium Reflect Home v8.1.8325 (UEFI), as well as Home (64-Bit) (UEFI).
Thank you very much.
Total of 9 screenshots are included (click the right arrow on each to view the next or click on an image to enlarge).
https://imgur.com/a/z2ECOSi
View: https://imgur.com/a/z2ECOSi
Screenshots are attached in this post and also available via the link
Imgur: The magic of the Internet
What version of MR should I use?
This is not the correct approach for using Macrium and Incrementals.
A recovery requires the original full image along with every intermediate Incremental.
With so many increments, the chances of failure increase significantly.
And if you manually modify any of the increments, the risk of failure becomes almost certain.
Begin from scratch.
Keep the complete full image and maintain a continuous 30-day history of increments.
I didn't configure any updates for Macrium before; I haven't seen it auto-update prior. Now it will ask if the newest version exists, after which I'll need to do the manual update myself. I believe Macrium isn't updating while it performs scheduled backups.
The scenario presented outlines two different backup strategies. The first involves a full backup on January 1st at 5GB and daily incremental backups of 1GB each day, resulting in a total of 8GB for the period from January 1st to April 4th. The second scenario describes a full backup on January 1st at 5GB followed by daily differential backups of increasing size: 1GB on February 2nd, 2GB on March 3rd, and 3GB on April 4th, totaling 11GB for the same timeframe. The question asks whether differential backups consume significantly more space than incremental ones.
Differential versus Incremental
https://blog.macrium.com/incrementa...fe...13b093b56a
Differential covers every change since the previous Full Image.
Incremental includes all changes since the last Incremental update.
To restore data: for Differential, just provide the target Differential and the original Full Image.
For Incremental, you must include every intermediate Incremental and the original Full Image.
Macrium advises against storing differences excessively long.
Spending time this way will soon require saving nearly the entire drive repeatedly each day.
365 days is completely excessive.