Help with Macrium images and Bootcamp

If you only want Windows, use C: (GPT4), otherwise I recommend you should clown the entire disk. You can also use Time Machine for the OS X side.

Separate backups are better. You can also back up your GPT (partitioning scheme) using GPT Fdisk.

timelover wrote:

OKay. So hypothetically if my windows partition gets corrupted I can use Macrium to restore it to its original state with no hassle at all?

The restore depends on the underlying partitioning during restore. You want it to match when the backup was created. This is why I suggested also backing up the corresponding GPT to ensure you have a match. Your Mac year/model and a MBR (if needed) will determine the effort required to restore Windows.

And also, if my disk goes bad, I can time machine my osx stuff to a new drive, install bootcamp, install macrium and put back my windows as well?

If you restore the Time Machine backup you will also get all your software back, including Macrium and Bootcamp Assistant. If you restore the entire disk, you will need to ensure the source state(at the time of back up creation) and destination (at the time of restore) match.

timelover wrote:

I'm confused now. 😟 I have a mid 2012 macbook pro.

If I replace my macbook for instance, would I be able to restore from my current macrium windows (C: ) image after having reinstalled windows in the new mac via bootcamp?

You should not restore a Windows image from one Mac model to a different model, due to BC driver differences. If you install Windows on the new Mac, are you just planning to restore files? It is better to copy files rather than restore the clone. Applications will need to be re-instatlled on the new Mac. Cloning Windows across Mac models has many issues.

That is the only case I see where partitions would change, and even then, that's why I'll only backup the (C: ) right? So I can move it to wherever I want, as long as I have installed windows through bootcamp so the other tiny partitions are in the right place.

A clone should be restored to the same sized partition on the same model. You also have to consider licensing implications of Windows, if the underlying hardware is different.

Id rather keep this as simple as possible. Time machine + macrium image + gptdisk would be too much to keep track of.

Yes, it can be tedious. A simpler solution is to use Windows Backup/Restore or File History to backup/restore the same hardware. Moving clones has much bigger challenges.

If you really need mobility with Windows, consider Windows-to-Go under Windows Enterprise.

I usually use an external D: which is portable, with the C: being a pure Windows OS. I can delete/recreate such a C: at will.

Yes, this procedure will work. Please be careful and restore a backup, prior to the infection, otherwise you are back in the same state.

The backup should have been taken prior to the infection. I assume you want to create a regular daily backups schedule and retain a set of such backups and restore from a state before the problem occurred. The critical part is determining when the problem occurred.

timelover wrote:

Partition 1 and 3 (from that picture) are the recovery partitions for OSX and WIN, correct?

No.

Partition 1 is the EFI (or ESP) partition and is mandatory on a GPT disk, irrespective of the OS installed. On some Mac models, Windows BCD and Bootloader is stored in this partition as well (the S: drive).

Partition 3 is the OS X Recovery HD. It is typically on the same disk as OS X on a single-disk Mac. It can also be on an external disk, if removed from the internal disk. Some of aspects of the SIP feature of El Capitan and later OS X versions depend on this partition.

Consider backing up the Windows partition. You should also back up the EFI partition if Windows is installed using EFI Boot. Another option, for the Microsoft directory on the EFI partition, is to clone Windows and the EFI partition at the same time. Bootrec.exe can be used to rebuild the BCD.

Here is an example of the contents of the EFI partition on a Mac - Re: Can't resize Macintosh HD partition which has an EFI Windows installation.

EFI installations are usually faster. Unfortunately, your 2012 Mac is a preUEFI Mac.