
Changes to the disk are written to and read from a redo log file that is deleted when you power off or reset the virtual machine, or when you delete a snapshot. With nonpersistent mode, you can restart the virtual machine with a virtual disk in the same state every time. Changes to disks in nonpersistent mode are discarded when you power off or reset the virtual machine. When you power off or reset a virtual machine, the disk and all its snapshots are preserved.ĭisks in nonpersistent mode behave like read-only disks. All data written to a disk in persistent mode are written permanently to the disk even if you revert a snapshot. When you revert to the previous snapshot, all data are reverted to the point of taking a snapshot.ĭisks in persistent mode behave like conventional disks on your physical computer. When you take a snapshot of a virtual machine, dependent disks are included in the snapshot. Optionĭependent mode is the default disk mode. On the Virtual Hardware tab, expand Hard disk, and select an independent disk mode option. Snapshot state includes the virtual machine’s power state (ex, powered-on, powered-off, suspended) and the data includes all of the files (disks, memory, and other devices, such as virtual network interface cards.) that make up the virtual machine.Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.Navigate to the Macrium Reflect website.Launch your web browser from the Start menu, desktop or taskbar.The first step is to install Macrium Reflect on your PC. Local Snapshots + Offline Backup to an External Disk Snapshot creation and pruning on our workstation should happen in the background, without interaction. If you want to create scheduled images, whether incremental or differential, you'll have to upgrade to a paid plan.

Macrium Reflect has a free version that works great for casual users who want to make a single, full image of their hard drives. For just the cloning and imaging software, you'll spend about $40. Rotate the snapshots (in this case snapshot 0 'falls off' and is deleted and I rename snapshot 1 to snapshot 0) Copy the snapshot agin (repeat of step 2) Rsync again. There are a few buying options to choose from when it comes to Acronis - there is also a 30-day free trial - including subscription options that come with 50GB or 1TB of cloud storage. Note: we now have only 1 copy of File A and File C and two copies of File B stored on the hard disk. Its UI is super simple to use, and you can even set an automatic file sync that will keep your backup up to date. Like Macrium Reflect, there is a fully-functional, free version of AOMEI that lets you create system images, back up hard drives, and clone drives.

We've been using Macrium Reflect for a while and so far haven't found a reason to switch, but there are also plenty of other imaging options out there, including one built right into Windows 10.
