Macrium Registry Entry. Can anyone help with the correct syntax to construct this entry.

Mooly · May 6, 2024

I'm playing with trying to include the Windows Index File into a backup... I just want to crack this for my own satisfaction now as much as anything. This is all done on a test setup so no harm can be done.

I asked Macrium ages ago and the answer is out there but I'm struggling. Long story short. I've tried to add the entry manually using Regedit and it looked correct to me but it doesn't work as supposed and Windows still launches into rebuilding the index after a restore.

I thought now I would try and add the key using a reg file created in Notepad but I'm struggling (as in I don't know quite the syntax to use for the data and name) to do this.

Macrium say:

If you really want to exclude this writer then you can create the following registry entry:
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\Reflect\ExcludedWriters
Name: MSSearch
Value: {CD3F2362-8BEF-46C7-9181-D62844CDC062}
Type: REG_SZ

My Notepad attempt looks like:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\Reflect\ExcludedWriters]
"Name"="MSSearch"
"Value"={CD3F2362-8BEF-46C7-9181-D62844CDC062}
"Type"="REG_SZ"

The key is actually present anyway in a Macrium install but the data is not. The file says it has worked with the key and data added to the registry but when I look the values are still the same i.e. default and not set.

kelper · May 6, 2024

Easier just to turn indexing off and use Void Tools' 'Everything'

https://www.voidtools.com/Everything-1.4.1.1024.x86-Setup.exe

I know that's no fun, but it's faster than using MS Search. And more versatile.

OAT · May 6, 2024

Mooly said:
My Notepad attempt looks like:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\Reflect\ExcludedWriters] "Name"="MSSearch" "Value"={CD3F2362-8BEF-46C7-9181-D62844CDC062} "Type"="REG_SZ"

The key is actually present anyway in a Macrium install but the data is not. The file says it has worked with the key and data added to the registry but when I look the values are still the same i.e. default and not set.

@Mooly ,

The .reg is all wrong. It should be:
Name of the subkey = value of subkey in REG_RZ (String)
So in notepad, it would look like:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\reflect\ExcludedWriters]
"MSSearch"="{CD3F2362-8BEF-46C7-9181-D62844CDC062}"

No need to reboot after the merge.

Mooly · May 6, 2024

Thanks but I'm just curious to try and in the first case get to work what Macrium suggest.

The default key is this:

And I would just like to create a reg file to add the modified values. When I entered them manually it didn't seem to do anything. Would merging them from a reg file be any different?

If I can be 100% sure I had done it correctly then I would ask Macrium again. I find the rebuilding of the index the single biggest annoyance with disk imaging. It is classed as a temporary cache and not essential to back up as it gets rebuilt anyway following a restore. The problem as many know is that Windows is just so slow to do this :)

Mooly · May 6, 2024

OAT said:
The .reg is all wrong. It should be:

Brilliant, I'm going to give that a try on my test set up now

Many thanks.

Mooly · May 6, 2024

This looks promising @OAT thanks

I will need to do a backup and restore now to see if it works. First I will add a few hundred more files to index as this test setup has very few.

Mooly · May 6, 2024

Argh. It has not worked. Image made and restored and index is wiped and needs to rebuild. Maybe things are different now compared to when I got the info and its a hack that no longer works.

I might ask Macrium again if only to solve the puzzle.

Mooly · May 6, 2024

I've asked Macrium. This is something I want to crack just for my own curiosity.

Mooly · May 7, 2024

I did a bit more playing around with the Index File and got nowhere. It seems Windows rebuilds the index no matter what...

On my test set up I created a small 20Gb partition and called it 'Index' and then moved the index file to the new location. Once rebuilt the index took a surprisingly small amount of space, just a few hundred Mb.

Now I make a new image and then restore it and once again I find the index is set back to zero.

Maybe something has changed in Windows, maybe the reg file is 'working' but when the image is restored Windows recognises something untoward has happened and rebuilds it any.

Bree · May 7, 2024

Mooly said:
I'm playing with trying to include the Windows Index File into a backup...

...I asked Macrium ages ago and the answer is out there but I'm struggling....Macrium say:

If you really want to exclude this writer then you can create the following registry entry:
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\Reflect\ExcludedWriters

I think Macrium may have misunderstood your question. The key they have given you has nothing to do with including/excluding files. It is used to exclude a specific VSS writer when troubleshooting VSS errors. A VSS writer is what Windows uses to create the Shadow Copy when imaging a running system.

VSS Error - Selected writer Registry Writer is in failed state - Knowledgebase 8.0 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase

knowledgebase.macrium.com

I'm not sure if there is a way to explicitly include a file, there certainly is a way to exclude specific file(s) though....

How to exclude files from a Disk Image - Knowledgebase 8.0 - Macrium Reflect Knowledgebase

knowledgebase.macrium.com

Mooly · May 7, 2024

Interesting, thanks. I must say that the term 'excluded' has me puzzled as well. I was surprised though when my test of moving the index to a different partition and imaging it along with the C drive also failed.

I looked back at my original Macrium post from a while back and this was the reply:

The Windows Search index is excluded by the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy 'MSSearch Service Writer'. The index is explicitly excluded to prevent performance and disk IO problems during the shadow copy life time.

Please see here:
In-Box VSS Writers - Win32 apps

We don't recommend that this VSS writer is excluded, but you can do so by creating the following registry entry:

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Macrium\Reflect\ExcludedWriters
Name: MSSearch
Type REG_SZ
Value: {CD3F2362-8BEF-46C7-9181-D62844CDC0B2}

kelper · May 7, 2024

Well, I just see this when I press WIN+S - and it still finds installed programs instantly. This is true for both admin and user accounts.

Mooly · May 7, 2024

Does it quickly locate individual files though if you just search for a key work in a title for example?

kelper · May 7, 2024

No, but I use 'Everything' for that. I don't need file names or contents being indexed.

I just checked, you can still search for a file in File Explorer but it's very, very, slow.

Mooly · May 7, 2024

OK, fair enough. It looks like there is not an easy answer to this. Even it was problematic in use and caused issues it would still be nice to know how to get it included

das10 · May 7, 2024

jfi: I don't know if you have read this, or if it would work for you. Ie. disable the Windows Search Service temporarily and immediately before you want to do a backup (any new files won't be indexed until the service is resumed, but files indexed already should 'hopefully' remain in the Index). According to the accepted Answer there, the Index did get backed up by "..stopping and disabling the Windows Search service".

Redirecting

I don't use Windows Search indexing as such (I use "Everything" for file/folder searches only), but have it running all the same, with the default "Internet Explorer History" option. My Search database file (Windows.db) is therefore quite small, but still it would enable me to see if disabling Windows Search whilst making an image would include that particular file in the image.

A Macrium image file when the Search Service was running shows that the db file is not imaged:

Windows.db - Search Running when imaging.png

An image run immediately after temporarily stopping the Search Service, the db file does get imaged.

Windows.db - Search Disabled when imaging.png

As you are using a test setup, it might be worth exploring this possibility.

Mooly · May 7, 2024

That's very interesting, thanks. I might indeed have a play with that although I would want any fix (hack

) to be something that just worked each time a backup was run rather than having to alter something each and every time.

Definitely a good find and it gives another direction to investigate.

Mooly · May 8, 2024

I did try stopping the search service and making and restoring a backup but the result was the same, index set to zero and has to rebuild. I'm coming to the conclusion it is probably going to be one of those things best left as Microsoft intended.

Apart from one initial reply there has been no further interest over at Macrium.