Fixed: Macrium Reflect ‘MapAndValidateXML’ Failed

Macrium Reflect Free stands out as a well-crafted disk imaging tool in the current market. Its user interface is user-friendly, responsive, and polished, distinguishing it from other tools that may feel a bit cumbersome in certain areas. However, some users reported Macrium Reflect MapAndValidate XML failed during the cloning process. Why it happens and how to address it successfully? Now please follow to read.

Note: Macrium Reflect Free has been discontinued early 2024. If you want another powerful disk imaging and backup software, try AOMEI Backupper.

What does it mean: MapAndValidateXML failed

MapAndValidateXML happens when you try to start a cloning operation from a clone definition, but the source specified in the clone definition (the original disk or partition to be cloned) cannot be found on the computer.

Generally speaking, Backup definitions rely on Disk ID and Partition numbers for local disks. If a disk is re-initialized, removed, or has undergone changes in partition layout since the backup definition was made, it might become challenging to identify the intended partitions for the image file. That may largely lead to Macrium MapAndValidate XML failed issue. and there may be diverse factors that account for such issue:

The causes that leads to MapAndValidateXML

Here are some diverse factors that leads to Macrium MapAndValidate XML failed.

▶Partition size has changed: if the partition size on the source disk has changed and the old partition size is still referenced in the clone definition, mapping and validation may fail.
▶Source disk signature changes: If the signature of the source disk changes, the clone definition may fail to find the corresponding disk.
▶Other disk configuration changes: This error may also be caused if there are other changes in the source disk's configuration, for example, changes in the partition structure or disk type.

Other possible situations that may also be the underlying reasons:

▪ Corrupt clone definition file
▪ Source disk or partition inaccessible
▪ File path problems
▪ Hardware Changes

Stepwise guide to solve map and validate xml failed

Suggest that your disk partition layout or Disk ID has changed, you can troubleshoot it by editing the definition file. Here is how you can do it:

If the disk you are trying to image has been disconnected, just reconnect it to your system.

Step 1. Launch Macrium Reflect and right-click on the Backup Definition that's causing the error.

Step 2. From the context menu, select Edit. This will open the editing interface for the Backup Definition.

Step 3. Inside the editing interface, review and reselect the partitions you want to include in the image.

Step 4. Once you've chosen the appropriate partitions, click Finish to complete the editing process.

Bonus tip: Try Macrium Reflect alternative---AOMEI Backupper Professional🔥

If you find yourself unable to resolve the "Macrium Reflect mapAndValidate XML failed" issue using the method mentioned above or if you prefer a more straightforward solution without extensive troubleshooting, you might want to explore an alternative disk cloning software, such as AOMEI Backupper Professional.

• You can run Disk Clone or Partition Clone separately to enhance the cloning efficiency, or System Clone to clone the entire OS.
• Its Intelligent Clone only clone the used sectors which allows you to clone larger drive to smaller drive.
• The sector-by-sector clone mode is available for cloning every bit of data entirely.
• All editions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP are supported.

Now download this software and install it on your computer.

AOMEI Backupper

Professional disk cloning software

Download Demo
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Step 1. Launch this software and navigate to Clone and then Disk Clone.

Step 2. Then choose the current disk as the source disk and the target hard drive as the destination disk, and click on the Next button to continue.

Step 3. Confirm the operation and click Start Clone to begin copying the old drive to the new drive.

🌟Tips：
To avoid unallocated space after cloning to a larger drive using AOMEI Backupper Professional, you can utilize the Edit Partitions feature. This allows you to adjust the partition sizes on the destination disk according to your preferences. Additionally, you have the option to convert the partition style of the target disk for added flexibility in managing the cloned partitions.
▪ Copy without resizing partitions: It will not change the partition size.
▪ Add unused space to all partitions: It will reallocate the unallocated space to each partition of the target disk, appropriate for the disk size.
▪ Manually adjust partition size: It allows you to extend unallocated space to any partition you want on the destination disk.
▪ Convert the destination disk from MBR (GPT) to GPT (MBR): It helps to convert MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR without booting issues when cloning disks with different partition styles.

Further reading: how to boot from bad sectors

If your system disk is too damaged to boot properly, create a bootable media on a working computer with the same OS. Boot the problematic computer from this media to perform disk cloning in WinPE. Additionally, you can use WinPE to back up important files on the damaged disk to prevent data loss.

Final words

This post tells the possible reasons and solutions to troubleshoot ‘Macrium reflect map and validate XML failed’ issue.

What’s more, if users cannot solve the issue successfully, the best cloning alternative is given. AOMEI Bakcupper Professional is a full-feature tool that encompasses backup and restore, clone, and sync functions to allow users to protect their data in various ways. Now download this software and try it first!