Backing up the system drive - but also the MBR and Track 0??

[Bill in Co.]

Like some others here, I've used Acronis True Image (11) to backup my system
partition to a USB hard drive enclosure, but I have a question.

If, in addition to backing up and restoring the system partition C:, is it
ever necessary to also backup and restore the MBR and Track 0 (which is also
presented as an option in Acronis)? When is THAT needed?

So should the MBR (and Track 0) also be backed up too? (I am guessing not,
as I've gotten away so far without doing it). But if you add or delete
programs, doesn't that affect the MBR (and the partition tables) at all?
Or is it only if you make a change to the actual drive partitioning that the
MBR changes?

I have a Dell, and the system is located on the second partition of the HD,
not the first (Dell uses the small, hidden, first and third partitions for
its own stuff).

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Like some others here, I've used Acronis True Image (11) to backup my
system partition to a USB hard drive enclosure, but I have a question.

If, in addition to backing up and restoring the system partition C:, is it
ever necessary to also backup and restore the MBR and Track 0 (which is
also presented as an option in Acronis)? When is THAT needed?

So should the MBR (and Track 0) also be backed up too? (I am guessing
not, as I've gotten away so far without doing it). But if you add or
delete programs, doesn't that affect the MBR (and the partition tables) at
all? Or is it only if you make a change to the actual drive partitioning
that the MBR changes?

I have a Dell, and the system is located on the second partition of the
HD, not the first (Dell uses the small, hidden, first and third partitions
for its own stuff).

You will find that Acronis backs up everything that is necessary
to restore your system. Installing/removing programs will NOT
affect the MBR.

Note that all backup systems that have not been tested constitute
the "hope" of having a backup, not the "fact" of having one. The
only way to know that your backup system actually works is to
perform a test recovery.

 

[jorgen]

If, in addition to backing up and restoring the system partition C:, is it
ever necessary to also backup and restore the MBR and Track 0 (which is also
presented as an option in Acronis)? When is THAT needed?

It is needed, if you must preserve drive letters. If the disk id
changes, Windows invalidates all letters on next boot. But in a case
like yours, the partition just happens to get the same letter, so you
don't notice anything

 

[Bill in Co.]

OK, but I was under the impression that some entries for the Partition Table
(which indexes all the data and its location on the HD, right?) is recorded
in the MBR, so that if you add or remove programs, it could affect at least
some of those entries).

I guess, though, from what you are saying, the ONLY thing contained in the
MBR that would be of significance to us as users is if the drive is
repartitioned, or some partitions are deleted or added, and in that case,
and only in that case, would the MBR need to be saved and restored. So is
that correct?

I'm not sure about the Track 0 thing, however. Maybe that NEVER needs to
be saved and restored (it may just contain some bootup jump instructions)?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

No, the MBR does NOT contain any file data. This is why it
is perfectly safe to restore it with the fixmbr command (under
the Recovery Console) or with fdisk /mbr (while booting with
a Win98 boot diskette). The MBR contains only the master
boot record program and information on how the hard disk is
partitioned.

 

[Bill in Co.]

I understand that the MBR doesn't contain the actual file's data, per se.
But I had thought that some information (like how much of the HD is actually
being used, that actual size, in GB, and where the starting cluster of each
program file is located on the HD), would be saved in the Partition Table,
and any changes there would affect at least some entry in the MBR) But I
guess not. So is that a correct assessment?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I understand that the MBR doesn't contain the actual file's data, per se.
But I had thought that some information (like how much of the HD is
actually being used, that actual size, in GB, and where the starting
cluster of each program file is located on the HD), would be saved in the
Partition Table, and any changes there would affect at least some entry in
the MBR) But I guess not. So is that a correct assessment?

Yes, that's correct.

 

[Bill in Co.]

Yes, that's correct.

OK. Thanks. I probably would do myself a big favor by reading up on it
a bit more.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

It is needed, if you must preserve drive letters. If the disk id changes,
Windows invalidates all letters on next boot. But in
a case like yours, the partition just happens to get the same letter,
so you don't notice anything.

</invalid>

Don't even *try* to understand the above paragraph.
It's nonsense.

*TimDaniels*

 

[jorgen]

Don't even *try* to understand the above paragraph.
It's nonsense.

Which part is so nonsense?

I've read somewhere that when dealing with vista, this id is also very
important when booting with bootmgr