Acronis Rescue Boot Cd Didn't Let Me Restore O/S Tib Image With MBR

This is my system setup:

80GB Primary HDD [1st Partition O/S, 2nd Partition Data]
160GB Secondary HDD [1st Partition Data, 2nd Partition Data]

I just used Acronis True Image v10's Rescue Boot Cd to restore a Tib image for the first time, which I had of my O/S partition on my primary drive. During the restoration I was asked by the boot cd to select what to restore from the Tib image I had. I was given two choices:

[ ] C: System ------ Primary, Active
[ ] MBR / Track 0

I was only able to select one!!! I tried to select both but if I did, the check mark would come off the other. How can this be so? I thought you were allowed to restore both at the same time!!!!

Sure I restored my O/S using the image successfully, but my goal was to restore it an the MBR/Track 0. Maybe this I wasn't allowed to because it's a safety feature so Acronis wouldn't delete the data on the second partition of the same hard drive while restoring the MBR Jeez I don't even know if restoring the MBR/Track 0 would erase the data on my second partition of the same hard drive so I guess I made a wise decision? Lol




By the way I was very pleased to know that Acronis actually works and I'm going to recommend it to many friends now!!! It saved my BACON! I was astonished and very impressed! It helped me recover from a very dangerous virus infection that ruined my system.

 

That behavior was changed in TI home 2009. You can no longer select both at once. But you can restore the system partition first, and then go back afterwards and restore Track 0 and MBR.

Since your system is booting correctly, you do not need to restore Track 0 and MBR.

 

The reason why I had to restore my OS using a Tib image was because of a virus that ruined my OS. When I was trying to clean the virus off the other day, I installed WINDOWS RECOVERY CONSOLE [as per instructions from a malware removal expert]. Because it was installed it added the option to choose to boot Windows Recovery Console, or Windows XP whenever I turned my pc on. I think someone told me that installing it changes the MBR.

I don't know much about MBR's and how installing something like that could change it because I installed it through Win XP, not using some boot disc. So my inexperience is thinking how the heck can you alter the MBR while the OS is running by installing some files? Anyways while I was trying to clean the virus I decided that Windows Recovery Console was of no use so I uninstalled it. The way I was instructed to uninstall it was to simply remove some folders and a few hidden system files, than reboot. It was no longer on my system after that. I no longer had two options to boot from.

I guess what I'm saying is I'm kind of a paranoid person when it comes to my pc. I just want to know if you guys think my MBR went back to the EXACT way I had it when I uninstalled Windows Recovery Console. Or if I should use the MBR I have from the Tib image I just used to restore my OS?

Also what on earth could be the difference between my MBR from my March Tib, and my August MBR if no other boot options are added to it? [ie: would the MBR be identical?]


YES YES I'M PARANOID... I just want my pc the way it was before!!!

 

I don't think you could ever select both at once at the partition/mbr selection screen when restoring partitions using previous versions.

You could select either a partition or MBR and then go through the wizard until near the end when it asked if you want to restore another partition. By answering "yes" you looped back to the partition/mbr selection screen again and this time you could tick the MBR and go through the wizard to the final screen and Proceed which would restore the partition(s) and MBR. I don't know if TI2009 is different.

 

They are probably identical. If the machine boots correctly, then there is no need to do anything further.

You're talking about 446 bytes of very simple code whose only job in life is to search the partition table for the entry marked as "Active" and then to transfer control to another simple program located in the first sector of that partition. If that's happening, your PC will boot. If it boots then you are OK.

Installing the Windows Recovery Console does not affect the MBR code.

 

If the Windows Recovery Console removal put it back exactly the way it was then it should be the same. If no boot options were added then the MBR would be the same.

I understand your concern since you had a virus but all the MBR does is get the system to boot and if it boots it is doing all it has to. Start TI and just restore the MBR from your archive.

 

I don't have a copy of TI 2009 either, but someone on the forum posted that you cannot add the MBR selection along with any other partitions with TI 2009; it must be restored as a separate operation.

Someone with TI 2009 -- please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

With TI 2009, if you check everything it switches to an Entire Disk Image restore and you lose control of resizing, etc. You can restore multiple partitions in one setup, but you can't do the MBR/Track 0 with them -- something must remain unchecked.

In Post #1, it's stated that TI 10 is being used. If that's correct, then you should be able to check the Disk # checkbox to select both the partition and the MBR/Track 0.

 

I looked at TI2009 and it is different from my recollection of previous versions - it does let you check both the partition and the MBR/Track0 at the same time! So TI2009 appears to be improved in this regard. I assume it would have done it, I didn't do the actual restore.

 

Woah! Thanks a lot for all the informative replies. You guys have helped me learn a lot on this forum. I'm starting to become quite the newbie in the imaging field. I know a lot about pcs but not in this area. You guys are doing such a great job. If any of you are doing this in your free time my hats off to you I salute you.

Thanks for helping one person out here in this virtual world.

By the way quick question... When restoring my Tib image of my OS I was asked by the Rescue Disc if I wanted to set a size for the partition I was restoring the image back to. I left it as is... The default size it already had chosen for me, which was the same size the actual OS partition was before this mess took place. Why is there an option to resize and did I do the right thing by leaving the default size picked that it had preselected for me?



Thanks again!

 

In Version 2009, if you choose both Partition 1 and MBR/track 0, then it becomes a Disk option restore with no resize option. As K0lo mentioned in post @2 & #7 and MudCrab in post #8, you can restore both but they must be run separately. Either can be first. Restore the MBR & Disk ID to the target disk and then return to main menu and repeat the restore of C which will give the resize option. The resize option is not readily apparent but it is there. You can change any default listed by TrueImage. Many times the default value is NOT the correct selection and must be changed by the user. You can click change default option and see what TI is offering. It may be only a few MB since you are restoring only the first partition of a two partition disk.

 

This is actually a very useful option to have. In your case you were just restoring the operating system to eliminate a problem, so keeping the size the same was the right thing to do.

Where this comes in handy is if you restore your image to a new, larger hard disk. The resize option will let you make the partitions larger to fit the new disk.

 

Thanks Kolo your a great help!

Can the Mbr be accessed/edited at anytime through Windows as a file/command? Or does it exist on the hdd outside of the OS?

 

It resides in the first sector of the disk, outside of any of the partitions on the disk. There are various programs that can be used to access and change the MBR including disk editors and the like. Normal Windows file operations won't work since the sector is not part of any partitions on the disk.

If you're curious, here is a site that has graphical illustrations of the contents of the MBR along with detailed explanations of the purpose of each and every byte. The color illustrations are very helpful in understanding the different functions that are included in this first 512-byte sector on a hard disk.

 

Hi Grover,
I have an image of my C partition from a drive that has several partitions. If I select only restore C or restore C and the MBR together I still have the limited resize capabiltiy. As far as I can tell my resize capabilty (make smaller only) is the same regardless of whether or not both boxes are ticked simultaneously.

 

It's because you have multiple partitions. The problem happens when all the entries are checked. In this case, the Disk # box is checked and it becomes a Disk Image restore (you can only select a destination drive).

For example, using a backup image of a drive with two partitions:
[x] C:
[x] D:
[x] MBR and Track 0
You can't resize any partitions.

[x] C:
[ ] D:
[x] MBR and Track 0
You can resize the C: partition.

[x] C:
[x] MBR and Track 0
You can't resize the C: partition.

[x] C:
[ ] MBR and Track 0
You can resize the C: partition.

In addition, if your backup image did not consist of all the partitions on the drive, you can select them and still resize. This problem only seems to affect backups that included the entire drive (Disk # box checked, all partitions). So, if you create a backup image of C: and your drive consists of C: and D:, you will be able to check the C: partition and the MBR and Track 0 entry and still resize the C: partition.

It can get confusing. In my opinion, it would have been better to allow everything to be checked in both scenarios and still allow for resizing (as previous versions did).

 

I'm going to restore my MBR using one that is on the TIB backup I made in march. I already used the same backup to restore my OS. I guess I should have restored the MBR first, and than the OS. I'm just going to restore it for the sake of restoring it [yes I am paranoid - lol].

But anyways will restoring my MBR cause any programs to fail or alert me? [ie: Antivirus going insane]

Will restoring the MBR from my C: [O/S TIB] backup cause me to lose any data on the second partition which is on the same drive?


Thanks

 

Restoring the MBR shouldn't cause any problems and doesn't affect the partitioning data.

 

Thanks for the clarification, MudCrab.

 

Nevermind I'm not going to restore my MBR, just because I had Windows Recovery Console on my system before, uninstalled it, and felt iffy about my MBR possibly being altered. I just found out that WRC doesn't alter the MBR... All it does is alter the boot.ini file in Windows.

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/Safe-To-Replace-My-MBR-Track-0-t248898.html&pid=1607747#entry1607747

So I hope if anyone ever thinks of restoring their MBR because they used WRC at one point in time or another. & feels iffy about it, doesn't even try to do so!

I'm just going to chill back, relax, and enjoy the help ACRONIS gave me by restoring my OS on this beautiful pc. I love this thing... I don't know what I would have done without it the way it was! I mean installing apps again, restoring settings manually? That's a pain in the groin if ever I thought of it. Thank goodness for ACRONIS I GIVE IT 5 STARS!

Some people like cars, some people like books... I LOVE MY COMPUTER! This thing is like gold to me!