Hesitant to Create new MBR

A few times I have installed Acronis ( many versions ) and got caught setting up the new MBR installing the Startup Recovery Manager. It was my fault because I didn't know there was already a hidden partiton on the harddrive.
This time, I safely deleted the hidden partition and am ready to proceed. One possible thing haunts me. Currently the f11 key will take me to the bios setup. The f1 key does the same. If I install the Startup Recovery Manager and it rewrites the MBR, the last thing I need is a PC that stops dead while booting. So, is there anything I need to do before I proceed to prevent a possible major problem?

 

You need to provide some more details.
Is this a laptop or desktop?
If laptop, what make?
Do you have an external hard drive?

There is no need to install the SRM.

 

Just don't install the Startup Recovery Manager!

There's no need to install the SecureZone either if you are using an external hard drive. I never use it.

 

It is a Compaq Preserio snx0004. Originally it had a partition on the drive that held the full recovery windows xp and appications. It was invoked by pressing the f11 key. I used a tool, supplied by Compaq to delete the data and the partition and to give the space back to C drive. I ran this tool and it worked perfectly, but now the F1 and F11 keys invoke the System Bios configuration utility. See my problem now ? If I install the Startup Recovery Manager I am concerned about the F11 key. I really want to install the SRM because this PC is going way up north without anyone there for support and the user has no PC smarts.

 

Just a note..... The external drive will NOT be going with the PC. I have made a full backup of the hard disk on the same hard disk ( not hidden partition or nothing like that, just a backup. Also, I made a backup using the feature to lmit the size of each part of the backup, then I copied every part, all 23 of them to 23 CD's.The PC is a Desktop, with one CD-RW, one hard disk and one floppy drive.

 

Ouch, a restore with that many CD's will be extremely slow and painful. You will not be able to use the backup on the hard drive for restoration because it is on the same drive that you may want to restore. TI will not allow that because it wipes the drive as soon as you start a restore and your image file is gone. Adding a second internal hard drive with the backup image on it will work better for your situation. You can just copy the existing image to a second drive. You could have the secure zone with out the SRM on the second internal drive.

 

Hello ibmuser,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please notice that Acronis Startup Recovery Manager is much later in the boot sequence, and will you get to BIOS or to Acronis Startup Recovery Manager by pressing F11 will depend of when you do it. There will be a message on screen indicating to press F11 to boot the recovery manager.

If you have any further questions concerning Acronis software, please feel free to submit a request for technical support or post any of them on this forum. We will certainly try to help you in resolving any issues.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Went ahead and setp Recovery manger, with Secure Zone. Not a hitch with anything. Thanks to everyone for their support.