restore and secure zone

firstly i am new to the forum and appologise if this isn't done right.
anyway... i have just purchased ati version 10 build 4871(newest i think). i have backed up to dvd(2 disks) and wanted to test if it works right but i dont know whether i need to check the box for mbr as well as the "C" partition (i only have 1 partition) or if this is only needed when full hdd failure.
secondly.. i have tried to create the secure zone which i would use as a second back up. i go through this process..choose partition..select size (tried various but thought 50gb okay)..then says need to reboot which it does..goes through blue screen with various messages all ending with 100% something or other..boots again and again blue screen with slightly different 100% thingemajigs.. loads windows and then little balloon says sceduled task started(?) then goes off and thats it, only it isn't as disk mngt shows no other partition only main and when going into manage secure zone it says there isn't one.
i dont know if it matters but the screen that shows the reboot message and tasks before actually rebooting shows that my "C" is ntfs and the new s/zone would be fat32. thanks for any and all help.

 

Since I don't use the SZ I can't really help you about the creation problem other than to say I did create and delete one once as a trick to partition a single partition drive into 2 regular partitions.

You do not need to restore the MBR normally if the MBR is already present and is correct for the disk geometry. I often restore my C drive after testing some software and I never restore the MBR. Naturally, if the disk is bare-metal then you need to restore the MBR.

The SZ is always created FAT32 at least in TI9 and earlier and I think it is still true for TI10.

 

thanks mate.. so let me get this straight with a few examples.
1.just testing my dvd backup to work..no mbr needed
2. poss virus i can't get rid of or other such prob..no mbr needed
3. like you do, testing something out but want to put back the way it was..no mbr needed
4.new hdd...mbr NEEDED
5.complete failure so same as above when get new hdd...mbr NEEDED.

i dont know if it would help but i was going to put some screenshots of the s/zone process i am doing but when i press the image button it asks for http, when i use this on another forum, it lets me browse my pics, any idea how i can put screenshots on?

i was going to try to restore from the dvd backup but worried that if there is a problem with it that it would probably mess my system up, is there so far into the restore that i could guarantee that it was fine but backout rather than then commence. i did use the verify option and it said it was successful but i didn't want to just leave it there to then find when i needed it that it had problems.

also i was thinking of getting an external hdd like maybe the buffalo drive station that apparently has backup option, any idea if these are any good and if the backup is easy to use? cheers as always.

 

Hello marc.knuckle,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please note that the possible reason why the Acronis Secure Zone was not created is that some third-party disk management software locks the access to the partition for Acronis True Image and prevent it from functional properly. Therefore, please download and install the latest build (4940) of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home. To get access to updates you should first register your software.

If the issue persists, please boot your computer from Acronis True Image Bootable CD created using the latest build and try to create Acronis Secure Zone.

If this out of help, please create Acronis Report and Windows System Information as it is described in Acronis Help Post. Then submit a request for technical support. Attach all the collected files and information to your request along with the step-by-step description of the actions taken before the problem appears and the link to this thread. We will investigate the problem and try to provide you with a solution.

As for attaching screen shots, please have a look at the instructions provided by Bubba in the thread <FAQ: Screen Shots and Image Posting>

Would also like to mention that using external hard drive as a backup storage is one of the backup strategies, since the farther you store the backup archive from the original data, the safer it will be in case of data damage. For example, saving the archive to another hard disk will protect your data if your primary disk is damaged. Data saved to a network disk or removable media will survive even if all your local hard disks are down.

I would also recommend that you have a look at this thread <Couple of Basic Secure Zone Quesitons> and chapter 3.3 "Acronis Secure Zone" in the Acronis True Image 10.0 Home User's Guide to learn more about Acronis Secure Zone.

Thank you.
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Aleksandr Isakov