Secure Zone creation OK but not accessible

I made a Secure Zone as documented. The log says the operation was successful.
The partition shows up when I look with a partition manager program. (It didn't use
the one I checked in the dialog, but instead made a new one in some empty space,
but this is a separate issue, maybe or maybe not relevant here).
But when I try to make a scheduled backup to the Secure Zone, it says there is
no Secure Zone.
I'm guessing this may be related to the fact that I checked the option not to install
the emergency restore program on the MBR. I do not want my MBR to be fooled with
as I have other important (multiboot) software there. The TI documentation seems to
indicate that it is OK not to install to the MBR (I made the emergency boot CD instead
and it works OK).
Is there some way to make a Secure Zone without writing to the MBR? Or is my
problem somewhere else?
Thanks,
George Reeke

 

Hello George,

You can create a Secure Zone (SZ) without activating the Startup Recovery Manager (SRM) by not accepting the default option to do so in the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard. On the other hand, you can't activate the SRM unless you also create a SZ.

So it looks as if your problem lies elsewhere. Suggest you remove the SZ via the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard (reallocating the space used to the partition you took it from) and then create a new SZ and see what happens.

Regards

 

OK, I followed your suggestion. (BTW I have build 2.302)
I deleted the SZ from the TI menu item. I rebooted and looked with my partitioning tool
(the one provided with SystemCommander 9) and the type 188 partition was still there,
so I deleted it by hand. I rebooted and ran TI again. I created the SZ again. It said OK
again.
This time, instead of trying to set up a backup job, I just tried to run the backup from
the menus. Again, it said there was no SZ, but in this situation, it offered to create one.
I entered exactly the same options as before. Then that window showing tasks to be
run came up, with an error message "inconsistent script" so I gave up.
Here are some questions I am thinking about:
(1) Does the SZ have to be in a primary partition or can it be extended? On my
third hard drive (80GB) I have a 12GB FAT32 (Win XP E drive) and a 12GB EXT3
(Linux /home). I made a 12GB FAT32 and set the rest extended with no contents
before I ran TI. In the "where to put the SZ" dialog, I ticked the box indicating the
extra FAT32 partition (assuming it would change the type byte to 188 ) and set the
size to 12000 MB, the same value I used to create the partition. The extended
partition did not show up as an option on this dialog. Nonetheless, TI did not use
my selection, but instead created a new type 188 partition inside and at the end of
the extended partition. Having created this partition, it refuses to accept that it
exists.
(2) Is my problem possibly that I tried to make it use the entire preexisting 12GB
partition rather than only part of it?
(3) Would it work to set the partition type to 188 in the partition utility before
running TI? Is that decimal or hex 188?
(4) If it needs a primary partition, would it work to leave 12GB empty in the third
slot, then put an extended partition in the fourth slot for my use, then run TI
create SZ. How would I tell it to use the empty slot when it only seems to list
existing partitions as choices?
(5) Would it work to make one big third partition in the unused part of the drive
after the two existing 12GB partitions, tell TI to take a 12GB chunk out of that,
then go back with the partition tool and change whatever is left to extended so
I can divide it up as I wish for other purposes?
(6) Is there one of those old restrictions that the SZ has to be in the first 64 GB
of the drive?
Thanks,
George Reeke

 

Hello George,

A few pointers regarding the Secure Zone (SZ):

- You don't need to create a separate partition to house a SZ. Just select an existing partition and the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard will take space from it and create a new hidden partition along side.

- TI 9 Build 2302 contains a serious bug in that the Manage Acronis Secure Wizard doesn't remove a Secure Zone (SZ) if initiated in Windows mode. Either update to Build 2323 (remember to uninstall the previous version first and also to create a new bootable rescue CD) or boot from your existing Build 2302 rescue CD and use the Manage Acronis Secure Zone Wizard from there.

- If the SZ is manually deleted via the Windows Disk Management utility you will be left with an amount of unallocated space equal to the size of the SZ that was deleted. To reclaim this space back to the partition it came from without use of partition management software, use the Secure Zone Wizard to create a temporary SZ from the unallocated space. After that, use the Secure Zone Wizard again to remove the SZ and return the space it used back to the original partition. SZ removal can be done in Windows mode when using Build 2323 (If an automatic reboot isn't required whilst doing this then TI will need to be shut down and started again between the Manage Secure Zone operations), otherwise it needs to be carried out after booting from the rescue CD.

Regards