Use of MBR for restore

During restore process, there are two choices:

NTFS (C: )
MBR and Track 0

I always chose only "NTFS (C: )" without knowing what MBR does for restore. So far, I did not see any problem with restoring C-partition. My question is under what circumstances I should select "MBR and Track 0" AND/OR "NTFS (C: ) with MBR and Track 0" . Please enlighten me. Thanks. Sarutaro

 

If your C drive were to be replaced by a new drive or one that had not been used as your C drive previously it is a good idea to include track 0 and the MBR as then the restored computer should boot sucessfully after a restore.
In fact with a simple setup such as yours Windows might well play it by ear and boot your system without a restored MBR but why take the chance?
I always include T.0 and the MBR in all my restores whether they need it or not. It only takes a millisecond or so to run and that way it does not get forgotten.

Xpilot

 

For what it's worth, here's a scenario that happened to me:

I have the Startup Recovery Manager activated.
I installed a third-party boot manager to try and dual-boot my system and the SRM.
Needless to say, it wouldn't boot the SRM.
So I uninstalled the boot manager, and the option to "Press F11 for Acronis Startup Recovery Manager" was gone, and I had an error that prevented me from booting up the OS.
Using the bootable CD, I restored just the MBR and the "Press F11" option was back to normal, and the OS booted up with no problem.

Doug

 

Thank you for your practical tip.
Sarutaro