Re: How to backup the MBR?
From: *Vanguard* (no-email_at_reply-to-newsgroup.invalid)
Date: 05/20/04
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Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 12:36:05 -0500
I'm Dan said in news:uteU7pXPEHA.1340@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl:
>
> Correct, and for good reason. Whenever PM or DI changes, moves, or
> restores a partition, it *must* confirm or rewrite the partition
> table parameters to make sure they are consistent with the changes
> made. Backing up the partition table is therefore moot because PM or
> DI (and Ghost, Acronis, et al) will always make sure the partition
> table fits the restored partition(s). And *not* backing up/restoring
> the partition table makes it possible to restore the partitions on
> replacement disks with different parameters, or in different
> locations on the disk.
>
> PM/DI won't check the boot code in the MBR, but for most people that's
> pretty much a non-issue because the mere 450-odd bytes of the boot
> code is very easily restored via fixboot or fdisk /mbr. However,
> this is not to say backing up track 0 isn't worthwhile for a *small*
> group of people. If you're using a third-party boot manager, a bios
> extension overlay (e.g., ez-bios or disk manager), or as you
> mentioned, special encryption overlay, then yes, backing up the
> customized track 0 may be a good idea -- as long as you understand it
> has its own caveats. But it should not be rolled into PM or DI as an
> automatic procedure because that has the potential of causing
> problems for the majority of users. It should be a separate,
> deliberate operation.
>
>
>> There are definite reasons NOT to use FIXMBR (from
>> Windows XP) or FDISK /MBR (from a Windows 9x boot
>> floppy); see http://www.cknow.com/vtutor/vtfdiskmbr.htm.
>
> Boy, that guy goes overboard. Yes, there are a *few* reasons one may
> not want to use fixboot or fdisk /mbr, but how many people fall into
> those categories? Fixboot and fdisk /mbr are useful tools in the
> right circumstances. Saying you should never use fixboot or fdisk
> /mbr is like saying you should stay off the freeway because you might
> get killed out there.
>
> Third-party boot managers and bios extension overlays can be easily
> restored/reinstalled. If you're using special encryption overlay
> (and how many people fit this category?), then hopefully you're
> technically savvy enough to know about the special requirements of
> the software, or else you'll probably lock yourself out at some point
> anyway. And if you have the monkey virus . . . well, let's just say
> that, like all viruses, you should research how to *properly* remove
> the virus. Even then, a fixboot with DI partition restorations will
> return you to a working system.
>
>
>> So I need to figure out how to do a backup of my MBR ...
>
> Use MBRWork, a free utility from www.bootitng.com. Boot from a DOS
> boot disk, run mbrwork.exe, and save track 0 to a file.
No, I don't normally want it rolled into a drive image (i.e., I don't
want the MBR backup included in the partition image). However, it would
be handy if they at least provided a separate utility to doing the MBR
backup and restore. It should be an option to include the MBR,
especially if you only have one partitions occupying the entire physical
disk. I did find their head.zip utility file (includes mbrutil and
wipetrk) through a search for it by that filename but it's not like you
can easily go to a download page to find it. Symantec's download page
just list their demos. After first reading about head.zip on some guy's
personal web page, I then had something to search on at Symantec but had
to first check some KB articles to see if there was link to it and then
found it under
ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/tools/pq/utilities/. In other
words, well hidden.
While DriveImage works on making disk image filesets for a partition, I
had expected PartitionMagic to provide the tools to manage the MBR.
With all its capabilities in moving, deleting, resizing, converting, and
copying partitions, adding MBR support wouldv'e been a natural
extension. Even if it weren't included in their GUI as a
user-selectable menu function, a separate MBR utility would've been
appreciated (and included with the install). I could find it but not
because it was included in the product. Now that software predator
Symantec has consumed Powerquest then the separate Powerquest FTP
downloads could disappear. BTini gets installedw the PartitionMagic to
let me, for example, yank the boot.ini file off an NTFS partition so I
can fix it and replace it (see http://snipurl.com/6jyu). Why not
include the MBRutil? If you're aware enough to understand what BTini
does and how to use it then you are also probably aware enough to
understand the MBR.
Their MBRutil lets you save the 512 bytes of the MBR or the "first head"
(which I think means to save track 0 under the first head since the
saved file was 32K big, or 63 sectors and there are 63 sectors per track
or head). Why would I want to be saving all of track/head zero?
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