Why doesn't EasyBCD save Master Boot Record MBR?

N

neoslick

Active Member
Probably an easy answer to this but I've searched to no avail. EasyBCD's Backup/Repair screen states "Note: This only backs up the Windows bootloader settings -the MBR is not included in this backup!"

Statement is made without further explanation, or suggestions as to how to go-about this (backing-up the MBR). What good is the settings backup if the MBR is hosed? Why wouldn't EasyBCD have a "backup MBR" option?

I know I can use MBRWiz to make a backup of the MBR; is this why EasyBCD doesn't do it i.e. it's trivial? Sure ain't trivial to me who is challenged to understand the inner workings of EBD/MBRwiz. I'm only a satisfied user, having a PC that dual-boots W7 and XPx64 thanks to EBD.
 
Why do you want a backup ?
EasyBCD will recreate it for you and so will your Installation DVD, so a permanent backup exists at all times.
 
I'm sorry, I'm feeling STOOPID so please indulge me. My questions started when I read today about the TDL4 botnet which attacks MBRs. So I thought "how do I backup my MBR so I can recover it if damaged." Now I guess I hear you saying (and you guys speak "programming language" with which I am unfamiliar) that EasyBCD can rewrite my MBR settings at any time, by simply performing a "backup/repair".

Then I wonder: but what if my PC won't boot at all? And the answer seems to be that I need to "Create bootable media" and backup my settings to, say, a USB stick so I have it available in an emergency. Correct? Is there a way to get an .iso file out of this process so I can use the one USB stick I've already dedicated to troubleshooting, which launches lots of different .iso files (XBOOT)?

Finally, I notice that if I boot my dual-booting (W7, XPx64) PC using a Windows 7 System Repair Disc that it reports my system is damaged and wants to fix it. That would be Normal to see, correct, that it doesn't recognize what EasyBCD has done? I suppose I could let the W7SysRepairDisc go ahead and "fix" the boot record(s), and then just re-apply EasyBCD?

Thank you for your patience!
 
If you repair with the W7 DVD, it will fix whatever's broken. That might be the MBR, the boot manager or the BCD. If it includes the latter then any customization you did with EasyBCD will need to be repeated after the repair. You won't need to reinstall the program. It's just an app on your HDD, and won't have disappeared unless you uninstalled it.
 
So to my original question, if my MBR is corrupted, I use my W7 System Repair disc to repair it, and if my custom Boot Config Data has been mangled then EasyBCD will fix that.

If this is correct, then I should test the process given the System Repair disc is indicating something's wrong anyway?
 
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