Booting to copy OS?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Pinnell
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Terry Pinnell

My HD0 has 2 partitions:
C: WinXP Home OS and about half my program files
D: Most data and rest of programs

Because it seems to be failing (separate thread 'Bad Blocks'), I've
used Drive Image 2002 to copy the OS to another partition, E: on HD1.
(That also has a partition F: mainly for backup).

Pending early replacement of HD0, my idea is to now change the default
so I boot up from E:

What is the impact of working from now on in this copy OS? I can't
quite get my mind around where the various files will now be
created/edited.

Obviously, files like those in my Agent newsreader/email folders will
continue to be in their fixed location (which happens to be D:\Agent).
But what about all those in places like C:\Documents and
Settings\Terry Pinnell and all its sub-folders? Does that all get
'frozen' in C: and start to get updated in E: ? And, if so, what are
the downsides if any to that please?
 
Terry Pinnell said:
My HD0 has 2 partitions
C: WinXP Home OS and about half my program files
D: Most data and rest of programs
Click to expand...
Because it seems to be failing (separate thread 'Bad Blocks'),
I've used Drive Image 2002 to copy the OS to another partition,
E: on HD1. (That also has a partition F: mainly for backup).
Click to expand...
Pending early replacement of HD0, my idea is
to now change the default so I boot up from E:
Click to expand...

This needs to be done carefully with XP.

You need to physically disconnect the C drive so
it isnt visible during the first boot of the E drive.

Select the E drive in the bios to boot from after
physically unplugging the C drive. XP will claim
to have found new hardware and ask for another
reboot. Allow that and let it boot right up into XP.

You can then plug the C drive back in again if you
need to access anything else on that physical drive.
What is the impact of working from now on in this copy OS?
Click to expand...

Nothing really if you do it right.
I can't quite get my mind around where
the various files will now be created/edited.
Click to expand...

It should become the C drive if you boot from
it the right way, so that shouldnt be an issue.
Obviously, files like those in my Agent newsreader/email folders
will continue to be in their fixed location (which happens to be
D:\Agent). But what about all those in places like C:\Documents
and Settings\Terry Pinnell and all its sub-folders? Does that all
get 'frozen' in C: and start to get updated in E: ? And, if so,
what are the downsides if any to that please?
Click to expand...

Like I said, the E drive should become the C
drive so the letters should not be an issue.

I wouldnt bother booting off the E drive if the new drive is due
in a day or so. You've already run for days with it with bads on it.
 
Rod Speed said:
This needs to be done carefully with XP.

You need to physically disconnect the C drive so
it isnt visible during the first boot of the E drive.

Select the E drive in the bios to boot from after
physically unplugging the C drive. XP will claim
to have found new hardware and ask for another
reboot. Allow that and let it boot right up into XP.

You can then plug the C drive back in again if you
need to access anything else on that physical drive.


Nothing really if you do it right.


It should become the C drive if you boot from
it the right way, so that shouldnt be an issue.


Like I said, the E drive should become the C
drive so the letters should not be an issue.

I wouldnt bother booting off the E drive if the new drive is due
in a day or so. You've already run for days with it with bads on it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. As you say, looks like I didn't do it in the recommended way.
But I just responded to the standard prompts you get during boot-up.
During the 'count-down' period set by boot.ini, before making the new
copy of C onto E I was being offered 2 OS options:
"Windows XP Media Center Edition"
"Windows XP Media Center Edition (#1)"

After the new copy, for some odd reason it added a third
"Windows XP Media Center Edition (#1)"
but on examination of boot.ini via Properties > Advanced > Startup &
Recovery > Settings > System Startup I saw that was a duplication of
'...(#1)'. So I edited it, and boot.ini now looks like this:

http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Images/Bootup-SeenFromCopiedOS.gif

As you see, I've left the default for the moment as the original, i.e.
on the dodgy disk. I'll leave it like that, following your
recommendation. I agree, sudden death looks unlikely. And I gather a
mere 4 bad blocks is not *that* unusual?

What I'm now trying to understand (more for future reference and
curiosity than a practical matter), is what the impact may have been
of doing it this 'wrong way', i.e. without physically disconnecting
HD0?

I'm floundering a bit here, so I'll think aloud. Right now, working
with the copied OS, almost everything looks just the same as usual.
(I've just changed the desktop colour, so that next time I boot-up
I'll have a more obvious indication of where I am.)

At first it's hard to tell whether C is still C, and E is still E. To
double-check, I've just added a file, C:\Test.txt, contents "This file
was added while booted to copied OS, and saved in C:. I'm not sure
whether that means it is physically now on HD0 or HD1!"

So desktop looks the same (or it did until I changed its colour from
blue to sea-green). And Event Viewer and Services look the same.

Ah - here is the hard evidence that the 'CE switch' *has* taken place
as you say:
http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Images/DiskMgmt-BootedFromE.gif

That is saying Disk 0 (the bad one) now holds *E* and D, instead of C
and D. And, if I'm interpreting this correctly, 'Healthy (Boot)' in
the box for Disk 1 confirm that I am now booted into the OS on Disk 1,
i.e. the freshly-copied OS which was on E but is now on C? Talk about
confusing!

But, unless I'm misunderstanding some key point, it seems that my
intuitive and much simpler method of rebooting - the FIRST time - has
resulted in exactly the same environment as your 'covers off and
unplug' method?
 
Thanks. As you say, looks like I didn't do it in the recommended way.
Correct.

But I just responded to the standard prompts you get during boot-up.
During the 'count-down' period set by boot.ini, before making the
new copy of C onto E I was being offered 2 OS options:
"Windows XP Media Center Edition"
"Windows XP Media Center Edition (#1)"
Click to expand...

That complicates things, I was talking about the simpler config
where you only have 1 copy of XP installed before you do the
clone. This system already has more than one copy installed.
After the new copy, for some odd reason it added
a third "Windows XP Media Center Edition (#1)"
Click to expand...

Not clear why you are getting that effect.

And I havent actually tried it with MCE, been doing it with
XP Pro, so its possible there is some difference there.

I dont clone with DI anymore either, I use True Image now.
but on examination of boot.ini via Properties > Advanced > Startup &
Recovery > Settings > System Startup I saw that was a duplication of
'...(#1)'.
Click to expand...

That implys that before you did the clone, you
already had a copy of MCE on the E drive.
So I edited it, and boot.ini now looks like this:

As you see, I've left the default for the moment as the original,
i.e. on the dodgy disk. I'll leave it like that, following your
recommendation. I agree, sudden death looks unlikely.
And I gather a mere 4 bad blocks is not *that* unusual?
Click to expand...

It shouldnt be seen with modern drives.
What I'm now trying to understand (more for future reference and
curiosity than a practical matter), is what the impact may have been
of doing it this 'wrong way', i.e. without physically disconnecting HD0?
Click to expand...

You may well find that you dont actually have a proper boot off E
in the sense that if you physically disconnect the C drive, you may
well find that it wont actually boot off the E drive at all. Essentially
because a boot off the E drive is actuallly using files off the C drive,
and so, with the C drive missing, the E drive wont actually boot.

And I'm not just talking about the boot.ini entrys,
the XP boot is much more complex than it looks
and boot.ini just specifys one part of the complex boot.
I'm floundering a bit here, so I'll think aloud. Right now, working
with the copied OS, almost everything looks just the same as
usual. (I've just changed the desktop colour, so that next time
I boot-up I'll have a more obvious indication of where I am.)
Click to expand...
At first it's hard to tell whether C is still C, and E is still E. To
double-check, I've just added a file, C:\Test.txt, contents "This
file was added while booted to copied OS, and saved in C:. I'm
not sure whether that means it is physically now on HD0 or HD1!"
Click to expand...

Yeah, it can get surprisingly complicated.
So desktop looks the same (or it did until I changed its colour from
blue to sea-green). And Event Viewer and Services look the same.
Click to expand...
Ah - here is the hard evidence that the 'CE switch' *has* taken place
as you say:
http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Images/DiskMgmt-BootedFromE.gif
Click to expand...
That is saying Disk 0 (the bad one) now holds *E* and D, instead of C
and D. And, if I'm interpreting this correctly, 'Healthy (Boot)' in
the box for Disk 1 confirm that I am now booted into the OS on Disk 1,
i.e. the freshly-copied OS which was on E but is now on C? Talk about
confusing!
Click to expand...
But, unless I'm misunderstanding some key point, it seems that my
intuitive and much simpler method of rebooting - the FIRST time - has
resulted in exactly the same environment as your 'covers off and
unplug' method?
Click to expand...

You dont know that for sure until you physically unplug the original
bad drive and see if you can actually boot the copy now. I wouldnt
worry about the detail until you prove you can boot the copy with
the original bad drive unplugged, because its academic if you cant.
 
Rod Speed said:
That complicates things, I was talking about the simpler config
where you only have 1 copy of XP installed before you do the
clone. This system already has more than one copy installed.


Not clear why you are getting that effect.

And I havent actually tried it with MCE, been doing it with
XP Pro, so its possible there is some difference there.

I dont clone with DI anymore either, I use True Image now.


That implys that before you did the clone, you
already had a copy of MCE on the E drive.


It shouldnt be seen with modern drives.


You may well find that you dont actually have a proper boot off E
in the sense that if you physically disconnect the C drive, you may
well find that it wont actually boot off the E drive at all. Essentially
because a boot off the E drive is actuallly using files off the C drive,
and so, with the C drive missing, the E drive wont actually boot.

And I'm not just talking about the boot.ini entrys,
the XP boot is much more complex than it looks
and boot.ini just specifys one part of the complex boot.



Yeah, it can get surprisingly complicated.





You dont know that for sure until you physically unplug the original
bad drive and see if you can actually boot the copy now. I wouldnt
worry about the detail until you prove you can boot the copy with
the original bad drive unplugged, because its academic if you cant.
Click to expand...

OK, thanks, that's all very helpful. I'll try that acid test tomorrow.
 
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