Norton Ghost 2003: Cant boot XP after creating system disk file image?

[Rod Speed]

You are still missing the point I am trying to make.
Nope.

The BIOS can misinterpret whether a disk
belongs in the "Hard Disk Boot Priority" listing.
Nope.

A disk does not have to have an OS present
and doesn't even need the Active bit set.

Duh. Its designed that way for a reason.

And if it just has an image file on the drive, YOU WONT
GET THAT ERROR MESSAGE AT BOOT TIME.

I am not claiming this is the problem. I am trying to point out
that it is something one should check as a matter of routine

You're wrong. Its done like that for a reason.

even if it is not supposed to happen that way.

It is supposed to happen that way, AND THAT CANT PRODUCE
THE ERROR MESSAGE HE SEES AT BOOT TIME.

 

[Rod Speed]

There are many other things that should be routine checked,
but to save time and space is best to comment only on items
directly related to the problem presented here.

And its stupid to be molesting that table anyway, its done like
that for a reason, so OS installers can do what they need to do.

 

[Rod Speed]

In the normal usage of ghost, once I created the ghost image,
and exit the dos environment, should I just be able to reboot
into XP without messing with the partition table?

Yes. The problem is that you shouldnt have booted from the floppy
when you setup the image creation within XP. When you setup the
image creation from within XP, Ghost 2003 creates a special partition
on the hard drive which it then boots and that does the image creation
at the dos level.

When you booted from the floppy instead, ghost got seriously confused
because the special partition on the hard drive was never booted. Normally
when the special partition is booted and the image file is created from there,
the special partition is deleted by ghost once the image creation has succeeded.

Thats the reason it didnt boot, the special partition
never got deleted, so you need to delete it manually.

Thats one of the big downsides with ghost 2003, that special
partition it creates when it needs to create an image at the dos level.

 

[Rod Speed]

I've installed ghost 2003 with the aim to using it as a backup system
for my system disk. My system disk has 2 patrtitions both NFTS. My
backup disk was an external NFTS drive connected through USB.

After following the tutorials, I when about
creating the file image of my disk as follows:

1) Started ghost and went about selecting the
drive to ghost, the destination (i.e thr' usb), and
the location of image file on the external disk.

2) Ghost then booted (via the floppy) into dos mode.

Thats where you went wrong. You shouldnt have used the floppy
in that situation. Ghost would have booted to the special partition
it had created on the hard drive to do the image creation.

Again followed the instructions and selected the location of the image.

You wouldnt have needed to do that if you had
let it boot the special partition on the hard drive.

The odd thing here was that the image file already existed (small in size).

Yeah, thats how it keeps track of what its doing over the reboot.

I just re selected it as my destination. Is
there where it went wrong (see below).

No, the problem was with booting from the floppy.

You can EITHER setup the image creation at the XP level
and allow it to boot the special partition on the hard drive
to actually do the image creation, OR you can boot the
floppy and setup the image creation there. You cant do both.

3) Once image created, I checked it, no problem.

4) Exited Ghost and thus returned to DOS.
Took out the floppy and rebooted.

The machine now cant find the OS.

Because if you had let it use the special partition on the hard
drive for image creation, it would have deleted that special
partition when image file creation and verification had succeeded.

Has ghost done something to the MBR?

Yes, its setup the special bootable partition there.

My Partition Magic rescue disk informs me that the partition is bad,

Thats a side effect of how it sets up the special bootable partition.

though while in ghost (via DOS), I can still browse
around this disk and its patrtition as if I was using
that drive as a destination for an image.

Does ghost alter a disks partition structure in order to do a image copy?

Image creation setup at the XP level, yes.

Is there anyway of getting back to the OS?

Yes, just delete that special partition.

You can do that with anything, even fdisk from a bootable floppy.

My next option is to try to retore the image, but I'm
slow to try this as if this is wrong its all completely gone.

It will also be much slower than just deleting the special partition.

My aim was to use this backup and
restore to another disk as a trial run.

Yeah, thats safest.

Finally my last option is just to re-install everything!!!

No need.

 

[Peter]

Thats one of the big downsides with ghost 2003, that special

partition it creates when it needs to create an image at the dos level.

And it does not handle it very well, as OP experience shows.

But even a bigger downside is that old Ghost still lives in DOS, while
the rest of the world slowly forgets about that ancient operating system.

Network and mass storage support slips away from DOS.

 

[Rod Speed]

And it does not handle it very well, as OP experience shows.

Yeah, thats what I said to Chein, its fine unless something goes
wrong and beyond normal users to repair when it stuffs up.

Drive Image did that virtual boot much more elegantly.
Whatever happened, it wouldnt render your system unbootable.

But even a bigger downside is that old Ghost still lives in DOS, while
the rest of the world slowly forgets about that ancient operating system.

Yeah, way past its useby date.

Network and mass storage support slips away from DOS.

Yep, doing it at the Win level is the only way to go
for complete support for unusual hardware. If its
working at the Win level, its available for imaging ops.

Thats the main downside with True Image, its bootable
CD does it on linux and thats got real downsides with
the support for less than bog standard hardware.

 

[madunphy]

Hi All,

Firstly thanks for all the replies to my issue. You were correct in
identifying the problem (i.e floppy) and the solution. As mentioned,
I'm trying to ghost my system disk onto another (larger) disk (all ide)
as a trial backup in case of disk failure. I tried these scenarios all
from the ghost booted from the floppy:

1) ghost image to external (via USB) disk. restore image to trial disk
2) original disk cloned to trial disk (without an image file)

On both ocassions, I used the same or different partition sizes on the
new trial disk before I rebooted with the original disk disconnected.
XP booted and detected the new hardware setup, and configured itself
with a reboot. But once I was logged in at this stage, the environment
didnt seem right. Issues I found were:

1) explorer dies
2) couldnt access the disk management console
3) when accessing the user administraion console, some users had a red
x icon beside their name

I've now started to read up on the command line options to see if I
need to use any of them. Is there anything obvious that I'm doing
wrong?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Rod Speed]

Firstly thanks for all the replies to my issue. You were correct in
identifying the problem (i.e floppy) and the solution. As mentioned,
I'm trying to ghost my system disk onto another (larger) disk (all ide)
as a trial backup in case of disk failure. I tried these scenarios all
from the ghost booted from the floppy:

1) ghost image to external (via USB) disk. restore image to trial disk
2) original disk cloned to trial disk (without an image file)

On both ocassions, I used the same or different partition sizes on the
new trial disk before I rebooted with the original disk disconnected.
XP booted and detected the new hardware setup, and configured itself
with a reboot. But once I was logged in at this stage, the environment
didnt seem right. Issues I found were:

1) explorer dies
2) couldnt access the disk management console
3) when accessing the user administraion console,
some users had a red x icon beside their name

I've now started to read up on the command
line options to see if I need to use any of them.

No you dont.

Is there anything obvious that I'm doing wrong?

Looks like you may have damaged the original
when you booted with the original and the clone
both visible to XP on the first boot of the clone.

 

[Bob]

No you dont.

Looks like you may have damaged the original
when you booted with the original and the clone
both visible to XP on the first boot of the clone.

If you pay any attention to this notorious troll, you will suffer the
consequences.

You have been warned.


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The possession of arms is the distinction
between a free man and a slave."
-- Andrew Fletcher, Discourse on Government (1695)

 

[Rod Speed]

Some pathetically senile silly old redneck fart desperately cowering behind
Bob <[email protected]> desperately attempted to
bullshit its way out of its predicament in message
and fooled absolutely no one at all. As always.

 

[Bob]

Some pathetically senile silly old redneck fart desperately cowering behind
Bob <[email protected]> desperately attempted to
bullshit its way out of its predicament in message
and fooled absolutely no one at all. As always.

Yet another datum point confirming my claim that Troll Rodboy is a
robot. He says the same exact thing over and over and over...


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The possession of arms is the distinction
between a free man and a slave."
-- Andrew Fletcher, Discourse on Government (1695)

 

[Rod Speed]

Yet another datum point

Wota ****ing wanker...

confirming my claim that Troll Rodboy is a robot.
He says the same exact thing over and over and over...

Corse you never ever do anything like that yourself, eh redneck ?

Talk about a pathetically senile silly old fart.

 

[Bob]

Wota ****ing wanker...

Corse you never ever do anything like that yourself, eh redneck ?

Talk about a pathetically senile silly old fart.

You regulars on these forums really have a troll in your midst. He
just can't stop, can he?

Well, you can have him. I have long outstayed my purpose for being
here. I just wanted to see how pathetic one troll could be.


--

Map of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://home.houston.rr.com/rkba/vrwc.html

"The possession of arms is the distinction
between a free man and a slave."
-- Andrew Fletcher, Discourse on Government (1695)

 

[Eric Gisin]

You regulars on these forums really have a troll in your midst. He
just can't stop, can he?

Look in the mirror, raving troll boy.

Well, you can have him. I have long outstayed my purpose for being
here. I just wanted to see how pathetic one troll could be.

Get lost then. What the hell did you come here for anyway?

 

[Rod Speed]

Some pathetically senile silly old fart/
pathological lair desperately cowering behind

You regulars on these forums really have a troll in your midst.

Even a pathetically senile silly old redneck fart should be able to bullshit
its way out of its predicament better than that pathetically hoary old line.

Obviously not.

He just can't stop, can he?

I can, actually. I choose not to when you clearly couldnt yourself.

Well, you can have him. I have long
outstayed my purpose for being here.

Dont let the door hit you on the arse on the way out, fart.

I just wanted to see how pathetic one troll could be.

SURE you did, blob. Waddle off, and dont come back.

 

[madunphy]

Update,

I now have this working, points to note

1) dont have the original master disk in when rebooting with clone
2) keep the same IDE setting for the clone as were for the master

Thanks

Mick

 

[Rod Speed]

I now have this working, points to note

1) dont have the original master disk in when rebooting with clone
2) keep the same IDE setting for the clone as were for the master

I basically prefer to do it with Acronis True Image now.

Mainly because thats much better in some other areas,
particularly support for almost any NIC so you can create
an image onto a drive on the lan as a safety backup just
before you do any work on a system as well as that clone
op and while its not perfect when adjusting the partition
sizes as you clone, its quite usable. Ghost 2003 is well
past its useby date now, particularly with NIC support.