XP Won't Boot After Replacing System Drive

  • Thread starter Thread starter Don Larsen
  • Start date Start date
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Don Larsen

I am trying to install a 750 MB SATA 133 drive as a replacement for my
existing 250 MB drive using Ghost 12. I followed Norton's instructions to
the letter and also check several threads on this forum before doing
anything. After configuring the new drive as my desitination drive and doing
a HD copy with Ghost I shut the system down without rebooting and then
physically disconnected the original drive. The destination drive is now on
port 0 and after rebooting, XP goes along fine until it reaches the point
with the Windows logo on a light blue screen. This is normally the point
just before it prompts for the user selection. Here it stays and won't
budge. I can't start up in safe mode either.

Has anyone run into this before?
 
I would hope that part of the instructions provided Norton was that the new
drive's partition must be made the 'System' partition
(Active partition).

JS
 
When doing the drive copy you have to tell it it is to be a system
partition. At least Ver 9 defaults to not a system partition...
 
Don Larsen said:
I am trying to install a 750 MB SATA 133 drive as a replacement for my
existing 250 MB drive using Ghost 12. I followed Norton's instructions to
the letter and also check several threads on this forum before doing
anything. After configuring the new drive as my desitination drive and doing
a HD copy with Ghost I shut the system down without rebooting and then
physically disconnected the original drive. The destination drive is now on
port 0 and after rebooting, XP goes along fine until it reaches the point
with the Windows logo on a light blue screen. This is normally the point
just before it prompts for the user selection. Here it stays and won't
budge. I can't start up in safe mode either.
Click to expand...


Was your original drive IDE?
if so, did you load the SATA drivers?

If not you'll need to do so
 
I think I found the problem. My computer is a Dell XPS Gen5 and it came
preloaded with XP Home. After several unsuccessful tries at Ghosting my
original drive I discovered that there is a hidden 39 MB partition on the C:
drive for an EISA configuration (whatever that is).

So.... this last time I created a FAT partition on the new drive and cloned
the EISA partition and then cloned the main system folder (in 2 separate
passes as Norton advises).

Voila... it worked! I don't understand why Norton didn't simply create a
simple function to do a bit exact copy feature in Ghost.

All the IT guys at work swear by Ghost and I'm sure it is industrial
strength but there are many of us occasional users who need something a
little more user friendly.

Thanks for all your help.
 
Don Larsen said:
I think I found the problem. My computer is a Dell XPS Gen5 and it came
preloaded with XP Home. After several unsuccessful tries at Ghosting my
original drive I discovered that there is a hidden 39 MB partition on the
C:
drive for an EISA configuration (whatever that is).

So.... this last time I created a FAT partition on the new drive and
cloned
the EISA partition and then cloned the main system folder (in 2 separate
passes as Norton advises).

Voila... it worked! I don't understand why Norton didn't simply create a
simple function to do a bit exact copy feature in Ghost.

All the IT guys at work swear by Ghost and I'm sure it is industrial
strength but there are many of us occasional users who need something a
little more user friendly.

Thanks for all your help.
Click to expand...


Would not use Ghost to even back up a FDD.... Been burnt too many times...
Fo many reasons our departments IT people are slowly comming around to using
ACRONIS as application that appears to be a bit more stable and forgiving..
 
Mark said:
Would not use Ghost to even back up a FDD.... Been burnt too many times...
Fo many reasons our departments IT people are slowly comming around to using
ACRONIS as application that appears to be a bit more stable and forgiving..
Click to expand...

Though I also use Acronis and like it a lot...

Ghost should have had the option to clone the entire drive (rather than just
the drive with the OS on it)

Anyway...looks like it's been figured out now
 
Well... i never have problem with Ghost on a system come with factory install.
I always take the option "Disk to Disk" rather then Partition to partition.

:)

Nice day.
 
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