Alternative to Ghost...

[EyeMWing]

I need something that I can use to create a bootable set of DVD ISOs and drop them on a remote machine to be burned to disk WITHOUT installing anything on the machine to be imaged.

Since that's kind of hard to follow, here's my setup.

Machine 1 (To be imaged, no DVD burner)
V
V
V
Image
V
V
V
LAN
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V
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Windows PC (DVD burner)
V
V
V
Bootable DVD set to restore shit.

You USED TO be able to do this with Ghost, but you can't anymore, it seems.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Search for other threads using the keyword Ghost.

Other alternatives have been discussed.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Search for other threads using the keyword Ghost.

Other alternatives have been discussed.

Looks like every thread involving copying to removable media resulted in a "Ghost" verdict. Great.

Just to verify, there is NO way to create an image without installing the damned Ghost software? (I'm *TOLD* the software disk is bootable, but mine doesn't even have a boot image according to ISObuster)

 

[Nothinman]

ust to verify, there is NO way to create an image without installing the damned Ghost software? (I'm *TOLD* the software disk is bootable, but mine doesn't even have a boot image according to ISObuster)

But did you try booting it?

Anyway, just create your own bootdisk with BartPE.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Look for Acronis. Many threads have discussed the boot problem.

Just using the search with the required words ghost boot provides at least a half dozen informative hits.

 

[dunkster]

I've been using Terabyte 'Image for Windows' and 'Image for DOS'.

They're non-bloatware, inexpensive and reliable.

'Image for Windows' is faster, and will image any partition from within Windows, but you'll need 'Image for DOS' to restore an OS partition.

'Image for DOS' does it all.

 

[EyeMWing]

I tracked down an old copy of Ghost 2003. I spent the better part of the night looking through previous threads and found nothing helpful. It doesn't really matter if my Ghost 9 CD is bootable (since it lacks the neccessary data, I severely doubt it is), because some of the *OTHER* machines I need to image can't be CD booted for one reason or another. Doesn't look like Acronis can do it, either, though I took one look at their trial download form and decided against dealing with them. Sorry, there's no damned reason you need my street address for me to download a crippled version of your software. If you asked, I'd probably give it to you, but making it a REQUIREMENT is a different thing entirely. It seems that the only TRULY viable solution for me is a Knoppix LiveCD with PartImage on it, and I'm not that sure I want to trust Linux devs with NTFS. Other than that, the ONLY stuff out there is corporate bloatware with severe limitations on what you can do.

In short: There is no one-stop solution for imaging your hard drives under $1000 anymore (unless you can dig up an ancient copy of Ghost)

 

[Nothinman]

It seems that the only TRULY viable solution for me is a Knoppix LiveCD with PartImage on it, and I'm not that sure I want to trust Linux devs with NTFS

If you use the Captive NTFS driver it should be alright, but I doubt partimage can use that.

Other than that, the ONLY stuff out there is corporate bloatware with severe limitations on what you can do.

What limitations? Don't the newer versions come with a DOS executable? I really haven't looked because I don't deal with that crap anymore, but the last thing I did was setup our helpdesk and Windows guys with BartPE and ghost32 and it's one of their most valued tools. But yes, it requires you be able to boot from CD.

 

[Redking]

Acronis TrueImage.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Redking
Acronis TrueImage.

Amen! Beats any version of Ghost hands down. It autocreates bootable CDs with Linux as the OS that allow you to clone independent of the OS - from any media, to any media (Firewire, USB, SATA, IDE, SCSI) in any format. That is fast and immediately useful with no restoration.

Of course, it also does all the Windows imaging you need.

TI8

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

It seems that the only TRULY viable solution for me is a Knoppix LiveCD with PartImage on it, and I'm not that sure I want to trust Linux devs with NTFS

If you use the Captive NTFS driver it should be alright, but I doubt partimage can use that.

Other than that, the ONLY stuff out there is corporate bloatware with severe limitations on what you can do.

What limitations? Don't the newer versions come with a DOS executable? I really haven't looked because I don't deal with that crap anymore, but the last thing I did was setup our helpdesk and Windows guys with BartPE and ghost32 and it's one of their most valued tools. But yes, it requires you be able to boot from CD.

Nope. No DOS executable to be found in Ghost 9.

 

[speed01]

Maybe I'm not quite understanding what it is you're trying to do but here goes anyway.. If you install Ghost server on the machine where you intend to send the image to, you can then use said installation to create a set of network boot disks for the machine you want to image. You then boot the machine to be imaged using said boot disks and send the image to the machine where you want it and then burn it to DVD. At least it worked that way in Ghost 8.5, I haven't tried anything newer.

FWIW,
Speed

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing
In short: There is no one-stop solution for imaging your hard drives under $1000 anymore (unless you can dig up an ancient copy of Ghost)

Err, Ghost 9 includes a copy of Ghost 2003, so I've heard. (I don't know if it is included on a physically-seperate, additional bootable CD or not.) But the original Ghost 2003 CDs are bootable just fine. You can also install Ghost 2003, feed it a bootable Win98se or MS-DOS 6.22/5.0 bootable floppy-disk, and it will make a Ghost boot floppy for you. From then on, you can simply pop that sucker into any machine, or burn it to a bootable CD using "floppy emulation mode". I dunno, it WFM fine. I think Ghost 2003 works great, much better than anything else that I've used.

 

[kmmatney]

"I tracked down an old copy of Ghost 2003. "

Yup, I think thats the best solution - A Ghost 2003 floppy disk has always worked for me. Just install Ghost somewhere and have it make a Ghost boot floppy disk, which you then use from there on out. It even supports external USB drives, which comes in handy.

 

[edmicman]

Can you use the ghostcast server? That just pushes ghost to the machine you want to ghost via the LAN, no need to boot off of anything.

On a side note, what kind of retardation forces you to make ghost boot disks on FLOPPIES?? I know you can boot from the original program CD, but you should be able to make a bootable CD with the ghost program on it, too. I don't necessarily want to have to carry around the program CD everywhere I need it. I can make a bootable floppy, why don't they let you make the CD? That Bart's guide to do it is a royal pain in the butt, too, and I never could get it to work right. bah!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: edmicman
On a side note, what kind of retardation forces you to make ghost boot disks on FLOPPIES?? I know you can boot from the original program CD, but you should be able to make a bootable CD with the ghost program on it, too. I don't necessarily want to have to carry around the program CD everywhere I need it. I can make a bootable floppy, why don't they let you make the CD?

As I tried to explain, you can then take those bootable floppies, and make bootable CDs from them, using "floppy emulation mode" to built your boot CDs. I've done it, it works.

 

[Nothinman]

Bart's guide to do it is a royal pain in the butt, too, and I never could get it to work right. bah!

Bart's tool is simple, if you can't figure it out maybe you shouldn't be running around ghosting people's machines?