Black hole - Ghost to permit a drive copy cloning OR an image file to create a Win2K partition ?

[RFJ]

I have not found a way to for Ghost to permit a drive copy cloning OR an image file to create a Win2K partition to be fully launched.


What comes up it the Limited Virtual Memory error message saying there is no paging file or it is too small.
Ghost will NOT copy the paging file when doing the image creation of the original working image of a Win2K partition.

I have tried both Ghost 2003 or Ghost DOS
I have gone into the Recovery Console to try to delete the pagefile.sys file and have Win2K recreate a healthy page file.
I have utilized the sysprep utility for Win2K,
It is a dual boot system and I have tried putting the page swap file on either or both of the Win2K D partition and the Win ME C partition
I have even tried a Win2K recovery via the install CD. Thus using the Recovery Console to create a pagefile.sys and then deleting it so that the now cloned Win2K system will recreate the page file newly.
That still does not work. Same message.
If there was a way to go into the NEW Win2K system and CREATE a pagefile, via the Control Panel, I would, but there is NO desktop and no way to create a new pagefile. An Extreme chicken and the egg ? catch 22 - case.
I have spent days on this and again and again tried all the Ghost options I can find.
I cannot get past the fact that after having been imaged on to the new Drive D on the new, larger (all FAT 32) physical hard drive, that Win2K will not open due to not having a paging /swap file when first attempting to Win2K.

I do not necessarily expect that there is a resolution to this pagefile absence and no chance to successfully accomplish the partition image cloning. But what surprises me is that Ghost is continued to be sold and promoted without the warning to users that this black hole exists.

 

[Ken20]

I just spotted this, and it is something that is exactly what I tried in the past and gave up on, finally. If anyone has a resolution, it would be dandy.
Also - if Win2K pro will accept the
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;813138&Product=winxp#appliesto
the functionality of the KeepPageFile=
setting is added to the Sysprep.inf of a computer that is being used to create a master image of the OS ?
Or will only Win 2K SERVER accept such ?

 

[LiLithTecH]

Are you using Basic or Dynamic disks when creating the IMAGE?
You need to to create the IMAGE with BASIC Disk and convert after the image is restored.

You can make a disk image of a Dynamic disk if you use the "-ia" (Image All) switch.
The -ia switch does a sector-by-sector copy of the entire disk. The only drawback is that
the disk on which the image is to be restored must be identical to the source disk in every way.
This is a good for primarily creating backups/clones.

Also, swap files (Pagefile.sys, Hiberfil.sys, Hibern8, etc..) are valid only for one Windows session,
and when they are included in an image file, they make it significantly larger. Ghost creates an
entry (file) for it but does not copy the data/contents.

 

[RFJ]

Thank you LiLithTecH,
These are definitely basic disk configurations. In fact, in this case, just One primary and one extended logical partition of one old plus one new IDE disk. The configuration is kept deliberately simple, in this case.

http://www.tweakxp.com/tweak1522.aspx

And supposedly the Ghost manual references that: ?Hibernation and swap files - When Norton Ghost creates image files or clones, it does not include hibernation and swap files. These files are valid only for one Windows session, and when they are included in an image file, they make it significantly larger.?

I see no other way to do the ghosting than to include these files. Since I am going from one HD to another HD, I don?t care how large the image is. I can always reduce the swap file size before Ghosting and never use a Hibernation file, anyway.

But after 20 tries of different approaches, I cannot get an image to be copied which does not bring up the entry to launch message that NO PAGE FILE CAN BE FOUND and thus I cannot get the ghosted image file Win2K installation to launch.

Do you know how I can use a ?switch? to get Ghost to indeed COPY the page file? Or some way to force Ghost to copy the page file in Win 2K ? This would seem to solve the dilemma. Thanks in advance.

 

[RFJ]

Further and significant note - these are FAT partitions, so Ghost defaults to NOT including the needed pagefile.sys. Apparently in NTFS Ghost includes and empty pagefile.sys, which would presumably make it work with the Ghost image process. The need to protect the viewing capability with Win98 WinME on dual boot configurations is the reason for the Fat 32. I won't go into why the WinME is being kept, but there is a reason.
If I could force Ghost to include those files (page file, etc. )in the image, that might be the resolution !

 

[LiLithTecH]

Did you add "KeepPageFile" to your SYSPREP Answer File?
(under the [Unattended] section of the answer file)

 

[RFJ]

LiLithTecH, that is the next venture. I will report back. I have to give it a go with that approach tonight. The disincentive is that the page, URL?d above, specifically states WinXP and Win2K SERVER, but not Win2K PRO. I actually found that :
?KeepPageFile= ?
Line almost by accident and repeated searching and linking. NOT via the Symanetc site, or searching the MS knowledge base, at all. Thus I was/am questionably hopeful, but not overly so.
To be honest I got so wiped out from repeatedly trying the variations on the solutions offered on the Symantec site, that I have had to postpone that until tonight, later.
If that does not work, I could try to go in through the dual boot other OS, change the name of Documents and Settings and WinNT and then reinstall Win2K and then change back the changed Documents and Settings and WinNT, and see if the Win2K Pro installation can be rebuilt in that way.
I suppose it could be workable to use WinXP as the alternate boot OS, so that the entire disk could be NTFS, but that presents another licensing issue.
I have sent a support request email to Symantec, but thier response email to me suggest 4-5 days until response. (if even then)
Thanks, I will report back.

 

[RFJ]

I did the full steps of introducing the
KeepPageFile=
line into the 3 INF files and even into the Word (DOC) unattended.txt file.
No go.
Same error message.
Perhaps the above was only meant for WIn2K Server, and not Pro.
I will persist. Thanks.

 

[Ken20]

I guess this means my hopes of finding a resolution to apparent this inability of are reducing, also. (?)