Help cloning or copying primary Windows XP Drive

[sygyzy]

My primary Windows XP drive (C is a 80GB WD drive. I have a feeling that it's going soon and I'd hate to lose all that data. Since I built the computer, I've purchased 2-3 new hard drives (120's and 160's) and each time I try my best to clone, ghost, copy the primary C: over to one of the new drives so I could retire the 80GB as a secondary data drive.

Each time I fail. Either ghost fails for one reason or the other (always before it even starts copying). If I use a really simple tool, such as that provided by WD or Seagate, it does a simple copy all command. That seems to work but when I boot into Windows, it claims it cannot authenticate. I assume this is hardware authentication.

This can't be that difficult of a situation. What is the problem here? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Did you write down any of the Ghost errors?

Have you tried running Windows' disk error checking (Properties > Tools)?

 

[sniperruff]

norton ghost?

 

[ShellGuy]

Invest in Acronis True Image works great...


Will G.

 

[Bozo Galora]

the first three things that come to mind are......
You must go into folder options and make sure hide system files, and hide hidden sys files are not enabled
(Cant authenticate might be your serial # info isnt transferring)
Then If you unhook drive to boot from it - dont forget to make jumper master and C primary active - at end of 80 conductor cable.
Also drive must be formatted in same file system as Old drive - FAT32 NTFS

I have also given up on Ghost and switched to Drive Image

 

[sygyzy]

I have tried to run scandisk on the drive but it always says something has access to it and I cannot run it. And it supposedly tries to reschedule for next restart. Half the time this works and half it can't complete it. Anyway, there are really never any errors, so I don't know what's up with Ghost.

What does "unhook drive too boot from it" mean?

 

[Bozo Galora]

anything running as a process could stop scandisk from working
An active anti-virus like Norton, a firewall, or a virus
the first thing to try is safe mode
or, you could download the HDD manuf test utility - it will run from floppy (or CD) in PC DOS.
while I have never seen "unhook drive" message, it would appear its bootable with O/S but not
configured as sole bootable master on cable.

Its hard to diagnose since you have not said exactly where you stand now as to the PC's current situation.

 

[sygyzy]

My bad. Here are the stats

C: ID0 Master - WD 80GB, Windows XP Install/Boot DRive
D: ID0 Slave - Seagate 160GB, Data Drive
E: ATA Card ID0 Master - Seagate 16-GB, Data Drive
F: ATA Card ID1 Master - Western Digital 120GB, Data Drive

Normally when I "clone" I unplug all HD's except the Primary C: and the new blank drive as D:

One problem I suspect is Windows' ability to track drives. It seems like no matter how you physically plug them, it tries to keep the same drive letters. Annoying!

 

[DaveSimmons]

You never listed your Ghost errors but the version of Ghost you have might not support drives larger than 120 GB.

 

[sygyzy]

I think I figured it out. I installed Acronis and it said disk C was not support. Hmm. Let's try cloning D:. Same problem. What about E and F? They both work. Why? Because C and D are dynamic disks. I cannot convert dynamic to basic. Only basic to dynamic. So looks like I either get True Image Server, or I am SOL. Or ... I wonder if Ghost can do it?

 

[AwesomeJay]

just clone the drive using a dos boot disk with ghost.exe on it

 

[bocamojo]

Make sure you choose USB 1.1 or no USB for Ghost, otherwise it will hang before it can backup your data as an image file.

 

[Bozo Galora]

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/docid/2000020908463825

(Quote)
Symantec Ghost 8.0, 7.5, and 7.0
Symantec Ghost 7.0, 7.5, and 8.0 are Windows 2000 logo-certified. You can successfully clone entire drives or individual partitions from Windows 2000 computers with the following exceptions:

Ghost is compatible with Basic Disks and with Mirrored partitions that are on Dynamic Disks, but not with other Dynamic partitions. Ghost can create an image of a Mirrored partition that is on a Dynamic Disk, but can only restore that partition to a Basic Disk (which breaks the mirror). See the document Ghost compatibility with Dynamic Partitions.

Windows 2000 cannot read encrypted files and directories when the SID has changed (after a rollout, Ghost Walker provides a new unique SID for each client computer). To prevent this problem, unencrypt all files and directories before cloning a Windows 2000 system. Re-encrypt the files and directories after using Ghost Walker on the client computers to provide new user names and SIDs.


http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/gh...=docid&dtype=&prod=&ver=&osv=&osv_lvl=

Quote:

To clone a dynamic disk
The best way to use Ghost to clone a dynamic disk is to perform a partition-to-image cloning operation and not a disk-to-image cloning operation. To clone the entire disk, perform a partition-to-image operation and select all partitions on the source disk.

Partition-to-Image
Ghost supports creating a partition image of a dynamic disk for both simple volumes and mirrored volumes and restoring that partition to a basic disk. Ghost does not support restoring a partition to a dynamic disk.

To clone a simple or mirrored volume, run Ghost normally. Ghost will detect the simple and mirrored volumes and will save the contents of the volume as a non-dynamic partition. After restoring the image to a basic disk, use the Windows 2000/XP Disk Management MMC utility to convert the partition to a simple or mirrored volume.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Because Ghost cannot restore a partition image to a dynamic disk, you cannot use this process to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk. If you want to restore a partition image to a dynamic disk, you must first convert the disk to a basic disk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Disk-to-Image
Because you can select all partitions on the source disk when performing a partition-to-image cloning operation, a disk-to-image clone is necessary only in unusual circumstances, and is only applicable for backup purposes. For Windows 2000/XP to access the dynamic disk on the restored disk, the image must be restored to a drive with exactly the same geometry. In practice, this means the image can only be restored back to the same disk.

Use a disk-to-image operation only as a last resort. Note that the process is considerably slower than a partition-to-image process, and that the resulting image file will usually be much larger.

To perform a disk-to-image cloning operation on a dynamic disk, run Ghost with the -IA switch on the Ghost command line, such as

Ghost.exe -ia

Ghost supports creating a disk image of a dynamic disk only when using the -IA switch on the Ghost command line.

Partition-to-Partition
Ghost supports cloning a partition from a dynamic disk to a basic disk for both simple volumes and mirrored volumes. Ghost does not support cloning a partition to a dynamic disk.

After cloning simple volume or mirrored volume to a basic disk, use the Windows 2000/XP Disk Management MMC utility to convert the destination partition to a simple or mirrored volume.
.......................................

Interesting - I didnt know about all these dynamic disc probs with cloning.

 

[sygyzy]

Make sure you choose USB 1.1 or no USB for Ghost, otherwise it will hang before it can backup your data as an image file./Q]

Why is this? Ghost is supposed to have support for USB2.0. And firewire and 1.1. If it didn't, it would make most of the external HD's obsolete.

Bozo Galora - See how tricky dynamic disks are? I've seen your article before but never really understood it. Is it saying I cannot "clone" a dynamic disk? That I have to partition to image (file), then restore that file onto a different hard drive? That would mean I'd need three hard drives right? The second half is a bit confusing. I never ever and using Dynamic Disks again!

 

[Bozo Galora]

The first thing is - ignore anything said about mirroring - thats raid stuff

What they are saying is that you CAN clone a dynamic PARTITION to a basic volume as an IMAGE (non dynamic) on that drive or another HDD, but you cant pick a whole HDD (HDD0) with multiple dynamic partitions to clone or dump any image to another dynamic partition anywhere.
And any partition you chose on that drive to dump image must be big enough and be a basic vol type only.
But you MUST use partition to image option.
So you can clone "C" dynamic PARTITION to "E" with ghosted image
Then use disk manager to "mount it" (active primary etc.)
If C and D were both on WD 80 you would have to do both separately as single separate dynamic partition, not whole drive at once.

Or, you could make a Ghost image of the dynamic PARTITION, make sure the image is good, reformat the "C" drive and recreate as basic vol and dump back the formerly dynamic volume image.

Essentially its dynamic partition to image to basic only, one part at a time

 

[sygyzy]

If C is my boot drive, how would I boot up and restore the image I created onto the new drive? Would I just create/use some Ghost book disk, and start up a system without a primary boot drive (C, Win XP)?

What about the issue of hardware authentication? Won't XP notice that it's no longer on the 80GB HD and complain/stop me?

Thanks for your help so far. You're awesome.

 

[Bozo Galora]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299840

Product Activation with Retail Media
Windows Product Activation is designed to work with drive imaging products that are available from third-party manufacturers. You can use the Sysprep utility that is included with Windows XP to reset activation up to three times.

Note The Sysprep.exe utility is located on the Windows XP distribution CD-ROM in the Support\Tools folder in the Deploy.cab file.

After Windows XP is imaged and then deployed, Windows Product Activation initiates the activation timer, which resets the installation ID (and enables the full grace period) at first start after the installation of Windows XP is complete on the target computer. Unlike Volume Licensing, unique product keys are required for each of the target computers. However, a manual telephone call is not necessary as long as the target computers have Internet connectivity and the product keys are valid; in that case, the computer activates online automatically.

For additional information about how to use the AutoActivate parameter in an unattended installation, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
====================

First of all if you want to save image to NTFS partitions, you need Ghost 8 or higher

Now you have a very messy situation
C: boot drive one partition dynamic
D: data drive, one big partition, dynamic

So this is the chicken and the egg prob - you cant put image onto boot drive until its basic, but you cant boot without it.

F: is only viable drive to put image, but it already has stuff on it. I dont know if you have enough for 80GB image

I would bite the bullet and buy a similar 80 GB drive, format and partition same file system, unplug 2 card HDD, create image to new drive SLAVED to dynamic C drive, create and dump image, format C, repartition, load image to new C. The same HDD might eliminate activation call.

Quote:

Ghost does not support the use of a Ghost Virtual Boot Partition on a computer that has a dynamic disk, regardless of whether the dynamic disk is the boot disk. To use the Ghost Console to manage a client computer that has a dynamic disk, use a Ghost Boot Partition on the client computer. Alternatively, start the Ghost client computer from a bootable floppy disk and use Ghost Multicast rather than Ghost Console.

 

[sygyzy]

Hi,

I have enough hard drives around that I can clear almost any drive. So F (Basic) would defniitely qualify (after some prep) to act as the drive to write the image to. What would I do after that? Remove C:, install an empty HD as C:, boot up somehow (boot cd?), then restore the image on F: onto the new C:? At what point is sysprep run?

I can't do the new 80GB drive idea because the purpose of this whole exercise was to have a larger primary drive plus a newer drive (since I think the 80GB is nearing EOL).

Thanks again!

 

[Bozo Galora]

we are going round in circles here
the basic concept is kind of sinking in
tho I dont even know which Ghost you have
anyway I assume you created DOS Ghost floppy.

You pretty much have it, with a few loose ends.
unhook 12V molex from both card drives
take out WD120, jumper as slave (Seagate 160 is dynamic - no help here unless you want to wipe this disc instead of WD120, not saving anything)
set boot order to floppy, HDD0
attatch WD 120 to 80 conductor cable in middle IDE 0, C 80GIG (dynamic) still as master primary active at end of same cable.
Format clean and partition WD120 drive with XP disk manager after booting, from C 80Gig WinXP
Do not make new "D" active or primary, just extended with one big logical - or whatever.
Boot to Ghost and command partition (NOT disk) "C" to image , steer to "F" which is now "D".
Once you are sure image is transferred, shut down, take out C and trash it.
Connect another clean drive jumpered as master at end of cable.
Boot to manufacturer HDD utility floppy to format and partition new clean drive as active and primary.
Boot to Ghost Floppy and transfer image on "new D" to new clean drive (new "C") at end of cable.
You can now make "new D" your new slave by now formatting and partitioning it from New C.
Note that if you start playing around making primaries on wrong drives you will mix up all app associations (not data) to their drive letter since the CDEF will start changing according to primary/extended changes.

Sysprep is after you boot first time, but have it ready.

All this is making me dizzy, I think I'm gonna faint.

Heres a tutorial - 9 pages.

http://ghost.radified.com/ghost_1.htm

Edit: Always make sure hidden sys files and hide sys files are not enabled in folder options
With acronis I dont have to worry, but Ghost I dont know. This makes sure they can be seen to be transferred.

 

[sygyzy]

Thanks, this all makes sense to me. Too bad Acronis refuses to work with dynamic whatsoever. Now I have to go install Ghost. You have been really helpful. I hope this works!

 

[bocamojo]

Originally posted by: sygyzy

Make sure you choose USB 1.1 or no USB for Ghost, otherwise it will hang before it can backup your data as an image file./Q]

Why is this? Ghost is supposed to have support for USB2.0. And firewire and 1.1. If it didn't, it would make most of the external HD's obsolete.

Bozo Galora - See how tricky dynamic disks are? I've seen your article before but never really understood it. Is it saying I cannot "clone" a dynamic disk? That I have to partition to image (file), then restore that file onto a different hard drive? That would mean I'd need three hard drives right? The second half is a bit confusing. I never ever and using Dynamic Disks again!

The only time you can select USB 2.0 is if all your devices in your system are USB 2.0. I have mostly all USB 2.0 devices, with a few exceptions, so selecting 1.1 works best for me. I have tried to select 2.0, and it just hangs, locks up, etc.