I have been using All versions of ghost now for years.  I am not an expert programmer and such a lot of my learning is dabbling.
Recently i have found a problem that i cant get my head around.

I am therefore asking for pointers for the right direction.

Basically the fault is when i create an image from Ghost2003, the computer reboots as per the norm, and then the machine tries to go in to the Ghost DOS (Blue Window).
The PC locks up before it enters.  It locks on the Blue ghost loader window.

I then have to reboot the PC, and the PC dos starts loading again, and goes into a loop.  The Virtual drive then becomes the main boot drive, and windows (C:)  is either moved to a different partition or overwritten completely.

If it has not been overwritten, thn i can use a Boot sector selection program to reset the boot disk i need for windows to operate again.
If it has been overwritten, i need to use Ghost 9 and boot into virtual Windows to recover Windows.

I use auto load DVD's for my pc, and friends that i have built for easy of maintenance so i would really like to get this sorted.

Now my PC specs.
It is happening on 2 pc's to date.
A sony VAIO Laptop S5Xp (i believe?) the ecpensive one
My new Gigabyte motherboard GA-K8NSNXP Athlon 64.
Using NTFS: Partitions
Hard drive Maxtor Diamondmax 10, 200G SATA, runing ntfs 1:1,1:2 and 1:3 partitions

I recently had an ASUS K8VSE Motherboard in here, with all th same Hard drives etc, but since the Gigabyte was put in the problems have started, so it tends to leave me towards a motherboard driver issue.?

I can sometimes get Ghost 8 or 2003 from a boot disk but not always.  Last time everything went screwy.  2 new partitions were created, and the hard drive went really screwy.
-VPSGHOST- partitons were created, I think the partition name was called or something similar.


Hope this is enough info at present.
PLease point me in the right direction
I use Barts modified Autrun restore CD as my restore disk and virtual memory loader.

Thanks
Mike

I found a link and tried it:  it worked.

Using the ghost.exe /nfi Command

Quote from help File
Disables direct IDE access support for IDE hard disk operations.
This switch has the same functionality as the -noide switch.


Only problem i am having now though, is creating the initial ghost file from Windows ghost XP2003
I need to add the /nfi switch

I go through the motions, and in the advanced tab, i select
ghost command switches, and type
ghost.exe /fni   and tried (ghost.exe -fni)

When the PC is rebooted, an error message appears, and windows is loaded again.

What am i Missing ?
Thanks

Trailblazer

When you work with Ghost 2003 from the Windows interface, you have to contend with the fact that Ghost then uses a *virtual partition* that it creates in order to perform the Ghost operations.

If there is a hardware compatibility/incompatibility, one can get *stuck* in the virtual partition and Ghost does not successfully (or gracefully) exit from that virtual partition, and return to the former Windows partition, and reboot.

These references may help:

How to use GhReboot

Cannot start Windows after starting a Ghost 2003 task from Windows

How to restart the computer into Windows if a problem is encountered after running Ghost 2003


Quote:

I go through the motions, and in the advanced tab, i select ghost command switches, and type ghost.exe /fni   and tried (ghost.exe -fni)

In that *Ghost Command Line* entry box, type just the switch--*-fni*

If you want that switch to be added by default every time, you can open the Norton Windows interface main screen, and select the *Options* menu item, and then *Norton Ghost*.  Select the *Ghost Command Line* tab, type the switch command *-fni*, and then click *Apply*.

Trailblazer


Quote:

Using the ghost.exe /nfi Command

For clarification--the above appears to be a *typo* error, being as I can not find a switch *nfi*--and Ghost does not use the */* in front of switches--instead it uses the *minus sign*.

In your post you have */nfi* in a couple places, and I think it should be:

ghost.exe -fni

Points I have found

I found that /nfi was posted on some other forums, but i have seen from the help files -nfi are ghost switches.  I will use this method from now on.


Windows ghost XP2003 :
Found that All earlier versions <793 will lock up PC whatever switches are used

Dos ghost Xp2003:
Also found that this version would not load at all whether any switches were used or not.

I found that using Windows XP2003.793 Worked Fine though.
I also found that using DOS Ghost 8.2 Corporate, ghost loaded ok, whether using switches or not.
The jury is out at present though on 8.2 since im sure it locked on me the other night.

Thanks for your help Nightowl, and your points are noted,

Thought id post these comments, since newer machines are coming out, and other people may be interested to read about the results.

Thanks Again
Mike

Trailblazer

I have to correct an earlier statement:


Quote:

and Ghost does not use the */* in front of switches--instead it uses the *minus sign*

That's actually how the user manual always shows switch useage and if you type *ghost -?*--the switches listed all use the *minus* sign--but I stumbled across this in the user manual:


Quote:

A hyphen (-) or a slash (/) must precede all switches except @. Switches are not case sensitive. They can be entered in upper, lower, or mixed case.

So I have corrected myself!

I noted the usage of the */nfi* switch in this other forum thread on SATA HDD's and Ghost:

Norton Ghost Sata problems

Looks like *wasted* said to use *-fni*, but *mErLiNeK* said that *-nfi* worked with Ghost 7.x!

But your statement in your last post seems to imply that */nfi*  is a documented, correct switch, and I note from your first post that you are using Ghost 2003:


Quote:

but i have seen from the help files -nfi are ghost switches

--but when I used it to start Ghost 2003 by typing *ghost /nfi*  I get *Usage Error 10100--Invalid switch: nfi*

Are you using *ghost -nfi* with Ghost 2003--and is it working okay?!

So, unless your statement was in regards to the *minus* sign, I still believe the */nfi* switch is invalid for Ghost 2003 (but might be valid for Ghost v7.x--which may be Ghost 2002 also), but */fni* or *-fni* are correct for Ghost 2003.