I have spent over an hour with Symantec online chat, and I have gotten no where.

I have a SONY VAIO, Win XP, Ghost 10.

Have been using Ghost 10 to COPY my desktop non-partitioned C to an external. No problems, I love it. I prefer to COPY than backup an image so I can pick and choose what I want from the external backup.

I need to send the VAIO in for service, and the HD will come back wiped. Thus, I want to copy the SONY hard drive to my external.

External is 120 gig -- SONY is 60gig

PROBLEM -- SONY partitions the hard drive into C: and D: -- it's a SONY thing. In Ghost, I cannot copy C&D to the external drive together -- and Symantec says I can't do it sequentially, either (because D will overwrite the copy of C I put on the external drive first).

It seems to me that this is a simple thing to do, and the Sym tech support just doesn't understand English well enough to answer my question.

So, how do I COPY a partitioned C (into C and D) on to a single external hard drive as a backup before I send the VAIO in for service?

kirby wrote on Jul 31^st, 2006 at 1:57pm:

I need to send the VAIO in for service, and the HD will come back wiped. Thus, I want to copy the SONY hard drive to my external.

kirby,

I'm not quite clear on your partitioning. At present you have a non partitioned HD, with just a C drive. You expect the HD to be wiped when it returns from Sony. Where does the D drive fit in?

It's early here. Maybe I'm slow today.

kirby wrote on Jul 31^st, 2006 at 1:57pm:

"... I need to send the VAIO in for service, and the HD will come back wiped.  Thus, I want to copy the SONY hard drive to my external..."

If I were faced with your situation, I would simply route a legacy Norton Ghost "disk-to-image" Backup of your entire MASTER HDD to your external HDD.  After all, you almost certainly have on hand three different mechanisms to undertake such a task where a series of 2GB sub-sets are created - and where the initial file has the extension *.gho with all subseqent files having the extension *.ghs.  When the wiped HDD is returned, boot from your Norton Ghost 10.0 Recovery disk to perform a legacy Restore of the MASTER HDD in toto.

The first mechanism is employing the Norton Ghost 2003 CD that is included with Norton Ghost 10.0 - the retail boxed copies, that is.  The second mechanism is booting from your Norton Ghost 10.0 CD and engaging the Backup procedure in the Windows Preinstalled Environment by following the path 'Recover > Recover Data on My Computer > Recover using a legacy Ghost image'.  The third - and most convoluted mechanism - is to use the Norton Ghost 8.2 derivative RESTOREGHOST.EXE (aka GHOST32.EXE) taken from the Norton Ghost 10.0 CD and embed it in a BartPE-XPE (reatogo edition) bootable CD.

EP :'(

El_Pescador wrote on Jul 31^st, 2006 at 4:07pm:

"... The third - and most convoluted mechanism - is to use the Norton Ghost 8.2 derivative RESTOREGHOST.EXE (aka GHOST32.EXE) taken from the Norton Ghost 10.0 CD and embed it in a BartPE-XPE (reatogo edition) bootable CD..."

CLICK HERE for commentary on using Norton Ghost 8.2 in a Windows Preinstalled Environment as opposed to using DOS-dependent Norton Ghost 2003 et al.

EP :'(

I'm not so sure on the reason, but when I bought the VAIO, it came partitioned. My understanding is that "it's a SONY thing" For the most part, I have put programs on C and data on D but not reliable enough to let C: go and just reinstall programs.. But physically, as I understand,  it is one drive.

I  really would prefer to copy rather than image -- I have had nightmares restoring images in the past and I downloaded Ghost.

I thought I would be able to <shift> or <ctrl> and select both C & D as source drives and copy them to my one external drive that's double the size of the two together. But, no.

Is that more clear? Thanks.

OK, I'm clear now. Single HD, two partitions.

First up, Copy Drive.

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1148252120;start=

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1139345103

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1117581957;start=

You would need to Copy Drive twice. First from your 60 GB to the 120 GB and them back again. I'd strongly advise against this as there is a good chance that your final result won't boot. It should boot, but if you stray from the above recommendations then you won't be happy with the result. Have a think about this and let us know what you decide. We'll help you through the stages.

Do you have Partition Magic?

I do not have Partition Magic, and I don't care about a bootable external HD.  When I get it back, the original XP will be installed, with the SONY partition, ready for me to load software.

I want all the data copied so I can poke around and move things from the external back to the internal hard drive -- but not programs or XP -- I'd prefer a fresh install.

Brian, I've now had the chance to read your links. My BIG question is that when I have copied from my desktop (non-partitoned to non) to my external drive, just before the copy it says, "Data on destination drive will be overwritten" -- if I am copying one partition after another, will the second partition copy overwrite the first or sit nicely beside it and keep its hands to itself?

I can certainly try it -- but that would be an overnight cooy ~6hr

kirby wrote on Jul 31^st, 2006 at 8:03pm:

I want all the data copied so I can poke around and move things from the external back to the internal hard drive -- but not programs or XP -- I'd prefer a fresh install.

Sounds easy. I'd start with an empty external HD. From Disk Management delete the partition on your external HD and just leave it as Unallocated Space. Reboot. Using Ghost 10 from Windows, Copy Drive your C drive as you have done in the past but don't tick “resize drive to fill unallocated space”. Now Copy Drive your D drive and don't tick “resize drive to fill unallocated space”.

Your external HD should now have your C and D drives the same sizes as on your 60 GB HD. There will be almost 60 GB of Unallocated Space on your external HD which we can deal with later.

Any questions?

So, I can copy sequentially and not have the first copy wiped out by the second partition? Sounds great to me.

There is another way to do what you desire. With images. Go ahead with the above but an alternative way is to create  C and D drive images on your external HD and when your computer returns from Sony, install Ghost 10 and mount these images as virtual drives. This takes seconds and you have access to all files in the images. I think it's better than Copy Drive but do what you feel is more comfortable.

Images are better in the long run as you can store images from your two computers on the same external HD.

One thing I didn't point out is when you are choosing a destination for your Copy, choose Unallocated Space on the external HD each time. For the C and D drive copy, each goes to Unallocated Space so it doesn't over write data.

Let me give it a try and I'll check in tomorrow. Thanks!

I did a copy with partition 1 (C:) from the laptop to the external hard drive -- it takes up about half the space on the external. But, when I go to add partition 2 (D:) to the external drive, it tells me all data will be overwritten. So, looks like I can't do it sequentially.

Would the easiest thing be to partition the external drive, copy partition to partition for now, and when I get the laptop back and re-load, just re-format the external without partitions?

This is getting out of my league -- so I need help on the partition thing -- and how would I do the partition (do not have Partition Magic).

Thanks!

kirby wrote on Aug 1^st, 2006 at 8:17am:

"... This is getting out of my league -- so I need help on the partition thing -- and how would I do the partition (do not have Partition Magic)..."

Pleonasm wrote on Apr 25^th, 2006 at 10:56am:

"... I would add that the use of Ghost 8.2 provides application redundancy for an image backup strategy.  Personally, I use Ghost 10 as my primary image backup solution, but about once a month I create a .GHO image backup with Ghost 8.2... consider that the use of Ghost 8.2 through the Ghost 10 recovery environment CD allows a user to create and save an image of a “factory fresh” PC before any applications are installed.  Obviously, this objective could not be done with Ghost 10..."

As you can see above, the use of Norton Ghost 8.2 is not mutually exclusive from the use of Norton Ghost 10.0 (I have not tried it, but I have explicit faith in the judgement of Pleonasm).  Using a legacy Ghost "disk-to-image" Backup/Restore - as opposed to "partition-to-image" - is a simple and straightforward tactic you should consider.  The concern with partitions will then become a non-issue.

EP :'(

kirby


Quote:

But, when I go to add partition 2 (D:) to the external drive, it tells me all data will be overwritten.

When doing your second procedure--are you able to *see* and select *unallocated* space to copy the second partition to the destination HDD--if you are saving to *unallocated* space, then you can not be *over-writing* anything.


Quote:

I did a copy with partition 1 (C:) from the laptop to the external hard drive -- it takes up about half the space on the external.

If you are following Brian's recommendation *but don't tick “resize drive to fill unallocated space”--why is a partition that must be smaller than the 60 GB HDD it's coming from (being as there are two partitions on it) taking up half the size of a 120 GB destination HDD?

Strange results!

kirby,

You are so close now. Just a few questions. How large are your C and D drive partitions? How much data is in each? Is the C drive copy on your external HD the same size as the C drive on the laptop? Is the remaining space on the external HD called Unallocated Space? Have a look at Disk Management to confirm this.

When you tried to copy the D drive, was there an option to not tick “resize drive to fill unallocated space”? Are you sure that you chose Unallocated Space as the destination for the D drive copy because it sounds like you chose the C drive copy as the destination? Just a thought.

The thought to remember is that you are not doing any harm to your laptop. If you do accidentally overwrite a partition on the external HD it doesn’t really matter. You can just start again.

The partition labeled C: is 15gig
The partition labeled D: is 25 gig
The external drive is 120 gig.

Ghost > copy my hard drive > next > drive to copy >  choose C: > next > destination > F [external] > next >
check source for file system errors          yes
check destination for file system errors    yes

resize drive to fill unallocated space -- greyed out
destinatiion partition type -- greyed out

nothing else selected

next > finish > all data on the destination drive will be overwritten. Are you sure you want to proceed?

After I copied the C: I followed the same steps for the D: and stopped at the overwrite message.

Just got home from work -- thanks in advance for the help!

kirby, thanks for all the details as they are certainly helpful.


Quote:

destination > F [external] >

As the external HD had a drive letter it could not have been Unallocated Space. Unallocated Space does not show in My Computer. There is no drive letter. It does show in Disk Management (Right click My Computer, click Manage, Disk Management). From here, to delete a partition you right click your external HD partition and click Delete partition. Once it's empty, reboot and confirm there is no drive letter. From here on, it should be easy.

There are no partitions on the external HD.

When I initially hooked it up, it was represented by * , not a drive letter, so I assigned a drive letter to it.

In the Ghost wizard you will be asked for a partition type. Choose primary for the C drive and don't tick "set drive active". You will need to choose a drive letter too from the drop down arrow. Any letter is OK.

Quote:

When I initially hooked it up, it was represented by * , not a drive letter, so I assigned a drive letter to it.

Did you assign this letter from Ghost or prior to starting Ghost?

I don't remember if Ghost was open when I assigned the drive letter through disc manager (my computer)

Do I need to format the external hard drive? It currently has the C: partition copied on to it -- reformatting no problem to start fresh.

kirby wrote on Aug 1^st, 2006 at 6:21pm:

I don't remember if Ghost was open when I assigned the drive letter through disc manager (my computer)

Ah, that was the problem. Don't assign a drive letter through Disk Management for what we are doing. No problem (for me anyway). Start again by deleting the partition on your external HD. Reboot and make sure there is no drive letter for the external HD. Start Ghost and this time it should work.

Questions?

OK, Brian -- so far, so good. I am copying now, and am betting it will take about 3 hours. If I don't write back tonight, I'll post in the AM.  Right now, it says it is copying to unallocated space.

Thanks so much for your help.

I'm pleased. Sorry if I confused you initially.

How much data is on your C and D drives? Your copying time is long so I guess you have a USB 1 connection.

Yes -- the USB 1 is the killer. But, the VAIO is so small and lightweight compared to my Toshiba laptop that it's worth saving and sending in for service. Can't do high horsepower stuff on it, but I can work around that.  I bought this VAIO just after 9/11 when they cut us down to one carry-on for the airplane. This fits in a generously-sized purse.

Yes, my USB 1 connections get 1 MB/second, USB 2 connections get 25 MB/second and external SATA connections get 45 MB/second.

For anyone reading this thread we are not doing

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1117581957;start=

as our aim is not to make a bootable partition.

Brian, it worked like a charm. Thanks.

This is the best I can remember of the steps. Can you double-check for me? Then, maybe post as a sticky?

To copy a partitioned hard drive to an external hard drive using Ghost 10 in Windows XP Home

Attach external hard drive to computer
Start > right click on my computer > disk management look for * drive, do not assign it a drive number (this drive will not show up in Explore)

Exit from disk management

Open Ghost
Copy my hard drive > choose one of your partitions (represented by drive letters) to copy on to external HD > next > choose * drive for destination (this represents your external HD) > next > options

DO NOT choose resize drive to fill unallocated space
CHOOSE * drive letter
>next > copy

This will copy one partition from your current HD to your external HD
After this is done, start over from the beginning, choosing the other partition to copy
As long as you do not assign a drive letter to the external HD during this process, you will NOT get the message “all data will be overwritten” when you try to do the second partition copy on to the same external HD.

When done, shut down computer, remove external hard drive. If you have another computer, check external HD – other computer should recognize partitions automatically and assign drive letters.  

If I missed anything, please correct. Am I right in that you don't have to choose primary or logical partition in the copy options screen?

Thanks again -- as long as you check, Brian -- would love to leave this for others since Symantec doesn't get this.

That's good news, kirby.

I agree with your summary. The better news is that you don't have to do this again. Now that the partitions have been established you can copy as you did before. The C drive goes to the Copy C drive partition and does overwrite the data. Same for D drive.

In Disk Management you will have around 60 GB of unallocated space. Right click and format this as a logical NTFS partition and accept the drive letter. Now you have 3 partitions on your external HD. Use the third for whatever you like.

When you are ready I'd like to convince you that images are a better way to go than what we have done.

Well, Brian, I don't intend to be backing up partitioned drives much. I just needed to do this one for service so I don't pay them to back it up for me. I live on my desktop, which I copy every night to external HD, and the reason I like that is because then I can connect that non-bootable external HD to any of my laptops, grab what I need and go. Being able to simply copy data is ideal for how I operate.

After 3 disasters of laptops crashing (Acer, Compaq, Toshiba)
and dying -- I don't keep a whole lot hanging around on them. This was totally for convenince with all my customizations that I can re-load. I would re-install programs, anyway. Just good practice, I've found.

Why do you prefer an image?

kirby, your recent post made me change my mind. Your technique of data backup is fine and obviously suits your circumstances. I back up my data with Second Copy but there are numerous suitable apps. The OS/program partition is really the only partition that must be imaged. If you have a HD failure then that image can be restored to your newly purchased HD. Your data is then copied into a data partition (like your Sony setup) and you are up and running in less than an hour. Some people backup the OS/program partition by Copy Drive (cloning) and this is what Dan has to say…

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1132968474;start=7#7

Another of Dan’s articles on backup is a classic even though it was written a few years ago.
http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13


You mentioned..

Quote:

I have had nightmares restoring images in the past

What happened? Restoring images should be straight forward.