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Message started by ginos on Jun 5th, 2008 at 8:24pm

Title: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by ginos on Jun 5th, 2008 at 8:24pm
Thursday, June 05, 2008

Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive

I have been using Ghost 9 for a few years with excellent results.  I restore ghost images often.  

My current restore method is to boot up on my Ghost 9 Recovery CD.  The Boot up process automatically starts up ghost 9 which then gives me the ability to retrieve the desired ghost image from my external USB Hard drive.

The boot up process is rather slow. Therefore, I would like to create a bootable flash drive with ghost 9 to enable a faster, than CD, boot up to the ghost 9 menu.  

I searching the web I have obtain a variety of different information without obtaining a clear and consolidated set of instructions.  Some of the questions that arise are:
1. The size of flash drive (I have 1 MB, 2 MB, and 4 MB flash drives)
2. Computer’s ability to boot up on USB (my BIOS and PC supports this option)
3. Type of boot up files to use
4. Etc.

Can someone help me achieve my goal of creating Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive?  I would appreciate any comments or direction on this matter.

Gino

Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by Brian on Jun 7th, 2008 at 12:36am
ginos,

I haven't been able to get BartPE or ReatogoXPE to boot from a USB flash drive in my computer. But others have in their computers. The Ghost 9 plugin runs in both of these environments.

Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by ginos on Jun 7th, 2008 at 9:59am
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Brian,

     Thanks very much for your reply.  First let me mention, in the past, you have helped me solve some other ghost problems.  Thanks again for your prior assistance.  

In my post, Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive, I should have mentioned that I am using a Dell 390 Precision PC with Windows XP Professional edition.

In your brief reply, I am getting then impression that my goal, Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive, is achievable.  Otherwise I believe you would have told me that it can’t be done. Therefore, I want to continue to try and accomplish it

At this point can you give some direction or instructions on how to proceed?   I have never used BartPE or ReatogoXPE and don’t understand how Ghost 9 plug-in works, but I am willing to try.

Before replying could you first take a look at the web links below to see if they are of value in this application.  Again, I don’t understand how the Ghost 9 plug-in work and if these sites offer procedures that are compatible with plugin.

WeetHet - Boot from USB Flash drive http://www.weethet.nl/english/hardware_bootfromusbstick.php


How To Make a USB Flash Drive Bootable
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/10/16/how-to-make-a-usb-flash-drive-bootable/


How To Boot From A USB Flash Drive
http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm

I look forward to hearing from you and or others who can help.

Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by Brian on Jun 7th, 2008 at 10:41pm
ginos,

My brevity reflected my frustration with this issue. My BartPE USB flash drive booted but about 1 minute into the driver loading phase I got a BSOD. No matter how many times I created the flash drive. I suspect it's related to Dell hardware. A friend who was on top of the issue guided me through but we gave up.

This is MudCrab's guide

*****How to Make BartPE Boot from a USB Flash Drive

Booting BartPE from a USB flash drive can be very useful. A good example would be if you only have one CD/DVD drive in your computer. You can't remove the BartPE CD if you want to use the drive for something else, like a backup or recovery operation. Follow these steps to create a bootable USB flash drive:
1. Save any data on the USB flash drive. Later, you will need to format the drive. All data on the drive will be lost.

2. Download a utility called PeToUSB from from here (the original download site is http://gocoding.com/page.php?al=petousb.) You can read about it here if you want to learn more. You don't need to read about it to use it.

3. Unzip the file you just downloaded, and copy PeToUSB.exe to C:\pebuilder3110a.

4. Now double click C:\pebuilder3110a\pebuilder.exe. Change the "Media output" to "None", as you don't need to create or burn an ISO at this time. Hit the Build button to create the BartPE output.

5. You will now format the USB drive, make it bootable and copy the BartPE output to the drive. Plug in your USB drive and double click C:\pebuilder3110a\PeToUSB.exe. Select your USB drive as the Destination Drive. Check the Enable Disk Format and Quick Format boxes. Enter a Drive Label. Set the Source Path To build BartPE/WinPE Files to C:\pebuilder3110a\BartPE. Check the Enable File Copy box. Hit the Start button and follow the on screen instructions. This should complete your disk. You only need to format the USB drive the first time. Thereafter, you can uncheck the Enable Disk Format box.





6. Now you are ready to boot the USB drive. You will need to set your BIOS properly in order to boot from the USB drive. Since most BIOS' are different, I can only give you general instructions. Make sure your drive is plugged in, and enter your BIOS setup. You need to make sure the BIOS emulates the USB drive as a Hard Drive, not, a Floppy drive or CDROM. You may need to change the USB Configuration settings in order to accomplish this. You may need to reboot and re-enter the BIOS setup in order for the USB drive to show up in the list of Hard Drives. Move the USB drive to the first Hard Drive in the list. Save the changes and reboot. If everything worked, you will boot into BartPE. When you are done using BartPE, don't forget to re-enter your BIOS setup and change back to your normal Hard Drive. *****


If this works for you, the plugin is next.

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1119240262




Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by ginos on Jun 9th, 2008 at 10:40am
Monday, June 09, 2008

Dear Brian,

Thanks for your response and suggestion.  

I spent considerable time researching your suggestion and the web regarding this issue.  I again viewed different approaches, experiences, and options.  After this research, I discovered a more in depth understanding of the goal, Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive, options,and related problems ( Lack of success, BSOD, etc.).

     Base on my research to date, I believe my chance of success is very minimal.  Therefore, I am shelving the idea.

     In closing, I want to again thank you for your excellent assistance over the years.  Keep up the good work

Gino


Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by TheShadow on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 6:49pm
Wow!  After all that info, you're giving UP?
Granted some of the info takes you around grandpa's barn before getting you to the goal. :(  
Sorry about that! ::)

For me, it was a very simple chore.
I downloaded the little utility from HP to make a Flash Drive Bootable and then gave it my Windows ME/ Ghost 2003 boot floppy as a source of the boot information (the three system files needed to boot into DOS).
Then I just copied the rest of the files from my Ghost boot disk (it could have been my Ghost boot CD just as easily) from the Ghost boot floppy to the Flash Drive and the job was done.

When booting up, I press the F11 key to get my motherboards BOOT Menu and I select the Flash Drive and away I go!!!  No problem!!!

If I set the boot order properly, I don't even have to use the boot menu.

Apologies, but I don't see the problem.

Anyone wanting to really USE their PC and do things beyond just playing SOL and reading email, needs to have a Floppy Disk Drive, even if it has to be a USB External Floppy.  Most BIOS's will see that just like an internal Floppy Drive.  I have a USB Floppy Drive that I use in my shop, one in my parts kit that I take with me on every call and I wind up selling about one a month to customers who have just bought a new PC, without a floppy drive on it.

Gotta run, , , we're in a huge downpour from Tropical Storm FAY.

The Shadow  8-)


Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by ginos on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 5:35pm
Saturday, August 23, 2008

Thanks for very much for taking the time to comment on my goal (Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive).  Your summary of how you accomplished it was refreshing and appears to be very simple.  

After review of your comments and some revisiting of information, with your assistance, I would like to “Un-shelve” the project/goal a give it a try.  Can you provide me with additional details:  where to obtain the little utility from HP; a step by step procedure or reference source on installing and developing the bootable flash drive?  

Again, to recap, my goal was/is to make a bootable flash drive using:

1.      Dell 390 Precision with Windows XP Professional.  The bios supports boot up on a flash drive. I currently do not have a USB External Floppy.

2.       2GB flash drive

3.      Ghost 9 CD

Thank you again for your constructive and refreshing comments.  I look forward to hearing from you. I look forward to hearing from you

Gino

Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by TheShadow on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 7:57pm
I've been experimenting with trying to make a bootable flash drive, using the "HP USB Format Tool", and getting the boot files from some other source than a bootable floppy disk.  So far I'm batting zero.

I tried a DOS bootable CD, but the system files are located inside the boot sector and the HP program can't see them, so the program errors out.  

I suspect that the program would accept one Flash Drive (already made by the HP program) to make another one bootable, since the system files on the flash drive are fully visible.

I just did that very thing and the operation went off without a hitch.
I used a 1gig thumb drive as the source, to make a "SD Flash Memory Card" bootable.
In the very beginning however, I had to use a Bootable Floppy Disk as the DOS system files source.

At the risk of repeating myself, if you want to color outside the box and do things with your computer that Windows can't do.....you need a floppy drive.  The little USB Floppy Drives are ridiculously cheap, considering all that they can do for you.

A while back a friend gave me a Dell XPS400, tower PC, that Dell had declared "Broken and not worth repairing".
Well, it wasn't 'Broken' but seriously lacking in many respects.
The first thing I did was to install a 3.5" 1.44m Floppy Drive.  Next I increased the ram by 100% (from 512m to 1 G) and then installed a DVD burner in place of the DVD-ROM Combo drive installed by Dell.
As I said, the xps 400 was seriously lacking, in many respects.
Considering the price that Dell got for that computer, it was a real piece of junk.  I'm slowly turning it into a REAL computer.

Installing the little floppy drive gave me the ability to use several diagnostics that I keep on floppy disks.  It's just an option, that I want on every computer I own.

Get a floppy drive and I can assist you with whatever else you may need, software wise.

Cheers mate!
The Shadow  8-)




Title: Re: Ghost 9 on bootable flash drive
Post by TheShadow on Aug 23rd, 2008 at 8:41pm
BUT......

There's always a "But".....right?

I remembered that I had once copied my entire Ghost boot floppy to a folder on my HD, including the three system files.
When I pointed the HP USB Formatting Tool to that folder, it accepted the 3 DOS boot files I had stored there as what it needed to make a Flash Drive bootable.  It worked like a charm.
Those three DOS System Files could easily be zipped up and sent over the internet via email or FTP transfer.
I use the DOS files from a Windows ME boot disk.
The system files from any other DOS boot disk would, I'm thinking, work as well.

The only drawback to a bootable Flash Drive is that it thinks it's a hard drive,,,,in fact it thinks it's drive C:. >:(
So your main HD becomes drive D: and every other drive shifts down one letter.  As long as you know that and can deal with it, there's really NO problem. ::) ;)

Once your flash drive is set up with the boot files, any other files or drivers you may want, can be added with a simple copy and paste from your Windows HD.

By adding "NTFS4DOS" to your flash drive, you can unlock an NTFS drive to see and work with individual files, all from your DOS prompt.
Knowing some basic DOS commands comes in real handy here.

It just gets betterer and betterer! :D ;)

Cheers mates!
The Shadow  8-)


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