Dear all,
I would not boot up my XP(Prof SP3) after using the NG-14 in migrating my old drive C: to the new hd.
a. First, i boot up my computer (laptop) using the old 80G hd.
b. i insert a new 160G using USB and fire up the NG-14 in the old 80G hd, use the 'Copy File option' to migratel all my files (including programs like xp...., files, etc.) in c: to the new 160hd as F:\.
c. Then i shut down my computer and replace it with the new 160hd.
d. i start the laptop using new 160hd but the Windows only run for ~10 second and hang up !
Can anyone help me in fixing up the problems in booting up the new 160hd instead of using a New clean installed.
Thanks.
\ :-X

@ micfung


micfung wrote on Nov 7^th, 2009 at 10:38pm:

use the 'Copy File option' to migratel al

Are you sure? I haven't seen that option.

What brand is your laptop?


micfung wrote on Nov 7^th, 2009 at 10:38pm:

i start the laptop using new 160hd but the Windows only run for ~10 second and hang up

What screen do you see when it stops?

Hi Brian,
Sorry the correct path is 'Copy my Hard Drive' option.
The source dirve is C:\ [NTFS] and the new 160G hd is F:\ [NTFS].
Laptop is ASUS A8 Intel 2G T7200 CoreDu, 2G Ram.
Windows XP Prof SP3.
Thks.

@ micfung

Thanks. What screen do you see when it stops?

Brian,
The window is loaded with the normal running flash toolbar appeared at the centre bottom of the screen.
Once it's finished, the window blue screen is up (but it is not the normal Window Screen with icons) with the "window" logo appeared at the right top corner of the screen and the machine is hanged up at this moment.
Mic

@ micfung

I note you had a partition with a drive letter on the external HD before you ran Copy Drive and now you have a drive letter issue. Zeroing the Disk ID should fix it.

Here is a cookbook approach to zeroing the DiskID. You can use either method.

1... Using Method #3   http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/partsigs.htm#method3

Use a Win98 floppy (or a Win98SE floppy). At the A: prompt, type fdisk /mbr and press ENTER. You won't see anything happen. It just goes back to the A: prompt.

As most people don't have floppy drives, you can also use a Win98 boot CD from...

http://www.allbootdisks.com/download/iso.html

Get the Win98SE_bootdisk.iso. Burn the ISO file with ImgBurn. Use the same method. Type fdisk /mbr at the A: prompt and press ENTER.


2... Using Clear Sig. Download BootIt NG. There is a one month trial usage. Unzip the file and make a boot CD.

  double click makedisk.exe, next
dot in I accept the agreement, next
no tick for Registration, next
dot in Mouse Support Enabled, next
dot in VESA Video, next
dot in Partition Work (Don't put a dot in Normal), next
don't choose any Default Device Options (if necessary, these can be chosen in BING), next
leave Registration strings blank, next
select your CD burner drive letter (you can use a CD-RW or a CD-R disc)
Finish

Boot from the CD....

the BootIt NG CD boots to the Work with Partitions window
Using the radio buttons on the left side of the Work with Partitions window, select the appropriate hard drive. (It should  be HD 0)
click the "View MBR" button.
click the "Clear Sig" button. Then click OK on the Notice.
click the "Apply" button.
click the "View MBR" button again and confirm the number in the left bottom corner is 0x00000000
click Cancel
click Close on the "Work with Partitions" window
click Reboot and remove the CD

Please let us know what happens.

Dear friends,
My problem is fixed now!!
Regret that the NG-14 could not solve my problem at least in the time being.
I got the Spotmau-PowerSuite 2009 program from my friend, that is quite easier to use. Once u completed the installation, u just simply press the 'Data Backup-Disk Backup/Restore button'. I just connect my new hd as F:\ using external USB. After the back up is completed [70G~50min]then, i replace my laptop with the new hd and it runs successfully without the problem encountered from NG-14.
My experience told me that the Spotmau is quite user friendly than the NG-14. No matter u agree or not!!!
HD upgrading is getting more important for laptop as the memory space is running out quickly and also it is important to use new hd for migrating into windows 7 [using XP upgrade version is cheapter than buying a new full 7 version].
Thks for your time.
:D

For anyone reading, Micfung's problem was caused by cloning to a partition with a drive letter. Ghost 14 can't do this. You must clone to unallocated space or to a partition without a drive letter. Unfortunately this is not discussed in the userguide. Maybe this issue will be changed in Ghost 15.

Brian,
i am looking for the coming NG-15 as i am a NG's fan.
However, in migrating the old hd into a new hd with 2 or more paritions, one for System Program rest for files, viedo, pictures, etc. the NG-14 still could not solve it easier.
cheer

@ micfung

Ghost 15 will not be able to do whole HD clones. It will just do partition clones similar to Ghost 14. I'm not familiar with Spotmau-PowerSuite 2009. Does it do whole HD clones? Does it clone from Windows or a boot CD?

I too am trying to clone my existing 120 GB HDD to a new HDD of the same size (both IDE).  The existing HDD has two 60 GB partitions, the C: (boot) and E:. 

The problem I'm having is that NG-14 does not see the bare drive which I have set to be the slave in accordance with the user guide. 

When I put the new HDD in, XP saw it as a new, unformatted slave HDD, but I did nothing with it since the NG-14 user guide says the drive does not have to be formatted to clone.

When NG-14 didn't see the bare drive, I tried LiveUpdate (next problem).  Well, LU didn't work so I went to symantec's site and found an XP fix and downloaded.  Now, LU is LU Express, it runs but cannot find the server!  I have tried with and without my firewall on and it does the same thing, can't find the server.  So, I don't know if I need to update my version of NG-14 or not.  When I run 'about NG-14' it reports I'm running version 14.0.0.24815.

If you can help, I'd really like to get this program to do what it's supposed to.  That would be great.

Do I need to format my bare drive despite what the user guide says?  If it should work with the new bare drive mounted as the slave, why doesn't NG-14 see it as a destination?  Do I need an update and how can I get the blasted LU to work properly?

Oh, running XP-Pro SP2 on an older system.  Ghost works and I have been imaging through USB onto a Maxtor 250 GB portable drive (both partitions are in the image, it works fine).  I haven't tried to restore from my image yet for any reason.  As another option, could I just try to restore from the portable drive onto the new bare drive (if NG-14 will see it)?

Thanks in advance.

@ punbrain

So Ghost doesn't see the unallocated space on the new HD but the HD does show in Disk Management.

What size would you like the two partitions to eventually be on the new HD. 60, 60 GB . Or different? How much free space is in your C: drive?

Brian,

When I try to clone, the destination drive choices NG shows are two unallocated spaces of 2.5 MB each but does not show the new 120 GB unallocated bare drive.  The only other choices that show are the existing HDD (60 GB each partition, 'C' and 'E') and the portable drive 'G' all as NTFS.   The two spaces of 2.5 MB might just be unformatted/reserved space on the existing HDD and the portable drive as they are listed as disk 1 and disk 3.  There is no disk 2 listed which I was expecting to be the new bare drive. All are listed as primary under type.

When I mounted the bare drive, Windows reported that it found the drive (new hardware) but I did nothing with it.  I did not format the drive.  If I go to My Computer, the bare drive does not show but it is in device manager.  When I populate the volume in device manager it shows as Disk 1, type=unknown, status=not initialized, partition style=n/a, capacity/unallocated space=114471 MB, reserved space=0.  It's on the primary IDE as the slave.

I want to have a mirror of the existing HDD, also 120 GB, with two 60 GB partitions (actually 55.8 GB each).  This drive is getting old (so is the system) and I bought the exact same size/type of drive so that I could clone and switch them now before something happens.

The existing HDD reports as:

C: 55.8 GB/38.7 GB free;
E: 55.8 GB/49.2 GB free.

I've attached the screen shot from NG.

Thanks for the help.

---

@ punbrain

My guess is the HD needs to be "initialized" in Disk Management. This process writes a generic MBR to the HD, but no partitions. Then the HD should be visible in Ghost. Copy both partitions to the unallocated space.

Use these choices...

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1148252120;start=

Please let us know what happens.

Brian,

That worked perfectly!  I should have realized that was the issue from year's ago.  This used to be the old first step with a bare drive with old Windows using FDISK and the MBR switch.  At least I remember doing that.  This is the first bare drive I've put in except for when the system was new and the XP install disk handled everything.  Thanks much.

As for my other partition, do I use the same options except to uncheck copy MBR and uncheck set drive active?  For my non-boot partition is it a logical partition or is that still a primary one?

Thanks for the help.  I haven't switched to the new HDD to check if it will boot yet but it should.

Great forum.  Once I switch drives around, I'm going to try and restore the image from my portable drive to the old slave drive just to see how it works and know what to do if disaster happens.

@ punbrain

Well that explains why a few people in other forums couldn't see their HD either. Your clear post jogged my memory about initializing the HD.


punbrain wrote on Nov 15^th, 2009 at 9:30am:

As for my other partition, do I use the same options except to uncheck copy MBR and uncheck set drive active?

Yes.


punbrain wrote on Nov 15^th, 2009 at 9:30am:

For my non-boot partition is it a logical partition or is that still a primary one?

Make it the same as the original. Actually, you don't need to clone a data partition. You can copy/paste from the old to a new partition.


punbrain wrote on Nov 15^th, 2009 at 9:30am:

Once I switch drives around, I'm going to try and restore the image from my portable drive to the old slave drive just to see how it works and know what to do if disaster happens.

I prefer image/restore over Copy Drive. It is more flexible as you can set up the partition sizes before starting. The restored image will be resized to fit the partition.