DoctorDan

When you use Ghost 2003, and clone *Partition to Partition*, the master boot record remains intact (as it should, because you indicated there are other partitions with data), but your WinXP uses the disk id plus sector starting points to tell the boot files where to find the ongoing boot partition, etc.

If you use *Kawecki's Trick* from this web page on the former Win2000 HDD with your now WinXP OS on it, you might be set to go:

Fixing Windows 2000/XP Drive Letters

Make sure you use the correct version of *fdisk*!

*Method #2 might also work if you use it just before booting to DOS and cloning the WinXP to the former Win2000 HDD.

Thanks guys.  I printed Brian’s response last night and went to bed thinking it would be 5 minute fix first thing in the morning.  I scrounged through my old diskettes and actually found a Win 98 boot disk, unfortunately from the year 2002 when I first installed it.  I popped in the diskette and voila, I learned that NTLDR means “dead in the water.”  I couldn’t go any further.  I tried to reinstall Win 98 on a spare hard disk so I could make a fresh recovery diskette. I must have had a Windows 95 to 98 upgrade CD instead of the full blown version, because I could not boot or install the 98 version at all on a freshly formatted disk. Hours later…

Talk about frustration. 

So without any hope of getting the correct recovery diskette, I might try doing a full clone using Ghost 2003 and hope for the best that only data gets copied instead of blank sectors.  “Gozinta” doesn’t work when it is a 300 gig “going into” a 120 gig.

Any suggestions if this will work or for a work-around? 

I have two 120 gig hard disks, one of which has my master data, so in effect I have a spare 120 gig to experiment with.  The Windows XP on the 300 gig works fine.  I transferred all of my data files from the 120 to the 300, so everything is functional at this time.  It’s just that I do not have an ongoing, simple backup procedure that works.  Of course, I want a method that will allow me to swap hard disks and continue.

I thought (sometimes a dangerous undertaking) that it was going to be a simple matter of cloning the new XP C: partition on the 300 gig over to the 120 gig C: partition.  Evidently, it is not that simple.

So, “I did not pass go and did not collect $200” in this game.  I feel like I am in jail at the moment waiting for my next roll of the dice. 

As I implied earlier, my ultimate goal is to make a fully functional clone via USB backups so I don’t have to remove covers and cables.

If anyone has a game plan that will work, I will be forever grateful. 

Thanks,

DoctorDan

Catching up on suggestions.

Brian, I went to the suggested web-site to download the bootdisk.  Either I missed something or something is missing.  I downloaded the bootSE98.exe  file to a diskette hoping there would be some sys files on it. I got the NTLDR error.  OK, no sys files so the only way I could fix that was to format a diskette with the boot files from XP.  Done.  I copied the contents to the diskette and tried to re-boot.  I was given another dead in the water error message about not being able to boot in Windows or DOS, I can’t remember which.   Back to the penalty box.

I used Windows to defrag.  I was amazed that it needed defragging at all because all I did was load programs and a few data files.  The disk is only a week old in terms of time from formatting.  I try to keep program and data files separate as much as possible, so the programs take up the most space.

Finally, the stats on the 300 gig.

CapacityFree%freeused
C:NTFS97.6 GB83.985%~15%
D:84.164.5765
E:DVD
F:CD
G:48.839.2880%
H:48.848.7799%

The C: drive on the 120 gig disk has plenty of room.  
I don’t like the fact that the CD/DVD drives are “in the middle.” But there was no way around that.

Finally, my next door neighbor and tape drive guru at IBM has always twisted my arm about backing up and having a fully operational, independent clone that I could pop in case of a disaster.  For a long time I poo-poohed him about having the CD’s and all I needed to back up was the data.  He convinced me otherwise and begrudgingly I took his advice.  He saved my bacon at least three times with non-recoverable software faults.  I call him and thank him for his advice every time a disaster occurs.  So, I want a fully operational backup, not an image.  As you can see, I am having a week’s worth of grief with a fully functional computer.  My wife keeps telling me that computers,  “Are not ready for prime time yet.”  I believe her.  

I believe there is an answer out there somewhere, I/we just haven’t stumbled on it yet.  

And... thank you for your promopt attention and diagnostic prowess.


DoctorDan

Quote:


After downloading the boot98se.exe to your HD, did you double click on the file and let Windows write to the floppy?

Success. 

Thank you .  I just didn't realize that the rescue diskette was ZIPPED. 

I have a few more questions.  So, I will go off-line to compose them and probably re-post later.


DoctorDan

Sho' nuf. 

It looks just like the big one except for the e-mail traffic that I missed during the last week. 

Doctor Dan

I'd like NightOwl to add some thoughts to this thread. I've never cloned to a USB external HD before so I don't know the problems. I would like you to read the thread below about cloning and images. I think you are on the wrong track. Let us know if you really want to avoid images but I think they are the way to go for backup. Especially reply #7.

http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=11329...

You can change E and F to Y and Z (or whatever) in Disk Management and then change G and H to E and F if they are just data partitions.

DoctorDan,

Good answer. You need to be convinced that it's right for you.

http://ghost.radified.com/

http://partition.radified.com/

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/index.htm#partsigs

http://www.goodells.net/multiboot/notes.htm#13

To summarise, images are for backup, clones are for changing to a new HD. In fact I use images for the latter and have only cloned for testing purposes. For example, your image will be around 8 GB so it takes up 8 GB of space on your external HD as opposed to 100 GB for your clone. So instead of one clone you can have multiple images if you desire. With Ghost 9/10 I do a baseline image weekly and incremental images daily. I delete images when they are 3 to 4 weeks old but I burn a baseline image to DVD every few months for long term storage. You can't do any of this with clones. To restore an image from your external HD to an internal HD takes 5-10 minutes and you are up and running. To swap in a cloned HD might only take a few minutes but what if it doesn't boot and you have to look for a floppy?

To restore the OS partition.. (for Ghost 9)

Boot to the Ghost CD
Set the Time Zone
Advanced Recovery Tasks
System Restore
dot in Restore drives          ,Next
dot in Single drive            ,Next
Browse to your image file      ,Next
Select a destination           ,Next
tick Verify backup
tick Check for file system errors after restore
tick Resize drive to fill unallocated space (Y or N) Will be greyed out if partition is correct size
tick Set drive active (for booting OS)
tick Restore original disk signatures
tick Restore MBR (for new HD's)
Next
tick Reboot after finish
Finish

Check computer clock after OS boots. May be out by an hour or two.