Gramps

Looks like you are mixing terms and definitions--so not sure which quesition you are asking...

If you mean will Ghost restore the image to a HDD so the data is whole and complete--yes it will--Ghost will ask for the next disc in the set until the total data is restored.

If you are asking can an image that is in smaller chunks be put back together into a single large image again--the Windows Ghost Explorer could do that by *recompiling* the smaller image files into a larger image file--max size limit for Ghost 2003 is approx 2 GB (2048 MB)--because it's a DOS file size limit.

Gramps

Quote:

When you *restore*--you are *restoring* the *data* from the image files to the HDD or partition of your choice--you are not *restoring* the *image*.  If Ghost created a *file set* of image files that are *spanned*--Ghost knows how to join and  put all the data back onto a single partition from the spanned image files.  If restoring from optical media, Ghost will ask for the next optical disk in the spanned set when it finishes with the first disc.

What's confusing is that your questions sounds like you want to *join* the smaller *image files* into a larger *image file*.

Ghost will make a single image file of data up to approx 2 GB's (2048 MB), which is a DOS file size limit, and then span data into the next spanned file--to create a *file set*--example:  ghost.gho (approx 2 GB), then ghost001.ghs (spanned file #1--however many MB's are needed to complete the image file set).

You can force Ghost to create smaller file sizes in the image set using the *-split=xxx* switch where *xxx* is the size in MB's that you want.

Be forewarned--you can not use the *Standard Ghost Boot Disk* to restore from an image set that was first saved to HDD and then burned later to optical media--Ghost 2003 will error saying the file set on the optical media is not a Ghost file set!

You have to use the *CD/DVD Startup Disk with Ghost*, or similar boot disk the mounts the optical drive with a DOS driver from the *config.sys* file (ex. oakcdrom.sys with appropriate switches), and assigns a drive letter to the optical drive from the *autoexec.bat* file (ex. mscdex.exe with appropriate switches).

Best to create the *Standard Ghost Boot Disk* and the *CD/DVD Startup Disk with Ghost* and test both by booting to the DOS Ghost and performing an *Integrity* test on the image files on the optical media to confirm that all is working as expected.