Radified Community Forums - Can't boot off of cloned HDD

euphoria00

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Can't boot off of cloned HDD
Sep 7^th, 2007 at 2:42pm

Hi everyone,

I'm having some trouble booting off of a cloned hdd I just made with Norton Ghost(2003)(Windows XP).

I ran the program, went fine, everything is there. Then I unplugged my old hard drive switched the new hdd to the master cable, left the old one unplugged and booted it up...I reach a bios screen saying that it's "checking for the master boot record..OK", and then it just sits there. Not thinking or anything just frozen.

Now I thought it might be because I have no drive letter assigned, but then I tried assigning it to Y: (seeing as I can't make it C: while my old hard drive is running), then rebooting )by switching the cables etc.) and it still gives me the same problem!

Any ideas?

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Baddstuff

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #1 - Sep 7^th, 2007 at 5:55pm you probably did not make the C partition 'active'. I have created a bootable Partiton Magic CD and that's what I use to make a partition active, among other things. I'm pretty sure if you make the C partition active your problem will be solved.
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ben_mott

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #2 - Sep 8^th, 2007 at 2:37pm to make partition active you can use GDISK or QTparted http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14127&pid=106028&mode=threaded&... Qtparted is also available on KNOPPIX BOOTABLE CD
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euphoria00

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #3 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 2:51pm I used Gdisk32 and it says that the partition is already active... Still won't work. Any other ideas?
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Baddstuff

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Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD
Reply #4 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 3:33pm

you said this- "but then I tried assigning it to Y: (seeing as I can't make it C: while my old hard drive is running)"
I would suggest disconnecting the old drive completely and just use the one you cloned. See if you can give it the drive letter C and then try booting from it. If the drive was cloned without any problem and the partition is active I see no reason why it shouldn't boot up. Also make sure the jumper(s) is set correctly.

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euphoria00

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #5 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 3:37pm Thanks for your reply. I always try to boot off of the new cloned drive without having my old drive connected at all. How do I give it drive letter C: if I can't boot off of it, and I can't change it to C: while using my old HDD(because there is already a C:)? Man this is so frustrating!
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Brian

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #6 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 4:48pm euphoria00, Could you outline all of the menu selections you used in Ghost 2003 to create the clone? Was the new HD partitioned?
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Baddstuff

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Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD
Reply #7 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 4:51pm

euphoria00 wrote on Sep 10^th, 2007 at 3:37pm:

Thanks for your reply.

I always try to boot off of the new cloned drive without having my old drive connected at all.

How do I give it drive letter C: if I can't boot off of it, and I can't change it to C: while using my old HDD(because there is already a C:)?

Man this is so frustrating!

just connect the cloned drive by itself and then try booting with a utility CD or floppy that will let you assign drive letters. Partition Magic may give you that option. I don't remember. If you can name it C then give it a shot. I really can't think of what else it could be.

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euphoria00

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #8 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 4:52pm Yes, I partitioned my new drive with two partitions(just like my old drive only with different sizes). It is my first time using ghost. I did source disk 1 (C:) to source disk 2 unnamed partition 1. Didn't change any advanced settings and then I ran it.
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euphoria00

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #9 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 4:55pm I'm trying to figure out how to make a bootable CD (I don't have any diskettes) that will allow me to run Gdisk then I can run MBR to reinitialize it? That sound right? (never made a bootable disk or cd before...this seems to be more challenging than I would hope)
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Brian

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Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD
Reply #10 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 5:12pm

So you are running Ghost from Windows. I don't use Ghost 2003 but why not try this. Connect both HDs. Boot to WinXP and from Disk Management delete both partitions from the new HD. So you now have unallocated space. Start Ghost and choose Local, Disk, to Disk, etc. Your computer will restart and Ghost will do its work. Don't restart into Windows when it has completed. Remove the old HD, jumper the new HD as a master. Boot to the new HD. Any success?

You don't have to worry about drive letters.

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Baddstuff

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Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD
Reply #11 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 5:18pm

I haven't used Ghost 2003 in a while now but when I did I never cloned one drive to another directly but it should work. What I did was save a Ghost image file to a partition on my second drive, then remove the main hard drive and replace it with the new one, booted from my Ghost 2003 boot CD and imaged the new C drive with the image file I saved on the 2nd drive. When done I rebooted and the new C drive was up and running like a charm.

As for making a bootable CD, there are numerous ways. I keep a floppy drive in my PC for pretty much that reason. I made a Partition Magic boot CD using Roxio, NTI CD Maker also works. I copied the files from the second Partition Magic floppy to the hard drive, I fired up Roxio, inserted a Windows 98 boot floppy into my floppy drive and selected the boot disc option in Roxio. I pointed it to the floppy drive and it will copy the Windows 98 files and then I dragged and dropped the files from the second Partition Magic floppy that are on hard drive. Burn the CD. That's it.

When I boot from the CD I type pmagic at the A:\ that shows up and Partition Magic starts up. I try to avoid booting from a floppy if I can help it. Plus, floppy drives are disappearing anyway.

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euphoria00

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #12 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 5:20pm Will there be any way to partition the drive after Ghost has cloned to it? I really want to have a system partition and then another one for all my files.
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Baddstuff

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #13 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 5:25pm yes. After you clone the drive and verify that it boots OK you can use a utility like Partition Magic to resize the C drive and create another partition(s). It's not hard but if you haven't done it before be careful.
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Brian

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	Re: Can't boot off of cloned HDD Reply #14 - Sep 10^th, 2007 at 5:33pm Don't be concerned about partitions at this stage. Just get the new HD working. The new HD will have two partitions anyway. Just like your old HD. Ghost will copy both partitions if you use Disk, to Disk.
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