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bad directory buffer signature (Read 13773 times)
rleescott
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bad directory buffer signature
Sep 19th, 2007 at 9:45am
 
Well, I'm back. After trying with mixed results to get a good copy drive result, I have moved to phase 2, verifying that I can restore a drive  to a new drive after full failure, using ghost 12.0. Many have stated in this forum that if you create a resore point successfully, it will work and a full test is unnecessary. Here's what happened to me.
I acquired a test computer to work on, P3 w/512ram, xp pro/sp2. All works well for many months.
Problem 1:
I installed ghost 12.0 and made a recovery point to my ext hard drive usb 2.0.
I checked all choices for checking the drive for errors/bad sectors and verifying the integity of the recovery point image. The image was successfully completed. I received no notification of any error regarding the image or drive. However, there does not seem to be a feature in g12 that specifically allows me to validate or verify the recovery point so that I can get a specific staement saying the image is good. It seems that if i am not told otherwise I have to passively assume the recovery point is ok. Am I correct? The problem is, no news may be good news, or perhaps the verification is not occurring at all, creating a false sense of security regading the integrity of the recovery point.

Problem 2:
After the recovery point was created I tried to recover using the srd which I successfully customized for my drivers. The srd boots and loads files and then proceeds to the recovery environment. I then proceeded to recover drive and attempted to recover, both  to a preused destination slave and to the same drive installed as a master. I checked all boxes regarding check for errors on the  destination drive and validating the recovery point and received no notice of a problem. The recovery process proceeds all the way to the end of the process and then produces an error massage as follows:

Cannot copy source drive to destination location. Error EA3905E4: Bad directory buffer signature.
(OxEA3905E4)"

If I had not gone all the to the end on a test drive to confirm full functionality of the program, I would have been very disapointed at the time of a full drive failure.

Even though the recovery process was terminated in error, I have done it 3 times on both allocated and unallocated space. Also, I have done it from the srd revover environment and also from wondows using the full ghost program. The error occurs in all cases. Interestingly, I tried to use the destination drive as a master and if installed to unallocated space, it says boot failure. If installed to an allocated partition, even though the same error occurs, the destination drive will boot and appears to be a functioning clone, although I am still checking for deficiencies.

How do I correct this buffer error? What is the significance of an error and termination of the recovery process while still producing in some cases a drive that boots and preliminarily appears to be a good copy?
 
 
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Brian
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #1 - Sep 19th, 2007 at 4:30pm
 
rleescott,

Good idea to use a test computer. Did you fix that BIOS problem in your main computer.

Could you tell us about the test computer? How many HDs? Size of HDs, number of partitions and sizes?

You mentioned that you file checked your HDs so this is covered.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/powerquest.nsf/docid/2004025326161662

Image/restore using an external HD can occasionally cause errors. Have you tried image/restore from an internal HD?
 
 
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rleescott
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #2 - Sep 19th, 2007 at 5:03pm
 
Thanks. I saw the link you provided, but didn't proceed since it didn't list ghost 12 as one of the products. Since you are offering it, I will do the chkdsk and get back. However, I asked the program to check for errors at all times when given the option to do so, and it never reported any difficulty.
The test computer has 2 10g hds, one w/ os(C) and one with data(E). Each has a single partition. However, when I ran the test, after using the primary hd w/xp to create the recovery point, I replaced the primary drive(C) w/ a fresh used drive to be the destination drive while leaving the secondary data drive(E) in place. I then booted w the srd and attempted to tranfer the recovery point to the new master. I also removed all hds, inserting only the new drive and booted to the recovery environment and got the same result. I also tried the single drive with deleted partition once and an active partition once, all with the same result.
I used jumpers to designate the destination drive to be master when the slave was in place, and no jumper for single drive when only the destination drive was in place.
I certainly hope we don't have to deal with the unknown issue of maybe external hard drives, (mine is 250g w its own power supply), being blamed for a bad result. If so, no one will ever know if they are backed up or not, which defeats the purpose of the program.
While I do the chkdsk, please comment on 2 things:
1) Is there a way to actively verify/validate the recovery point when I choose, rather than ticking the box during creation or use, and simply concluding that if I receive no message that all is well?
2) What do you think about the fact that in spite of the error message, I can sometimes get the destination drive to work as if the clone worked properly. I have never followed the recovery point to the end w/o getting this message, and I have done 3 tests.

FYI, I never got the bios fixed on my other test computer, so I used the terabyte copy/wipe to make a clone in case I need it.
 
 
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Brian
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #3 - Sep 19th, 2007 at 5:32pm
 
Quote:
I will do the chkdsk and get back.

OK. I'd run chkdsk /f on both internal HDs and the external HD.

Quote:
Is there a way to actively verify/validate the recovery point when I choose

Yes. Double click the .v2i or .iv2i file, the Recovery Point Browser opens, select the Recovery point in the left pane, click Verify.

How much used space is in each of your internal HDs? How large is the available third internal HD? Can all data on this HD be safely deleted?


PS Do you have a USB 1 or 2 connection? You mentioned the ext HD was USB 2.
 
 
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rleescott
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #4 - Sep 20th, 2007 at 5:03pm
 
I ran chkdsk on c drive, the destination, and found 2 file errors which were repaired and a few other things that were fixed. I ran r, not f, so as to fix errors and to recover bad sectors. No sector issues were mentioned. I reran chkdsk r and found nothing, I then booted to recovery ghost and noticed an option to check for errors on the hard drive so I rechecked both c and e, which suggested some minor issues which it adjusted or repaired. I then validated the recovery image, which was ok. At the end of the recovery process, I got the same error message, except it did not say that it couldn't copy to destination drive. Only the error showed up :

Error EA3905E4: Bad directory buffer signature

The drive boots and seems to work, just like when it said it couldn't  copy to destination drive.

Have you Brian, or anyone else, done a test to completion to see if you get this error? I would like to know its significance.

To followup w/ your other questions:
I have usb 2.0
All drive are 10G. the xp drive has 8g used and 2 g available. This can be deleted if need be.
the e, data drive has 9.5 g used , .5 available

One other question. If a drive is wiped does that eliminate errors or bad sectors? What about formatting?


 
 
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Brian
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #5 - Sep 20th, 2007 at 5:30pm
 
Quote:
Have you Brian, or anyone else, done a test to completion to see if you get this error? I would like to know its significance.

I haven't seen any errors.

Quote:
If a drive is wiped does that eliminate errors or bad sectors? What about formatting?

Wiping or formatting will not fix "hardware" bad sectors.

Do you have enough HD space to write an OS image to an internal HD and then restore that image to another internal HD? This bypasses the possible external HD problem.
 
 
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rleescott
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #6 - Sep 21st, 2007 at 8:49am
 
One other question. If a drive is wiped does that eliminate errors or bad sectors? What about formatting?

You didn't say, but can I assume that wiping or formatting will eliminate errors, but not bad sectors? No bad sectors were found by chkdsk, only file errors.
I don't have any extra drives to test the internal theory, but i may have some in the future to do this test. However, my external hard drive is brand new and showed no errors on chkdsk.
When you tested g12 to completion, did you use an internal or external drive?
What do you suggest about this error, since it seems to produce any operational drive even with the error? This seems like another program flaw to me.
 
 
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #7 - Sep 21st, 2007 at 3:17pm
 
Quote:
can I assume that wiping or formatting will eliminate errors

It will eliminate file system errors.

Quote:
I don't have any extra drives to test the internal theory

When you do get extra HDs, try restoring to a different HD.

Quote:
did you use an internal or external drive

I only occasionally image to an external HD. No errors with either.

Quote:
What do you suggest about this error, since it seems to produce any operational drive even with the error?

It worries me. Keep testing with different hardware.
 
 
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #8 - Oct 10th, 2007 at 12:10am
 
I got the same error with 2 new internal drives.   It didn't happen on all restore points, just the older ones.  BTW, I did verify the restore point in windows explorer but i guess that is not enough.   

It is disconcerting because people seem to say this is the best program.  I came to this after using rollback.    But it seems as if even this can't be trusted.
 
 
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rleescott
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #9 - Oct 10th, 2007 at 9:07am
 
Very interesting. I think that puts to rest the idea that the external drive is at fault .Looks like this is yet another bug. By the way, even though this error message occurred,my drive still works like a valid clone.  Did you try to see if your clone was functional?
 
 
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #10 - Oct 10th, 2007 at 11:30am
 
I did not try it.  But as this is fairly early on, I would rather reinstall everything.  If something happened in the future, i would always have a nagging feeling that it was because of this problem.   Again, I haven't installed that much. 

I am disappointed that I can't just rely on ghost.  It is possible that I am doing something wrong.
 
 
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #11 - Oct 10th, 2007 at 11:34am
 
By the way I am running Vista ultimate with Kaspersky Internet Security 7 and Webroot Spy Sweeper.  Is there any chance those programs are causing the problems?
 
 
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rleescott
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Re: bad directory buffer signature
Reply #12 - Oct 10th, 2007 at 1:17pm
 
Don't know the answer to the vista issue--I have xp. Personally, I would jump thru all kinds of hoops to avoid reinstalling and setup of applications. I am still using the clone that had the error message and no problems with it--yet.
 
 
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