Radified Community Forums - ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?

ProtoGeek

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? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Oct 21^st, 2007 at 2:15am

? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?

Thank you for reading my post.

I install IBM/Lenovo CPUs in Dr's office waiting rooms. Often, I need to re-image the hard drive. The image is a pre-created Ghost 3-CD pack from my customer's lab - I have no control over the contents - All I have are the 3 CDs. All the CPUs have USB ports.

I would like to merge / re-combine the 3 into 1 image, and then put it on a USB key; possibly a bootable Ghost USB key. Or, at least, failing that, put them individually on the key and re-store the hard drive from the key as opposed to the CD ROM drive. Either way, I am trying to both automate and speed-up the process so I do not have to baby-sit the restore. Cool

The image contains a pretty basic WinXP Pro installation, along with the files to run the slide show on the monitor.

I am working with Ghost 12.0, but I do not know what ver the spanned CDs are created with, but they were created just back in April 2007. Thank you in advance for your advice.

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NightOwl

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Re: ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Reply #1 - Oct 21^st, 2007 at 8:46am

ProtoGeek

Quote:

I am working with Ghost 12.0, but I do not know what ver the spanned CDs are created with, but they were created just back in April 2007.

So, Ghost 12 is installed on the systems that you restore the 3-CD image set to?

The files on the CD's--what are the *dot-3* extension(s) for the file names?

Or, if it's Ghost 12, I assume you do not boot from the 3-CD set--you boot from a separate Recovery Disk to the Ghost 12 Recovery Environment, and perform the restore from there? That would be necessary if you are restoring the OS partition--or does the restore only go to a non-OS partition, or a 2nd HDD?

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ben_mott

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Re: ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Reply #2 - Oct 21^st, 2007 at 3:02pm

My guess is that the CD1 is bootable cd and once it boots it creates a ram drive
on which will be the content of a bootable floppy and the ghost.exe
the content of which can be copied if there is a floppy drive or
if there is a fat32 partition to write to .
put a floppy in floppy drive at the prompt which is an a: prompt type
copy *.* B:
this will copy the content of ram drive to a floppy.
............................................................
Lenova (IBM)
have a recovery partition that when you press F11 key at boot
it recovers the computer to its original manufactured state.
...................................
so it looks as though this ghost image that you got contains other applications

and as all the machines are the same the XP does not complain about being put on different machines.
to get any where with the USB thing you need that floppy with ghost on it
the only ghost (NTFS Compatible)that fits on 1 floppy is ghost 7 or 7.5
the other thing that I was going to point out not every mother board can boot from a
USB memory stick. the most common media is still Cds as evey computer has a cd drive .
it might not have a DVD drive or boot from USB .
==================================

sorry to comment I leave you in the hands of Night OWL

Regards Ben

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ProtoGeek

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Re: ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Reply #3 - Oct 22^nd, 2007 at 12:42am

These answers and ?'s rock. Thank you.

The first disk contains the following: On the root: R0002646.GHO, ghost.exe, and a Folder named Diag that contains the IBM / Lenovo basic diag files / progs - 684MB. The sub-sequent disks have: CD2, R0002001.GHS - 680MB and CD3, R0002002.GHS - 596MB.

My guess is that the CD1 is bootable cd
When I have to re-image, I put CD1 in the CD drive and re-boot, pressing F12 to choose boot screen and choose to boot directly from the CD ROM drive. From the next screen, I have a Command / DOS text screen with the choice of either the Diag or Ghost. I choose Ghost, and it goes straight into the Ghost prog. From there, I have to play musical CD's over a thirty-some-odd minute time period (lots of thumb-twittling).

I do not have access to the Ghost prog from the HDD and have not ever seen it in the Start>All Progs. There is an IBM / Lenovo Restore choice, but that is not of use to me if I am re-imaging from the older ver to the new ver 4.0.0 that I am now trying to get on the USB key.

Often, the install has cobbled up for one reason or another - the machines run 24-7-52, and it is easier and more expedient to just burn the drive down and re-image. Eight to ten of these a week, every week since first week Feb '07, three-hundred some odd re-images...Even saving five or ten minutes a re-image and I would be way ahead of the game.

all the machines are the same the XP does not complain about being put on different machines
Correct, Yes.

not every mother board can boot from a USB
?May-be true? In this case, could I still force the to CD1 boot Ghost and to start the re-image, but re-direct it to the USB for CD2 and CD3?
The machines are similar to this one http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-51266

Thank you for the help already. Cool

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ben_mott

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Re: ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Reply #4 - Oct 22^nd, 2007 at 4:20pm

@ProtoGeek
I am only a Ghost amature here to combine those images you need a ghost Expert
like Night Owl or one of the other experts ,
you did not say what version of ghost the CD is running??
as it is on root of Cd it is too big to go on 1 floppy so it could be 8 or 8.2 if it uses DOS.
in any case to make head way with USB device you need to extract the Boot floppy
to extract the bootable part of the Cd to a floppy so it can be manipulated
you need tools these are 2 very useful tool

ISOBUSTER:
http://www.isobuster.com/isobusterdownload.php

Winimage:

http://www.winimage.com/download.htm

Lenova also got a boot manager floppy this is the link to it
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14127&pid=111856&mode=threaded&...

be very care ful with that bootmanager only use it on a test machine.
to get the hang of it.
USB makes it faster but is more complicated.
I have never done it myself as my Machines(PCs) are old and will not boot from USB.
but you machines look new so they can and the way to find out tap del key to get to BIOS on boot

and check setting in BIOS (boot order)

here is a link to bootable Guys
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showforum=37

they are not as knowlegable with ghost or as helpfull as these guys on this RAD forum
but they have made many USB boot devices (memory stick HDD) themselves.
in fact that seems to be their hobby

wait for Night OWl as he knows how to cmbine those separate ghost images.

Regards Ben

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NightOwl

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Re: ? How 2 merge 3 spanned images into 1 & place on USB key ?
Reply #5 - Oct 23^rd, 2007 at 12:22pm

ProtoGeek

Quote:

I am working with Ghost 12.0,

Now that I know what Ghost files you are working with (i.e. *.gho* and *.ghs*), it is not a Ghost 12, 10, 9 Windows based Ghost issue--it's the DOS based Ghost program--so I've moved this thread here where it's more appropriate.

Quote:

but I do not know what ver the spanned CDs are created with,

When you run Ghost, what does the top title bar say--that usually shows the Ghost version--or you might see it on one of the Ghost program screens as it runs--what version is it?

Quote:

not every mother board can boot from a USB
?May-be true? In this case, could I still force the to CD1 boot Ghost and to start the re-image, but re-direct it to the USB for CD2 and CD3?

What you may be able to do will depend on what version of Ghost is being used, and what Ghost program(s) you have access to, and to what extent you have access to modifiying the program and boot files:

you can use Ghost Explorer to re-size Ghost images--but DOS Ghost has a limit of 2 GB because of DOS's limitations--unless you have Ghost 8.? which has worked around the 2 GB limit in DOS.

And all the options are mute points unless you can boot from USB thumb-drives--you would have to determine the capabilities of the systems!? Here's a Google search on making a bootable thumb-drive: Google Search: how to make a flash drive bootable

And, are all the optical drives CD's--or will they handle DVD's?

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