Radified Community Forums - Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.

jay25rs

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Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Nov 12^th, 2007 at 8:10pm

Hello everyone. I found this website while searching google.com and ask.com looking for an answer for my problem. Just started my first day of work today, boss asked me to back up his laptop using Norton Ghost 2003 on a Windows XP (I think it's PRO). I went into ghost, clicked on backup and pointed it to the directories that he wanted it backed up into and it wouldn't b/c it said I needed to manually defragment. I tried 2 more times and still said that I needed to manually defrag. So I manually defragged the harddrive and then ran the backup again in Ghost. No error messages, windows shut down and the laptop restarted. Posted and then came up with 'Missing operating system.' A search of Norton's website shows that I needed GhReboot.exe. I downloaded it and now I can't seem to figure out how to make it bootable. I don't know where the original Norton Ghost 2003 discs are... Probably in another state at the home office with their techies but I tried using a Windows XP Pro CD to boot and get to a command prompt, Windows 98SE installation CD. I just tried making a Bart PE disc tonight at home and I tried it in my own PC. It loads and then ends up saying that there is a file missing or corrupt and then you have to restart without the CD in it. So... can anyone help me out? What a horrible first day I had. I will paypal whoever helps me to fix this problem tomorrow at work $10.00 as an incentive.

Thanks.

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NightOwl

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #1 - Nov 13^th, 2007 at 1:07am

jay25rs

Quote:

What a horrible first day I had.

Indeed! Doesn't sound like it has gone well!

Quote:

then ran the backup again in Ghost. No error messages, windows shut down and the laptop restarted. Posted and then came up with 'Missing operating system.'

First off, did the laptop shut down Windows, then boot to DOS first, and did Ghost do the backup image?--before it restarted and says 'Missing operating system'?

Or, has Ghost failed to load and backup the laptop?

Quote:

shows that I needed GhReboot.exe. I downloaded it and now I can't seem to figure out how to make it bootable.

*Ghreboot.exe* is just a DOS program--you have to boot to DOS, and then run the program.

I'm guessing you are trapped in the Ghost *virtual partition*. Here's some references:

Quote:

How to use GhReboot

Cannot start Windows after starting a Ghost 2003 task from Windows

How to restart the computer into Windows if a problem is encountered after running Ghost 2003

If the *automated GhReboot* does not work, check this thread on how to use the Symantec Ghost DOS command line partitioning program, *gdisk*, as to how to manually change the active partition back to your original partition:

Ghost 2003 -operating system not found

Other partitioning tools (such as PartitionMagic, or this free tool MBRWizard - The MBR Management Utility that can change partitions from active to inactive, and can hide and unhide partitions--as well as delete partitions from the Master Partition Table--can also be used to manually reset the correct active OS partition for booting!

Quote:

boss asked me to back up his laptop

So, probably no floppy drive for floppy boot disks--so need boot CD's!

Here's a source for Win98se boot disc: Windows 98se bootable cd iso file

Use the iso file to create a DOS boot disc.

On a second disc, burn *Ghreboot.exe* to it.

Boot to DOS using the boot disc. Remove the boot disc and put in the disc with *Ghreboot.exe* in the optical drive.

Change to the CD drive letter and then run *Ghreboot.exe*! If things go well, you should be back up and running--if it doesn't--then you have to manually hide the Ghost *virtual partition*, and then make active the original OS partition--you should be able to re-boot to the OS at that point!

Questions?

Report back with the results of your efforts!

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NightOwl

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #2 - Nov 13^th, 2007 at 8:52am

jay25rs

I wonder if this is a *first day* job hazing *joke*?! Or, maybe it's a test to see how fast and how well you handle a problem situation!?

Anyone with Norton Ghost 2003 installed on their system quickly finds out that the *virtual partition* incompatibility issue occurs, if it's present!

You can still use Ghost 2003--just not the Windows Ghost interface that depends on using that *virtual partition*. The work-around is to have a boot floppy disk or CD disc that boots you to DOS, and you use the DOS Ghost interface to do the Ghost imaging.

That's one of the reasons I developed this guide--there is a common refrain of *I don't have a floppy drive* from laptop users--and more desktop users are saying the same: Creating Bootable CD/DVD's Without A:\Floppy Drive

Hope your second day goes better Wink

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jay25rs

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #3 - Nov 13^th, 2007 at 11:11am

Thank you everyone for your information and support. The laptop never got into the "Ghost screen" upon reboot and therefore didn't back up. The bad news was that the last backup was performed over 1 year ago. Cry

Right now, we didn't want to mess with the data on the hard drive any further so we went out an purchased an external hard drive enclosure and copied over the important files from MyDocs... The boss wasn't too thrilled to say the least this morning although getting the files off of the drive made him a little happier. There is a huge contract $$$ going down in the next few days and the files are needed to do this.

Also... Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use for data backup on several PC's/Laptops? A better type of software like Ghost? Tape drive? I need something that is seamless and automatically backs up the systems nightly or at least weekly. I was thinking of tape drives.

Thanks again for all of your help, I may be back on here for more information after we get what we need off of the drive to make it fuctional again.

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jay25rs

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #4 - Nov 13^th, 2007 at 11:15am

BTW, I found some 3.5" floppies with ghost back up on them from 2004, converted them to bootable CD's got into the ghost screen, checked the HD, then hit quit to get to DOS. Then tried to run GhReboot.exe off of the CD-Rom that I made but couldn't access the CD-Rom Drive. I tried different drive letters and could only get into some of them, none of them my CD-Rom with ghreboot.exe on the root directory.

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jay25rs

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #5 - Nov 13^th, 2007 at 11:19am

NightOwl wrote on Nov 13^th, 2007 at 8:52am:

jay25rs

I wonder if this is a *first day* job hazing *joke*?! Or, maybe it's a test to see how fast and how well you handle a problem situation!?
Hope your second day goes better Wink

!

NightOwl, thanks... Unfortunately it wasn't a hazing or joke although I have been promised one from several staff members. But I think that they might go easy on me after having to deal with this. It was also unfortunately not a test... see 2 posts ^ about what was on the line (millions). Second day started off real bad after I realized that I couldn't read from the CD-Rom drive after trying several different approaches. Although now, things are mostly ok, bought the external hard drive enclosure and copied over all the Boss's emails (literally gigabytes) and created a short cut on the desktop for him to access his documents.

Thanks again.
-Jason

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ben_mott

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Re: Operating system missing? I have ghreboot.exe need to make it bootable.
Reply #6 - Nov 15^th, 2007 at 2:14pm

here is a quick solution
down load to your desk top then have a formatted floppy handy and double click on the icon on desk top to make a floppy
boot with that floppy

windows 98 BOOT floppy
http://www.postbox.wanadoo.co.uk/benwin98boot.exe
2. GDISK.exe (comes with ghost small prog like fdisk but more powerful)
I put mine on my win 98 boot disk, for convinence.
at A: prompt type
GDISK /STATUS 1
and enter on key board
this gives you all partition details of disk 1
GDISK 1 /-hide /P:2
this un hides the partition 2
sorry i think you need to hide that virtual partition so remove the -(minus) from front of hide
GDISK 1 /hide /P:2
also make partition 1 active
gdisk 1 /act /P:1
each time you need to reboot for settings to take effect
===================================
if this is wrong the ghost experts on this forum will point it out .
=========================================================
more info and Tips :
i would use an external Usb hard disk (if using DOS or ghost 7.5, 8 it got to be formated as FAT32)
here is a floppy to read /write external HDD
http://www.postbox.wanadoo.co.uk/bootdrivers.exe
=================================================

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=14127
==================================
PS do not use Ghost 2003 from windows (ghostPE.exe)
try to obtain a ghost corporate edition Version 7.5 or 8)
as it does not mark the drives .
for regular back ups the latest ghost 12 or Acronis drive image latest
is my recommendation
I am used to DOS so I still use ghost.exe(version 8)

Regards Ben

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