Radified Community Forums - More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives

Nigel Bree

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #30 - Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 6:42pm

voximan wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 4:29pm:

So, what's the default access in Ghost, then?

There isn't really a default as such at all; like Windows when it starts up, Ghost runs through an incredibly complex set of rules to try and figure out what's connected to the machine, and what is the right way to access it, using a large range of methods. As time goes on this has been subject to constant tuning as new API sets or new standards are created, and we discover bugs in implementations (the list of defects we encounter in system firmware is huge and every-expanding as more and more system manufacturers pretty much only test that their firmware is capable of booting Windows).

[ For instance PC-DOS hangs tends to be caused by a couple of common faults in the internal disk code in the system BIOS, which typically overwrite CPU registers they are not supposed to touch (there are two particular bugs we've seen increasingly spread throughout the market as various faulty BIOS code is licensed by various manufacturers). In GSS2.5 it's got to the point where the custom MBR we use to boot with now installs workarounds to prevent these bugs killing PC-DOS, since we don't have a license from IBM to modify it. MS-DOS editions aware of XINT13 contain their own workarounds for these bugs, but alas we cannot license that - Microsoft will not permit it. ]

For instance, there have been at least four different sets of extensions to the various PC BIOS APIs over the years as hard disk capacities have grown; the most common nowadays is a 64-bit LBA-mode one defined by IBM, but this is the code path that also tends to have the faults above as it really only became widely supported in BIOSes after DOS-type operating systems were on the decline.

voximan wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 4:29pm:

The only other hard drive access I know of is PIO, ie. via the CPU

What you are thinking of here is PIO versus UDMA, which are not opposed to each other, but merely two transfer sub-modes of IDE (more properly called ATA, from the T13 technical committee). In the context of Ghost, "IDE" refers specifically for Ghost's own built-in internal drivers for disk controllers using the ATA standards.

If you disable Ghost's built-in IDE, then it's likely to end up using one of the system BIOS APIs; if it exists, Ghost tries to use the IBM Extended Int13, although due to crippling bugs in many BIOSes there are additional switches to control that too (e.g., -FNX). But Ghost also tries lots of other things, such as the ASPI API set (for SCSI devices and provided by external USB drivers).

voximan wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2008 at 4:29pm:

do you mean Windows environment of Ghost or PC-DOS version of Ghost?

Anytime anyone who works on the product says "Ghost", we mean the cloning executable Ghost.exe (or Ghost32, Ghost64, or the linux version as appropriate). The Windows UI employed in the 'Norton Ghost 2002' and 'Norton Ghost 2003' products is called GhostStart.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #31 - Sep 23^rd, 2008 at 5:38am

Nigel,

Been thinking more and more intensely about this problem and have been reading the users manual extremely carefully. Overnight, I've developed a theory that goes back to something I summised earlier but which could possibly explain the problem I'm getting. That's to say, I think that Ghost, for whatever reason (and maybe it's something to do with the limitations of my BIOS rather than Ghost itself), is only ever detecting one drive.

Now, I suggest that this is happening because my two current drives are, at the lowest physical level, identical. I simply never had this problem when I was using an 80GB drive for the main drive and a 250GB drive for the ext USB drive. Thus, when I now boot into PC-DOS and start the Local>Partition>Image procedure, Ghost only ever displays one drive (and then, in the next screen, its partitions), that drive being the ext USB drive. Thus I'm prevented from going any further because, in this instance, it gives me access only to my destination drive. The converse is true if I switch the ext drive off; then, the source drive and its partitions are provided, but of course, because the ext drive is off, I can't then make an image to the ext drive.

Now, reading the user's manual carefully, it seems to say that the 'preference' for drive access is non-IDE. So, if Ghost is misinterpreting my two drives and seeing only one, the likelihood is that it sees the ext USB-connected one, in preference to the main one. And this is precisely what's happening.

The manual states that there's a command-line switch for telling Ghost the number of hard drives present. It says that this may help if the BIOS doesn't report the number of drives correctly. That switch is -dl=number, where number is 1,2,3 etc.

I think that that switch is worth trying. However, I'm not sure as to exactly how to input a switch specifically from a command line, and what the exact syntax would be as, so far, I've only ever set or unset switches in PC-DOS's Options. In its Options menu, Ghost PC-DOS allows you to set a limited number of options, including those that I've already tried, but the options there are 'tick-a-box' types and unfortunately the option for the detection of the number of drives isn't included.

So, how exactly do I go about setting this particular command line switch? There's a box for adding switches in Advanced Settings in the Windows environment but I've no idea as to the correct and full syntax. In any event, in my case, Windows doesn't fully drop out into PC-DOS; as soon as PC-DOS is entered, it hangs. Thus, it doesn't seem appropriate for me to attempt adding switches in the Windows environment.

Presumably, I can add the switch instead into the DOS line, ie. boot into PC-DOS with my Bootdisk, then select Quit, which would give me:

A:\GHOST>

So, what would I then need to type and do? And how would I then get straight back into the graphical representation of PC-DOS, to see if two drives are then listed and to proceed with the imaging? Would I have to, in fact, reboot for the switch to take effect? The manual says it's crucial to get the syntax correct, as failure to do so could leave the system unusable.

Incidentally, in "-dl= number", I assume that the third character is the lowercase letter 'l', and not the number '1'. Because of the particular font that's used in the manual, it's difficult to distinguish between those two characters.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #32 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 2:29am

voximan

Interesting problem you're having--I doubt it has anything to do with Ghost's *marking* of your HDD's--I doubt it has to do with the two drives being *identical* (I have used *identical* drives both internally and in external USB kits along with the internal HDD's--never an issue.

I think you have been hitting the nail on the head repeatedly--but not actually proceeding to test the problem!!! The only change you made was adding an internal HDD that went from 80 GB to 250 GB.

1. How old is your system? I know you have stated previously that your system supports large HDD's--but, that may apply more to Windows compatibility than DOS!!! Manufacturers have been putting less time into making their systems work *well* in DOS vs the Windows environment.

2. Can you re-install your 80 GB HDD and boot with your floppy Ghost boot disk and see both HDD's as before?

You need to test with a 120 GB HDD and then a 160 GB HDD in place of your 250 GB internal system HDD to see if either of those work. I suspect the 120 will and the 160 will not!!!

3. Ghost 2003's Iomega USB DOS driver is *okay*, but has poor broad compatibility. It's possible that a different USB DOS driver would solve a compatibility problem that introducing a 250 GB HDD has somehow brought on: A Better USB 2.0 DOS Driver for Ghost + More!

4. I strongly doubt there is a problem with the Ghost *marking* of the drives--there was one forum member who did have a problem--but it was not seeing his HDD's in the Windows Ghost GUI--and deleting the Ghost *marking* in absolute sector 62 of the Master Boot Record on both drives, and letting Ghost re-*mark* the drives did solve his problem. I have never had a problem zeroing out that sector 62 and letting Ghost re-*mark* my drives--as Brian has mentioned he has also done as well.

Nigel has mentioned that Ghost's signature marking is not always in sector 62--but for most systems and users, it probably is. Just make one letter change in the middle of the Ghost signature and it will no longer match its internal check-sum and Ghost will request to re-mark the HDD's. Couldn't hurt to see if it helps!

If you need a *good read*--here's a long thread about Ghost's marking of the HDD's: Ghost 2003 build 793 Broken options (NOPtions)

Quote:

Presumably, I can add the switch instead into the DOS line, ie. boot into PC-DOS with my Bootdisk, then select Quit, which would give me:

A:\GHOST>

So, what would I then need to type and do? And how would I then get straight back into the graphical representation of PC-DOS, to see if two drives are then listed and to proceed with the imaging? Would I have to, in fact, reboot for the switch to take effect?

Yes, select *Quit*--just type the command line at the A:\Ghost> prompt--but, I suspect that switch is for how many internal HDD's you have hooked up--your BIOS probably doesn't even know the external HDD exists--unless your BIOS has built-in USB support--in which case you would have problems if you are also loading a DOS driver in addition to the built-in USB support! But the command line would be:

Ghost -dl=2 , and then press enter

(That's *Ghost* + a space + -dl=2)

Quote:

Incidentally, in "-dl= number", I assume that the third character is the lowercase letter 'l', and not the number '1'.

I'm pretty sure it's the letter *L*--lower case.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #33 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 6:17am

Nightowl,

Many thanks for your advice. You clearly have more knowledge in this area than I do.

My motherboard dates back to 2002. The BIOS it uses is the all-but-one latest, issued in 2003. The very latest differed only in an update to a DOS utility that I've never used. The BIOS DOES support both USB1 and USB2 and is configured accordingly.

When I was using the 80GB HDD as my main drive, Ghost happily booted into PC-DOS and there was never a problem with PC-DOS recognising both drives - the 80GB and the 250GB. Further, at present, PC-DOS recognises the 250GB main drive, but only if the ext USB 250GB drive is off, so I think you'll agree that it's not a problem of DOS itself recognising that size of HDD on my system. That's to say, at present I can make partition images to a reserved partition on the 250GB main drive. What I CAN'T do any longer is to make partition images to the ext 250GB drive.

Unfortunately, I can't test with a 120GB or 160GB main drive, as I don't have to hand any spare HDDs of that kind of size. I've been wondering whether to get another 250GB, to later use as a cloned backup, but PATA HDDs are quite difficult to get now and I keep thinking that it might be a waste of good money. I've been retired some years now and have to watch my spending.

In response to your second question, I can't say for certain (with the very latest changes) whether swapping back to the 80GB drive would make things work but I suspect that it would. I think so, because my cloned-drive 'tryout' that I've mentioned earlier also failed to work in this regard and so I re-fitted my 80GB drive (with the dual-boot of Win2K/WinXP and apps on it) and used that for a month or so, before constructing this latest setup. That physically-restored 80GB arrangement worked. Well, why shouldn't it? If you're suggesting instead that I re-fit the 80GB HDD as a BARE drive, well that'd be a whole new ballgame and would involve some work to get it to a state where it could be legitimately recognised by Ghost. Also, at this stage, I'm not inclined to wipe my 80GB drive, just in case I'm forced in the end to return to using my original dual-boot setup.

I think the thing that should be borne in mind about the oddity of my problem is that, quite clearly, PC-DOS continues to recognise the ext 250GB drive and it also recognises the 250GB main drive, but not when BOTH of them are on. So, it does kinda point to Ghost being the source of the problem, rather than my BIOS or anything else.

It's interesting what you say about the Iomega driver and the USB driver. The Iomega driver definitely gets installed, because I see the relevant onscreen statement in the DOS preamble, as PC-DOS boots. That particular driver has ALWAYS installed. Are you suggesting that, if that's so, NO USB drivers should be selected in Ghost? At present, and I think in the past, I've simply had 'USB1.1' selected in Ghost's "External storage driver settings". All my ports/devices are USB2, except for a USB-connected printer of mine which is USB1 (the printer remains switched off during the imaging process). I've tried the setup on the USB2 setting but that made no difference to the current problem.

Thanks for what you've mentioned of the -dl command line. I need to be absolutely certain of doing that right, so should the line look like this:

A:\GHOST>Ghost -dl=2

or simply:

A:\GHOST> -dl=2

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #34 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 9:22am

voximan

Firstly--my links in my previous post were for the previous version of this forum--so they did not work--I have fixed those--I've been *offline* for the last 4-5 months and my forum skills are rusty!

Quote:

My motherboard dates back to 2002. The BIOS it uses is the all-but-one latest, issued in 2003. The very latest differed only in an update to a DOS utility that I've never used. The BIOS DOES support both USB1 and USB2 and is configured accordingly.

I suspect we are talking *apples--oranges* here--when I say the BIOS supports USB--I'm referring the newer motherboards that allow you to simply hook up the USB external HDD and boot from it, or access it if booted to DOS and no DOS drivers loaded to have that access!

You can use your USB 1.x and 2.x in Windows--but I'll bet you have no access in DOS unless you load that Iomega driver. I don't think native BIOS support for USB in DOS was available in 2002!

Quote:

so I think you'll agree that it's not a problem of DOS itself recognising that size of HDD on my system.

Ah, but that's not my point--it's some weird compatibility issue--where when you put PC-DOS, 250 GB internal HDD and external 250 GB HDD, the Iomega USB DOS driver and Ghost all together that you are having a problem. If you don't test for the possible incompatibilities, you wont get off the dime and find the problem/solution!

Try MS-DOS instead of PC-DOS. Try the Panasonic USB DOS driver instead of the Iomega driver. Try removing the Ghost *marking* and let Ghost re-*mark* the HDD's

Quote:

Unfortunately, I can't test with a 120GB or 160GB main drive, as I don't have to hand any spare HDDs of that kind of size.

Talk to friends, neighbors, and/or relatives--beg, borrow, *steal* what you need to do the testing--and then give it back--join a local computer club--someone will help you out--do some social networking!!!

Quote:

That physically-restored 80GB arrangement worked. Well, why shouldn't it?

In deed! Isn't that the problem we're trying to solve!

Quote:

At present, and I think in the past, I've simply had 'USB1.1' selected in Ghost's "External storage driver settings". All my ports/devices are USB2, except for a USB-connected printer of mine which is USB1 (the printer remains switched off during the imaging process).

USB 2.0 will be 4 to 5 times faster than USB 1.x--so you should use it if you can. You only have to use USB 1.x if you have other *storage devices* (not printers) attached to the system and powered up that are not USB 2.0.

Also, you mentioned something about electing to not assigning drive letters to external USB devices when creating your boot disks--I think you should have DOS letters assigned! Maybe this has something to do with it--don't know!

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #35 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 10:28am

I'm not absolutely sure of this but I seem to recall that, going back some years, when I assigned DOS driveletters, it caused so much confusion (by altering the driveletters from those that existed in Windows) that I ended up wiping out my boot partition when the restore failed. As long as there's any prospect of Ghost assigning different driveletters to those in Windows, I'll not touch that particular option with a bargepole. I've too much to lose!

Going back to something you said earlier, is it completely wrong to see Ghost using an Iomega driver in PC-DOS but having set a USB1 or USB2 driver in the configuring for external USB devices? Or are they one in the same driver?

BTW, you didn't reply to my slightly-more-detailed question about the command line, Nightowl.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #36 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 11:01am

The Iomega driver that gets loaded is Iomega ASPI USB-EHCI driver 1.0 v.13, dated 9th May 2003.

I've now tried 'No USB drivers', 'USB 1.1', and 'USB 2.0', but none of them makes any difference to this particular problem. I've also re-tried the setting for Extended Int13eh in PC-DOS's Options (each change requires that I leave the bootdisk in write-enable mode).

By using Options in PC-DOS, I've also tried the -fnx switch (Disable Ext Int13 support).

I'll do another run and then post the log file here.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #37 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 11:24am

Here's a logfile of an attempt I've just made to get into PC-DOs via the Windows environment. As far as I can see, you only get a log file produced when you start from the Windows environment.

This is with USB2.0 drivers selected, and with nothing additional added to the command line.

Things have changed slightly. Well, with all the things I've been trying of late, I'm not surprised!

Here, Windows dropped out toward PC-DOS but never made it. The conventional DOS preamble showed, namely that the External drive was installed successfully. But the preamble then simply stopped, with it giving me the choice of either proceeding to PC-DOS or to returning to Windows. However, whichever choice I then made, it responded with 'Bad or missing Command Interpreter'. Thereafter, I could only get back to Windows by doing Cntrl Alt Del.

BackupOperation 0

-- GHOST\GSCRIPT.TXT ----------------------------------------------------------

[BackupOperation]
AlreadyProcessedFile = YES
DestFingerprintParam = c98b6031-aea3-407d-bd12-7787656ebec1
DestPartitionOffsetParam = 63
ExecutionStateParam = ExecutionNotStarted
FileIdParam = 744765
PathParam = \25Sept08.gho
SourceFingerprintParam = 95589659-6a6f-4c70-871e-2f36e49803c8
SourcePartitionOffsetParam = 63
UseImageDescriptionParam = YES
UseLFOParam = YES
WindowsPathParam = G:\25Sept08.gho

[ImageCheckOperation]
AlreadyProcessedFile = YES
DestFingerprintParam = c98b6031-aea3-407d-bd12-7787656ebec1
DestPartitionOffsetParam = 63
ExecutionStateParam = ExecutionNotStarted
FileIdParam = 744765
PathParam = \25Sept08.gho
UseLFOParam = YES
WindowsPathParam = G:\25Sept08.gho

-- AUTOEXEC.BAT ---------------------------------------------------------------

@echo off
SET PATH=C:\GHOST;C:\
SET PROMPT=To return to Windows, type ghreboot and press Enter.$_$p$g
SET TZ=GHO+00:00
if "%CONFIG%" == "WINDOWS" goto WINDOWS
MOUSE.COM
CD \GHOST
GHWRAP.EXE
goto EOF

:WINDOWS
\GHOST\GHREBOOT.EXE

:EOF
-- CONFIG.SYS -----------------------------------------------------------------

[MENU]
menuitem=GHOST,Run Norton Ghost Dos Operation
menuitem=WINDOWS,Return to Windows without running Norton Ghost
menudefault=GHOST,3

[GHOST]
LASTDRIVE=Z
DEVICE = \USB\ASPIEHCI.SYS /int /all

[WINDOWS]

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #38 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 11:52am

And I've just tried this again, but hitting Cntrl C when the program is opened. Earlier, Nigel suggested trying that. But there's no sign whatever of a Ghosterr.txt file on my hard drive as a result. You'll see that the above file is GScript.txt. Unless I've misunderstood Nigel, the only logfile accessible is the one that the Windows environment produces.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #39 - Sep 25^th, 2008 at 12:52pm

voximan

Quote:

BTW, you didn't reply to my slightly-more-detailed question about the command line, Nightowl.

You type exactly what I indicated after the dos prompt: so like this A:\GHOST>Ghost -dl=2

But, you did see this comment?:

Quote:

but, I suspect that switch is for how many internal HDD's you have hooked up--your BIOS probably doesn't even know the external HDD exists

Quote:

I'm not absolutely sure of this but I seem to recall that, going back some years, when I assigned DOS driveletters, it caused so much confusion (by altering the driveletters from those that existed in Windows) that I ended up wiping out my boot partition when the restore failed.

Well, as with any *powerful* program that has the ability to make HDD altering, permanent changes (just like a disk editor, etc.), you need to understand what you are doing and understand the interface--DOS letter assignments can and often will be different than Windows because you can change the drive letters in the newer NT based OS's and they are remembered in the OS's registry--which DOS is totally unaware of!

Quote:

is it completely wrong to see Ghost using an Iomega driver in PC-DOS but having set a USB1 or USB2 driver in the configuring for external USB devices? Or are they one in the same driver?

One and the same--if I understand your question correctly.

Quote:

The Iomega driver that gets loaded is Iomega ASPI USB-EHCI driver 1.0 v.13, dated 9th May 2003

That would be the USB 2.0 DOS driver--the *E* in *EHCI* is for *enhanced* which is the buzz word for USB 2.0.

Quote:

I've also re-tried the setting for Extended Int13eh in PC-DOS's Options (each change requires that I leave the bootdisk in write-enable mode).

By using Options in PC-DOS, I've also tried the -fnx switch (Disable Ext Int13 support).

I'm unfamiliar with what you are referring to here--help me out--where do you set PC-DOS Options--and how are you also setting the *-fnx* switch in the *Options in PC-DOS*?

Quote:

And I've just tried this again, but hitting Cntrl C when the program is opened. Earlier, Nigel suggested trying that. But there's no sign whatever of a Ghosterr.txt file on my hard drive as a result. You'll see that the above file is GScript.txt. Unless I've misunderstood Nigel, the only logfile accessible is the one that the Windows environment produces.

You're mixing the two different Ghost GUI's--the Windows vs the DOS version! The Windows version creates the log file you have posted. The DOS version will create an error file saved to the directory location that *ghost.exe* is loaded from--so if you run *ghost.exe* from a floppy disk, it will be saved to the directory on the floppy disk that has *ghost.exe* on it.

Quote:

Here, Windows dropped out toward PC-DOS but never made it. The conventional DOS preamble showed, namely that the External drive was installed successfully. But the preamble then simply stopped, with it giving me the choice of either proceeding to PC-DOS or to returning to Windows. However, whichever choice I then made, it responded with 'Bad or missing Command Interpreter'. Thereafter, I could only get back to Windows by doing Cntrl Alt Del.

You got lucky!!! Many folks get *trapped* in the Ghost *virtual partition* when an incompatibility occurs when switching from Windows to the DOS interface to complete the task set up in Windows! You can recover from being *trapped*, but you have to use a recovery utility, or if that doesn't work, then edit the Master Boot Record's Partition Table to recover in that case! Using a DOS floppy boot disk avoids using the Ghost *virtual partition* and the problem can be avoided completely.

Quote:

As long as there's any prospect of Ghost assigning different driveletters to those in Windows, I'll not touch that particular option with a bargepole. I've too much to lose!

Okay--but you don't have to perform any actual procedure with Ghost to test if assigning a drive letter solves your problem--create a new floppy boot disk with the Ghost Boot Wizard, add USB 2.0 support and allow a drive letter to be assigned. Shut down system, turn on the USB HDD, boot from the floppy--can you see both HDD's now either as source or destination HDD's in the DOS Ghost interface (don't use the Windows Ghost GUI)?

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #40 - Sep 26^th, 2008 at 6:38am

Nightowl,

I'm not trying to be pedantic or awkward but are you absolutely sure you've got the syntax correct for me configuring for two drives? I've been looking through my Ghost 2003 manual and, although there are no directions in it for the general syntax when using command line switches, what I seem to have gleaned is that the syntax should be:

ghost.exe -dl=2

And this assumes you're already in the Ghost directory.

Re the setting of various additional commands via the Options in PC-DOS, here's how to see and change them:

Use the Bootdisk to boot into PC-DOS. At the initial menu in PC-DOS, click on Options (just above Quit, I think). This will open a set of tabbed options in PC-DOS, where for the mostpart you can set/unset the equivalent command-line switches. Of course, it's possible that you might not see anything like this if you're not using Ghost 2003.

Re the error log, yes it dawned on me later that, for PC-DOS, the error log was probably recorded on the bootdisk. I'll have a look for it. The Windows error log remains as is.

Going back to the vageries of my BIOS, my motherboard handbook says that, as well as CHS and LBA mode, it can automatically handle Large mode (more than 1024 cylinders). In Large mode it tricks the BIOS (or other OS) by dividing the no. of cylinders by 2 but, at the same time, multiplying the no. of heads by 2. A reverse transformation is then made inside Int13h in order to access the correct HDD address.

It goes on to state that, if using Auto detect - which is how I'm using it - the BIOS will automatically detect the IDE hard disk mode and set it to one of the three modes.

Further, it says that, to support LBA or Large mode, there's software included in the Award HDD Service Routine (Int13h), but this may fail to access a HDD in Large mode if you're running under an operating system that replaces the whole of Int13h. Well, whether this is the case here, I don't know.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #41 - Sep 26^th, 2008 at 9:29am

Right, I've made yet another new Bootdisk and have been comparing its contents (in as far as that's possible in much depth) with that of a Win2K bootdisk that I used quite successfully on my original 80GB main/250GB ext setup.

Each bootdisk contains:

GHOST (GHOST.EXE and GHOST.INI)
USB (containing aspiehci.sys)
AUTOEXEC.BAT
COMMAND.COM
CONFIG.SYS
IBMBIO.COM
IBMDOS.COM
MOUSE.COM
MOUSE.INI

Both Ghost.ini's appear to be the same but the Ghost.exe's do differ (I'm judging only from the file sizes). This might be simply because one's made under Win2K, the other under WinXP.

AUTOEXEC.BAT is:

@echo off
SET TZ = GHO+00:00
MOUSE.COM
echo loading ....
CD GHOST
GHOST.EXE

CONFIG.SYS is:

DEVICE = usb\aspiehci.sys /int /all
LASTDRIVE = Z

I managed to get a Notepad output of the contents of Ghost.ini on the new bootdisk:

span(Spanning)    = N
autoname(AutoName) = Y
cns(Old Style Span Extensions) = N
crcignore(CRC Ignore)    = N
fcr(Create CRC32) = N
f32(FAT32 Conversion)    = N
f64(64K FAT Clusters)    = N
fatlimit(FAT Limit)       = N
sure(Sure)    = N
fro(Force Cloning) = N
rb(Reboot)    = N
fx(Exit to DOS)    = N
defaultImg(Default)       = Y
ia(Image All)       = N
ib(Image Boot)    = N
id(Image Disk)    = N
defaultTape(Default)    = Y
tapesafe(Tape Safe)       = N
tapebuffered(Tape Buffered)    = N
tapeunbuffered(Tape Unbuffered)    = N
tapeeject(Tape Eject)    = N
ffx(UseExtINT13)    = N
fnx(DisableExtINT13)    = N
ffi(DirectIDE)    = N
fni(DisableDirectIDE)    = N
ffs(DirectASPI/SCSI)    = N
fns(DisableDirectASPI/SCSI)    = N
pwd(Prompt for password) = N
locktype-none(No BIOS lock)    = Y
locktype-M(Manufacturer) = N
locktype-P(ProductName) = N
locktype-V(Version)       = N
locktype-S(SerialNo)    = N
locktype-U(UUID)    = N
locktype-C(ManProduct)    = N
locktype-I(P3ID)    = N

I used the newly-made dootdisk to get into PC-DOS and started the procedure for making a Partition-to-Image. At the point where just the one drive then appeared for selection as the source drive (the problem being that PC-DOS should be showing two drives), I pressed Cntrl C. Sure enough, Ghost asked me if I wanted to generate a txt error log. I did so, then quitted Ghost. I've subsequently opened the txt error file and now include it in my next posting (too long to be accommodated in this one).

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NightOwl

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #42 - Sep 26^th, 2008 at 9:32am

@

voximan

In DOS, you can drop the *.exe* part of an executable program name--but no harm including it--I assume that's what your concerned about?!

Try it--boot with your boot floppy, quit Ghost, and then type *ghost.exe* and the program should load again. Then quit again and now type *ghost*--should get the same results.

Quote:

Re the setting of various additional commands via the Options in PC-DOS, here's how to see and change them:

Use the Bootdisk to boot into PC-DOS. At the initial menu in PC-DOS, click on Options (just above Quit, I think). This will open a set of tabbed options in PC-DOS, where for the mostpart you can set/unset the equivalent command-line switches. Of course, it's possible that you might not see anything like this if you're not using Ghost 2003.

Ah--okay! You're talking about the Ghost floppy boot disk that *automatically* executes the DOS Ghost program as part of the loading process!

PC-DOS is an *operating system--a competitor to Microsoft's MS-DOS. You boot into an operating system which then allows you to *run* programs. *Ghost.exe* is a program that runs under a DOS operating system--either PC-DOS or MS-DOS or Free-DOS, etc.

I know I'm talking *semantics*, but as you well know, computers are not very forgiving at being *almost correct*!

So, you are not *at the initial menu in PC-DOS*--you are at the *main screen* of the Ghost GUI (Graphical User Interface), or Ghost program, if you will.

And clicking on Options does not *open a set of tabbed options in PC-DOS*--it opens a set of tabbed options for the Ghost program.

You can set options for PC-DOS (and MS-DOS, etc.), but those are separate issues from setting options for a program that's run under the OS environment, such as Ghost.

I think you have inadvertently substituted *PC-DOS* for *DOS based Ghost Program*--which is not accurate and looking back has made understanding what you are referencing difficult to follow!

Enough said on that!

Quote:

Going back to the vageries of my BIOS, my motherboard handbook says that, as well as CHS and LBA mode, it can automatically handle Large mode (more than 1024 cylinders). In Large mode it tricks the BIOS (or other OS) by dividing the no. of cylinders by 2 but, at the same time, multiplying the no. of heads by 2. A reverse transformation is then made inside Int13h in order to access the correct HDD address.

I'm not questioning that your system's BIOS supports large HDD's--what I said is there appears to be an incompatibility on your system when you combine a 250 GB internal HDD, a DOS based driver program (Iomega) to make a Windows based storage system (USB HDD) able to be seen in a DOS OS with a large 250 GB capacity HDD, while running a DOS based program in a DOS OS. So far, the main variable that changed is the size of the internal HDD!!!!!

Where the incompatibility lies is undetermined until other testing is done.

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #43 - Sep 26^th, 2008 at 9:35am

Here's the error log. Of course, this may or may not show any problem - because PC-DOS certainly doesn't think there's a problem!

*********************************
Date : Fri Sep 26 14:56:40 2008
Error Number: (36002)
Message: User Abort
Version: 2003.793 (Dec 17 2003, Build=793)
Command line arguments:
Active Switches :
AutoName
ProgMode : PROG_LOCAL
PathName :
DumpFile :
DumpPos : 0
File64 buffersize : 0
FlagImplode    : 0
FlagExplode    : 0

Operation Details :
Total size.........0
MB copied..........0
MB remaining.......0
Percent complete...0%
Speed..............0MB/min
Time elapsed.......0:00
Time remaining.....0:00

Program Call Stack
Generic_Abort
userInterrupt
PaintDisplayDriveData
CopyPartToFile
CopyMainline
AttemptOperation
sub_main
main

Call Stack
0x0023f3c7
0x0006b29f
0x0006a54c
0x0006a3c1
0x0006bae3
0x000079bd
0x0005c03a
0x00007a40
0x0001d752
0x0002bca8
0x000022ec
0x000023f3
0x00004426
0x0000370b
0x0024cac8
End Call Stack

Start heap available: 1067909120
Cur heap available: 1067646976
Total Memory:    1072627712

Conventional Memory
Inital Conventional Memory Size = 404464
Current Conventional Memory Size = 330512
Allocated
1024 DpmiDjgpp.cpp:59
33504 ghost.cpp:913
2048 IdeDmaServerPci.cpp:132
528 IdeDmaServerPci.cpp:132
2048 AspiAdapterDos.cpp:87
176 AspiAdapterDos.cpp:88
   32 DiskDriveAccessExInt13.cpp:107
Free
   16 MsdosFile.cpp:92
   80 AspiServerDos.cpp:103
512 DiskDriveAccessInt13.cpp:181
1024 AspiAdapterDos.cpp:323
32768 AspiAdapterDos.cpp:323

Fat details:

NTFS details:
----------------

NTFS Global Flags:
----------------
contiguousWrite=1 forceDiskClusterMapping=0
inhibitCHKDSK=1 ignoreBadLog=0 ignoreCHKDSKBit=0
enable_cache=0 xfrbuflen=0
last_attr_type = 0
loadExact = 0
----------------

Disk Info :
remote.............0
drive..............0
sectors_used.......487476297
estimated_used.....29889664
pemax..............3
Version............0

# Ord Boot Id Ext First Num Last    Used    NTFS
0 0 0 7 No 00000063 125949537 125949600 00135912 Yes
1 1 0 7 No 125949600 315805770 441755370 23553824 Yes
2 2 0 7 No 441755370 45720990 487476360 06199928 Yes

Disk Info :
remote.............0
drive..............0
sectors_used.......0
estimated_used.....0
pemax..............0
Version............0

# Ord Boot Id Ext First Num Last    Used    NTFS

Drive 128 Seagate External Drive

Int 13h
Total Sectors    16434495
Bytes per Sector 512
MB    8024
Cylinders    1023
Heads 255
Sectors per Track 63

Extended Int 13h
Total Sectors    488397168
Bytes per Sector 512
MB    238475

ASPI (Active)
Total Sectors    488397168
Bytes per Sector 512
MB    238475

Remote Drives
AsyncIo : 0
Image Devices

Key A:
Path    A:
Desc
Type    Floppy

Key @LFO1:1
Path    1:1
Desc    [BKDP IMAGES]
Type    NTFS
Disk    0
Offset 63

Key @LFO1:2
Path    1:2
Desc    [BKDP AUDVIS]
Type    NTFS
Disk    0
Offset 125949600

Key @LFO1:3
Path    1:3
Desc    [BKDP FILES]
Type    NTFS
Disk    0
Offset 441755370

Key @CD-R1
Path    @CD-R1
Desc    TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-M1612
Type    CD

Key @CD-R2
Path    @CD-R2
Desc    _NEC DVD_RW ND-3550A
Type    DVD

*********************************

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voximan

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Re: More questions concerning Ghost 2003 and marking drives
Reply #44 - Sep 26^th, 2008 at 9:58am

Nightowl,

Apologies for some wrong assumptions of mine, regarding the nature of PC-DOS and the actual ghost.exe. I don't profess to be an expert in that area, so a miscomprehension on my part obviously got the wires crossed a bit. Clearly, you do now understand what I was pointing out.

Just one small but important point. You seem to think that the problem is basically that Ghost doesn't see my EXT drive. Well, that's not the case. As I've been constantly stating, the opposite is true - when wishing to do a Partition-to-Image (main drive partition, to a partition on the ext drive), Ghost displays only the EXT drive for selection! Nevertheless Ghost can, and does, at other times recognise and display the main hard drive of the PC (the one I need to choose as the source drive), but only if the ext drive is off! That's to say, Ghost is refusing at all times to display BOTH drives for choosing; it only ever displays one drive. Thus, either way, I can't make a partition image from my main hard drive to the ext drive. Do understand that I can make a partition image from my boot partition to another partition on the main drive - which kinda suggests that essentially the main drive isn't posing a problem for Ghost in respect of large disk size.

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