My bootable cd

Use at your own risk.
The batch file will ghostback your latest ghostfile.gho to first
unhidden primary partition.

Assumption
   ghostfile.gho is located in main directory on one drive
   ghostfile.gho is name as ghostfile1.gho, ghostfile2.gho etc.



Can download the file here...

Link to download removed by NightOwl


Edited:




config.sys  -------------


device=himem.sys /testmem:off /numhandles=128 /Q


device=AHCI.SYS /D:sata
device=UIDE.SYS /D:gen
device=emm386.exe NOEMS I=B000-B7FF
device=ansi.sys
shell=\command.com /e:2048 /f /p

fileshigh=40
buffershigh=15
dos=high,umb
stackshigh=0,0
fcbshigh=4,0
LASTDRIVE=Z
BREAK=ON

autoexec.bat -----------------------


@echo off
prompt $p$g
SET TZ=GHO-08:00

echo Loading driver...
LH MSCDEX.EXE /D:sata /D:gen /L:x
LH doskey.com /insert
LH mouse

set cddrv=
findcd -e -r
if errorlevel 23 set cddrv=x
if errorlevel 24 set cddrv=y
echo %cddrv%: CD drive with media
path a:;%cddrv%:

cls
ntfs4dos findG.bat


findG.bat ----------------------

rem autoghost findG cd version

@echo off

rem booting from cd


rem hd c       hd1,1 -- assign c
rem hd d       hd1,2 -- assign d
rem hd e       hd1,3 -- assign e



rem Check drives for existence of .gho file and return drive letter

set drive=
if exist D:\*.gho set drive=D:
if exist E:\*.gho set drive=E:
if exist F:\*.gho set drive=F:
if exist G:\*.gho set drive=G:
if exist H:\*.gho set drive=H:
if exist I:\*.gho set drive=I:
if exist J:\*.gho set drive=J:
if exist K:\*.gho set drive=K:
if exist L:\*.gho set drive=L:
if exist M:\*.gho set drive=M:
if exist N:\*.gho set drive=N:
if exist O:\*.gho set drive=O:
if exist P:\*.gho set drive=P:
if exist Q:\*.gho set drive=Q:
if exist R:\*.gho set drive=R:
if exist S:\*.gho set drive=S:
if exist T:\*.gho set drive=T:
if exist U:\*.gho set drive=U:
if exist V:\*.gho set drive=V:
if exist W:\*.gho set drive=W:
rem if exist X:\*.gho set drive=X:
rem if exist Y:\*.gho set drive=Y:
if exist Z:\*.gho set drive=Z:

%drive%
FOR %%l IN (*.gho) do set ghofile=%%l

set drive2=
if exist D:\*.gho set drive2=1:2
if exist E:\*.gho set drive2=1:3
if exist F:\*.gho set drive2=1:4
if exist G:\*.gho set drive2=1:5
if exist H:\*.gho set drive2=1:6
if exist I:\*.gho set drive2=1:7
if exist J:\*.gho set drive2=1:8
if exist K:\*.gho set drive2=1:9
if exist L:\*.gho set drive2=1:10
if exist M:\*.gho set drive2=1:11
if exist N:\*.gho set drive2=1:12
if exist O:\*.gho set drive2=1:13
if exist P:\*.gho set drive2=1:14
if exist Q:\*.gho set drive2=1:15
if exist R:\*.gho set drive2=1:16
if exist S:\*.gho set drive2=1:17
if exist T:\*.gho set drive2=1:18
if exist U:\*.gho set drive2=1:19
if exist V:\*.gho set drive2=1:20
if exist W:\*.gho set drive2=1:21
rem if exist X:\*.gho set drive2=1:22
rem if exist Y:\*.gho set drive2=1:23
if exist Z:\*.gho set drive2=1:24


echo.
[0;32;40m
echo  * Ghost file
[1;33;40m%ghofile%
[0;32;40m at drive 
[1;33;40m%drive%
[0;32;40m
echo  * check if disk:volume 
[1;33;40m%drive2%
[0;32;40m  match the table above else
[1;33;40m
input " * type the correct disk:volume =  " drive2 /E /L4
echo.
[0m

if exist d:\windows GOTO part2

echo ghost.exe -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC=%drive2%\%ghofile%:1,DST=1:1 -FX
pause
ghost.exe -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC=%drive2%\%ghofile%:1,DST=1:1 -FX
goto done

:part2

echo ghost.exe -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC=%drive2%\%ghofile%:1,DST=1:2 -FX
pause
ghost.exe -CLONE,MODE=PLOAD,SRC=%drive2%\%ghofile%:1,DST=1:2 -FX
:done
cls
ej %CDDRV%:
ECHO --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ECHO Please remove the CD now
PAUSE
restart

an illusions

Impressive!  Some very advanced functions.

Quote:

Looks like this requires signing up with the *Box* website.

It will take some time to digest how the various components of the *config.sys* and *autoexec.bat* work--I have not learned how variables in DOS are used--and you use several in the various commands above.

You have some interesting programs that enable nice functions.  Not sure where this fits in:

Quote:

I see that *pause* is called by your boot files in serveral places--but I thought *pause* was a standard DOS command available without having to add a separate program.  Are you using *pause.sys* in your above *autoexec.bat?  Wouldn't this conflict with the DOS *pause* function?

@ Nightowl  @Brian

Sorry, the link to download should be

Link to download removed by NightOwl


Edited:





@ Nightowl

Pause.sys is use in config.sys  and does not conflict with autoexec.bat    pause function.

for example if you would like to test each line in config.sys


device=himem.sys /testmem:off
device=pause.sys

device=AHCI.SYS /D:sata
device=pause.sys

device=UIDE.SYS /D:gen
device=pause.sys

etc ....


device=pause.sys <--- should be removed after debugging

more info here

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/tristar/debug/debug/InsertPausesInConfigSys....

@ Brain

NTFS4dos always calculate the correct disk and volume number but my dos batch assume there is only 1 harddrive.   Therefore, I added the Input function so you can correct the disk and volume to the right one.   

Just saw your USB link.

Brian wrote on Jun 23^rd, 2012 at 12:51am:



Sorry, I never encountered such error msg.   

Maybe you should create a new ghost.   Format that partition again and ghost back.

Haven't looked at the second thread yet, but some comments on this thread . . .


Observation #1:

The first group of "if exist" statements can be simplified with a foreach loop:

for %%d in (d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w z) do if exist %%d:\*.gho set drive=%%d:

Observation #2:

As designed, the script searches for .gho files only in the root directory of each drive.  It does not search subdirectories.



Observation #3:

As designed, the script expects there to be only one .gho file per drive.  If you have two or more .gho files, it takes the last one in the directory list.  Unfortunately, there's no way to consistently predict which .gho file that will be.  As files are written/rewritten, the order they appear in the directory list gets shuffled around.  It is not chronological, nor is it alphabetical.  Thus, if you use this script you should make sure you only have one .gho per root directory.



Observation #4:

As designed, the script expects there to be only one .gho file altogether.  If you have two or more drives with a .gho file in its root directory, the script takes the last drive it searches.



Observation #5:

As designed, the script assumes all drive letters refer to partitions on a single HDD.  It doesn't accomodate scenarios where the .gho file is on a secondary HDD, external HDD, CD/DVD, or network share.



Observation #6:

As designed, the script assumes that if it finds a D:\Windows directory, that D: refers to the second partition on the first HDD.  That can't be guaranteed.  It depends on the how many HDDs, their specific complement of primary vs extended partitions, and which of those might be FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.  Remember, DOS gets to assign drive letters first before ntfs4dos.exe gets its hands on what's left.



Observation #7:

Syntax error in findG.bat, line: "if exist d:\windows GOTO part2".  That DOS instruction does not check for a directory named windows, it checks for a file named windows.  To check for a directory, use the syntax: "if exist d:\windows\nul GOTO part 2".



Observation #8:

NightOwl's right--there seems to be some confusion with the "pause" command here.

First, Reply #1 refers to it as pause.sys, which means it's a device driver, not an executable you can call from a program or batch file.  With rare exception, device drivers need to be loaded via config.sys (e.g., via "device=pause.sys"), but there's no such line in config.sys.  Third, it's purpose is described as "Pause config.sys for debugging", but there are no pause commands used in config.sys.  Perhaps the author had it in config.sys during development and removed it after he was satisfied with the operation of his config.sys file?

As for whether it conflicts with DOS's pause command, there's no conflict, per se, but it may not be behaving as the author may have intended.

DOS follows very rigid rules.  All commands are categorized as internal commands or external commands.  Internal commands are those built into the command interpreter.  External commands are those that take the form of a standalone executable file.  External commands that come with DOS are typically stored in the C:\DOS directory by convention, but they don't need to be.  They could be anywhere.

When executing any command, DOS first looks to see if it's an internal command.  Next it looks for an external command (an executable file) in the current working directory.  If it's not in either of those places, it consults the PATH environment variable and begins searching those directories sequentially, following the priority in the PATH variable.  DOS stops at the first match it finds.  If you have multiple possibilities (e.g., two copies of "myprog.exe" in different directories) you need to understand the DOS search sequence to predict which copy it will find and run.

In this case, "pause" is an internal DOS command, so that takes first priority.

Aside:  For anyone curious about this notion of internal commands, try this: open a copy of command.com in Windows Notepad.  (Of course, you can't use notepad to edit a binary file, but all we're doing is looking for text strings.)  Scroll all the way to the bottom of the file.  Near the bottom you'll plainly see the jump list of internal commands.  Accompanying each command's text string is a four-byte jump vector (invisibly shown as blocks in a text editor) specifying the location elsewhere in the binary file where the actual code for that command begins.



And finally:

I see the author has included an "input" command to accomodate a bit of manual correction, though it doesn't address all of the potential trouble areas in the above observations.

Even at that, the input command assumes you know the correct disk:volume you want, so seems to presume some technical savvy.  Yet, how reliably can a user predict which order Ghost will enumerate HDDs?  How reliably can a user predict how Ghost enumerates volumes?  It's not strictly by physical position, it also depends on whether they are primary or logical.  If you keep your system very simple, you stand a good chance of getting it right.  But for a script wanting to have universal applicability, I'm not so sure.

At the very least, there should be some declaration of when this script won't work, so the user can avoid potential failure scenarios--some of which could have disastrous consequences.

an illusions

an illusions wrote on Jun 21^st, 2012 at 6:06pm:

This might be a better direct link to the above for downloading:

findcd.zip

For a description: 

FindCD