Cyclic Redundancy 2

[Present]

Getting real problems with a drive, cyclic redundancy error when copying from it.

Windows / DOS disk checker reports 'file sectors unreadable' in the 1st scanning phase but doesn't fix it ie. the problem is still there on a repeated scan.

I've also tried Norton's Disk Doctor which did the same thing. Ironically, I think Norton's Optimizer caused the problem.

Any further things I can do?

 

[Present]

Just found this link, looks useful?

http://www.xpmce.com/forum/ftopic19026.html

quote:
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i was trying to do the same thing and i kept getting the hanging blue screen windows error at the login screen. i scoured the web and tried various things that didnt work. what did work was:

use ghost 2003 to clone drive d: to c:.

removed old drive d:

booted from the norton ghost cd. on the cd, in the support directory run the gdisk /mbr 1

this clears the master boot record and will correct the error at windows startup. worked great.

 

[linney]

To edit the Registry would involve changing every link that referred to C drive to refer to the new drive letters. The exact number of edits would be in the hundreds or thousands scattered through 200,000 or so entries.

It could only be done once you actually had a registry that was accessible and able to be edited. The catch being that you will never be able to load that system in the first place with all the registry problems. Recovery Console or Startup Disks are not able to perform registry edits.

These might help you understand the boot process. Try and appreciate to the role of the Boot.ini file as it is used in starting the correct operating system.

http://www.winntmag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?IssueID=62&ArticleID=3952

Also see this one (but ignore the linux details).

http://www.devhood.com/tutorials/tutorial_details.aspx?tutorial_id=313

 

[Present]

Tried the "gdisk /mbr 1" after removing the old drive and didn't get very far.

Computer comes too a halt at the DOS page that shows installed devices (after the drive listing)

I've found that I CAN log on to this copied XP in Recovery Console from the XP CD - does this mean there's some possibility I can get it to boot?

Haven't gotten much further than that. Tried FixBoot and FixMBR without much success. Bootcfg FINDS the XP install but won't (for no apparent reason), let me ADD it to the boot list.

System Commander (it's not installed but I tried the rescue disk) reckoned this first partition wasn't bootable, and also the XP CD didn't recognize it as an XP install when I tried to run a 'repair' on it. Said the partition was 'Inactive OS/2 Boot Man'.

Well, please forgive my ignorance, this is all WAY over my head!

Cheers

b

 

[linney]

228004 - Changing Active Partition Can Make Your System Unbootable

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;228004&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

99722 - Installing Windows NT with Multiple Primary Partitions

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;99722&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

You lost me about 2 weeks ago, still I hope your having fun.
I still think you are attempting the impossible and should settle for the tried and tested ways of format and re-install. Copying just data into partitions is a lot easier than trying to do the near impossible of moving a working operating system into another partition an expect it to still work if the drive letters are all wrong.

What was "gdisk /mbr 1"?

If you got your Boot.ini correct your XP partition should at least boot, but (assuming it is the old C partition, and it is not currently on a new C partition) it wont get past the Logon screen. Again for the old C to stand a chance it must be on a C partition (drive letter).

 

[Present]

lol!

It's strange - 'all I really wanna do' is clone this XP onto a new drive - I can safely remove the old copy once it's done.

I've been able to do this very succesfully in the past using Ghost to copy a WHOLE disk. The problems seem to start when you copy *partitions*, not the entire drive.

Makes me wonder - how does Windows assign drive letters anyway? If I detach all drives apart from my new cloned OS drive, will the 1st partition of that appear to Windows as 'C:'?

Mysterious. If I had enough storage space for the archive partition on this new drive I would just start again and attempt to copy the whole old drive, even if it's filled with errors.

But that's not really an option as there's 70GB of software etc. on the new drive that I have nowhere else to store right now...

 

[linney]

Makes me wonder - how does Windows assign drive letters anyway? If I detach all drives apart from my new cloned OS drive, will the 1st partition of that appear to Windows as 'C:'?"

The first partition installed will be C. A + B are floppies.

234048 - How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Letters

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;234048&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

51978 - Order in Which MS-DOS and Windows Assign Drive Letters

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;51978&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

The choice is yours, a 70GB partition with copied software installed by your old XP with no access by your new XP, or set things up properly so your new XP can find them. There is no magic cure, the drive letters must be the same on the new drive as they were on the old if you are going to persist in trying to bring the old XP across.

 

[Present]

Okay! Case closed, think I've answered my own question about drive letters!...

Here's how I got it working:

1. Used Partition Magic's PQBoot to set the copied XP as bootable (don't know if this is necessary?)

2. Detach all drives apart from the one with the copied XP. (this seems to avoid the drive letter problems as my copied XP is in drive 1, partition 1)

3. Set this drive to boot from in BIOS

4. Boot (hurrah)into this drive and reassign drive letters for Program partitions etc.

5. Reboot, *all works now!*

All seems to be running smoothly now, just got to reattach the other drives... not sure if running Fixboot and FixMBR earlier helped.

*Many* thanks for your help with this Linney (and everyone else), I really appreciate it!

Regards

Bill.

BTW Linney what time-zone are you in, you seem to get my queries even overnight! (I'm in the UK)

 

[linney]

GMT + 10, if this thread gets any bigger I might try for GMT + a bit more!

I'm glad you sorted it, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Present]

lol, thanks a lot man!