Problem with Ghost image restores

[JaybeeTakingTekTips]

Hi all,

I'm having some issues with Ghost images.

What I'm trying to do is to place a standard suite of software onto all client machines that come into our shop for repair, usually as the result of viruses, but sometimes to perform upgrades. This suite includes Windows XP, anti-virus/email/browser etc.

Now, I slave the clients HDD to our machine, check it for viruses and then make a ghost image of it or whatever data must be preserved. That image is then saved to our own drive, I reformat the client drive and then restore the ghosted image, and/or our suite.

Now, when I try to run the disk from within the clients machine, XP will not boot up. I note that a lot of people have had similar problems with restoring Ghost images of XP systems.

I'd be grateful if anyone has a workaround, or can recommend different, but proven backup/restore software.


JB.

 

[jimp56]

what is the error or behavior during bootup? need more details. We image using ghost and XP all the time without issues.

 

[MALFIE]

I had a similiar, personal experience trying to restore an image after a SP2 disaster..
My day to day service policy ( sounds like we toil at the same job) is to ghost backup (clone) to a spare HD, even if I'm about to work on a problem installation.. if its vital NOT to lose data I work on the cloned drive, especially if applying SP2 or overlaying the O.S. Then, if all comes up Hunky, I clone the fixed drive back onto the original.. But I do it all from a dos boot floppy. Only thing is, watch for RAID motherboards.. I cannot get GHOST to work from the boot floppy on any of them.. there is something on the MS knowledge base, I think, about this.
I've tried using Drive Image but it also rejected the image on that same PC at that same time.. It is my main accounting PC so I now clone regularly to a spare HD thru a USB 2.0 external case.. works just dandy.. ( that PC is not a raid mb).
I also would like to know of a reliable "it-situ" (in Windows) for doing images..
Just another suggestion... if you EVER have a case of a wiped HDD, or a badly corrupted one, I've found RESTORE 2000 pretty nifty at recovering lost, deleted or otherwise unreadable data files.. It will even do a fair job on a reformatted and reinstalled drive (to some degree..)You can download a workable demo version.. May brighten your day sometime..

"We do not stop playing because we are old, more likely we grow old because we stop playing...

 

[bcastner]

Upgrade to Norton Ghost 9.0
This is a rewritten version of Drive Quest, and operates completely within XP. There are other enhancements.

 

[micker377]

I just had a similar problem with a ghost image. When I first installed SP2, I made did a clean image. I used the Ghost version that came with my Norton SytemWorks 2003. A couple of weeks ago I upgraded to SystemWorks 2005 (did an immediate image). As days went by, my system got worse and worse (slow with misc problems). I did another image (can't be too safe) and restored to the "2005" image, wouldn't boot all the way - stopped at "loading settings". OK, put new image back in, same thing! Finally, put the "SP2" image in and re-installed all the programs i've gotten used to. Everything is back to normal, except for no Norton 2005. Still running 2003 with no problems. I did notice that the "clean SP2" image was about 14gig, whereas the two newer ones were about 9gig for same settings. I don't know if it is SP2/2005, or that Ghost (2003 version) is not compatable with SystemWorks 2005.

 

[doubletoker]

Is sysprep required when ghost winxp?

 

[teletubby5e]

Do you just need to run SYSPREP if you are pushing the Ghost image out to different hardware configurations?

 

[smatel]

You can not restore an image from one hardware platform to another if the IDE controllers are dissimilar.

Sysprep is required if you are planning a rollout of workstations to be deployed in a network. The main idea here is that it "strips" the SID from the client before it is imaged and allows you to regenerate it when you roll it out. A host SID must be unique in a network environment.

 

[Ali147gta]

smatel, hate to correct you but you can, I have one image which I apply deploy to Dell GX280, 270, 240 D600 and X300 machines, the way to do it is this

build you ghost image on whichever hardware I use the GX 280. change the HDD controller to be the standard MS controller not the specific one, launch sysprep and in the answer file specify all the additional drivers and their location for every machine you have in your range then use the -pnp switches, reseal and bob is your mothers brother.

I then use the normal mini setup wizard to complete....

 

[schtek]

i gave up after 6 months of hard slog with ghost i had 7.1 i had a dead line to meet tomorrow with 16 laptops if it wasn't for one thing going wrong it was the next !!! the final part was the 6 GB hard i was playing with for 16 laptops ran out of space lol, so at 1200 today i swaped to a program called acronise it took me 5 hrs to load all the programs to a fresh 20 GB hard drive and and started to clone all the new hard drives 20 mins a peace ACRONISE TRUE IMAGE....
why is so good well the laptopwith XP pro on was attached to a 2003 server and its allowed me to copy all!! and the only alteration i have to do is change the PC name to stop ip conflict!!!!

try it for all the headaches ghost causes you can only but try!!

It's the same each time with progress. First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you.

 

[smatel]

The quickest way to inspire competition in the IT world is to make a declarative statement. Now that's how you get things done!

Thanks for the lesson, Ali147gta.

 

[jurgen36]

Wll I used to use Ghost but had many problems with it. I now use Acronis True Image Server. No problems at all. Can make images from within XP or Linux as the case might be. I use the programm also for automatic backups. Have two identical Raid systems on my main machine, on shutdown it creates a copy from one to the next drive system, on boot up it loads the copied system and so on. So I always have an up to date backup. This way I should keep my data save. Drives are cheap now. Even one hour extra work will pay for the extra drives. Regards

Jurgen