Re: Boot problem, copied Master

Tech-Archive recommends: Speed Up your PC by fixing your registry

From: Richard (hawkinsfamily3_at_DIGITbtinternet.com)
Date: 03/23/04 

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:49:59 +0000 (UTC)

"William B. Lurie" <billurie@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:40601E81.8060304@nospam.org...
> Richard wrote:
>
> > "William B. Lurie" <billurie@nospam.org> wrote in message
> > news:405F9806.5080306@nospam.org...
> >
> >>William B. Lurie wrote:
> >>
> >>>Michael Solomon (MS-MVP Windows Shell/User) wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>Yeah, that 7.8MB may be an issue, I'm not sure. However, the image
> >>>>should have recreated everything on the partition including MBR. When
> >>>>you originally partitioned the original drive, if you used XP to do
> >>>>that, it might be the culprit in having created that small partition.
> >>>>
> >>>>Second, did you create an image only of the XP partition? I would have
> >>>>thought the small partition at the beginning of the drive would not
> >>>>have been a part of the image. I use Partition Magic to create my
> >>>>hard drive partitions and it doesn't create that small partition at
> >>>>the beginning of the drive so I get back that usable space; at least I
> >>>>think I do.:-) Somewhere there was an explanation about why XP creates
> >>>>that extra partition but I've forgotten the reason. As to the rest,
> >>>>the image creates a more accurate copy of the drive than a straight
> >>>>copy. I guess I'm confused as to why were are doing this, is it
> >>>>because the secondary drive wouldn't boot or is it because of some
> >>>>weird message you were getting when it did boot?
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>It's because the 'copy' I made (not 'image') would boot fine when I
> >>>booted to it as the Slave drive, and not when I made it the Master.
> >>>You convinced me to abandon 'copies' and use the 'image'. Now I have
> >>>a lovely reconstructed single XP partition that won't boot anywhere.
> >>>No more weird messages. They went with the 'copies'. Yes, when I made
> >>>the Drive Image image of the XP partition, I did it only of that
> >>>partition. I have the feeling that what is needed is to make the new
> >>>Master bootable. I think I'd like to get rid of that little piece at
> >>>the beginning of the drive, which is where I imagine the MBR belongs.
> >>>I'm thinking of using RC and trying FIXMBR there.
> >>>
> >>>Remember my goal, from which I have not deviated: I want a clone
> >>>of my Master drive (actually only the XP partition on it) which
> >>>I can boot and run all by itself just like this Master that I'm
> >>>exercising at this moment. "POP" said he's done it many times.
> >>>I hope to live long enough to say the same.
> >>> Bill L.
> >>
> >>Let me add one note. I carefully made two new backup copies of the D-I 7
> >>CD.... and tried to boot starting with an OFF machine, with CD in its
> >>drive. Only the original CD will boot to their Recovery Environment.
> >>It wouldn't surprise me if I started from scratch, using the Drive Image
> >>o the XP partition, and this CD, if I could create a working duplicate
> >>hard drive.
> >> William B. Lurie
> >
> >
> >
> > William,
> >
> > When I joined in on these exchanges earlier I was under the impression
that
> > you were working with a genuine original DI 7 CD. Only this one can be
used
> > to boot your machine into the PQRE. So don't waste time making copies of
the
> > PQ CD as there is a form of copy protection and the copies you make are
not
> > fully functional.
> >
> > Now I would suggest, once you have checked that you can indeed boot into
the
> > PQRE, that you decide on an overall backup strategy. Then test it out,
> > schedule the backup images to be created at the frequency you decide and
> > finally sit back and relax.
> >
> > FWIW I have two hard drives on my computer and a third hard drive in a
USB2
> > caddy. On daily basis DI 7 automatically creates images of the system
and
> > data. These are stored in a single partition on one of the drives.
> > There is room for several day's images. Once the backup partition is
full DI
> > 7 overwrites images on a FIFO basis. The only manual operation I do is
to
> > create additional images of the systems and data on the external USB
drive.
> > I usually do this once a week. One of the joys is that one can continue
> > working while the images are being created. So apart from a slight drop
in
> > speed the whole process is seamless.
> >
> > I tested the backups by restoring the images to their original locations
and
> > have also done a "Bare metal restore" when upgrading my hard drives. I
have
> > not used the Copy Drives function. My thinking being that if I have a
drive
> > failure I will have an image available from which to restore whereas
trying
> > to copy from a broken drive could be difficult.
> >
> > I am fully aware that there are many ways of skinning a cat and the
strategy
> > I have chosen is probably not the best one but it works for me :-)
> >
> > Richard
> >
> >
> >
> Richard, your modus operandi is almost exactly what I
> wish I could get to, only I would be content to do it all
> manually, and only on a once-a-month frequency.. .....
>
> I may start over again, and make a D-I image of the Master XP
> partition in a partition on CDs and see if I can use that
> and the original PQ CD to do a "Bare Metal restore" to a
> newly reformatted hard drive. That is the ultimate basic safety
> net. After that, having the Drive Image(s) on another hard
> drive would be easier to restore from and I will go that
> route. But right now I've been working without PQRE and maybe,
> now that I have a PQRE, I can recreate the Master successfully
> and be able to boot to it, as a replacement Master, for the
> first time.
>
> Thanks for chiming in; your success story is pleasant music.
> Bill L.

Bill,
 Just to round things off. I am sure you are now only a few thoughts and a
few clicks away from Backup Nirvana :-))
Breaking news:- DI 7 has issued an update dated 1.03.04. I have only just
found and installed it. The version number is 2.03.402 and it " addresses
several outstanding issues". As far as I was concerned I had no outstanding
issues but I have installed the new version anyway.

Richard.

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