Re: XP Repair Installation

From: Richard (hawkinsfamily3_at_DIGITbtinternet.com)
Date: 12/12/04 

Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2004 12:54:13 +0000 (UTC)

>
>> Bill,
>> How is it that you seem to have painted yourself into a corner and
>> need a repair install to put things right? From many of your previous
>> posts I got the impression that you back up your master drive to a
>> "clone" drive. If this is the case why not install it to recover to a
>> fully working system and then restore your data backups as necessary?
>>
>> Richard.
>>

   I must first apologise for inserting my replies between your
paragraphs,but in this case it should be more concise.
>>
> Richard, I am really nowhere near as inept or incapable as it
> may sound. I've worked with PowerQuest Drive Image to make
> an 'image' to then 'restore' to a copy of the original. I've
> used PQ-DI-7 to make a Drive Copy. I've used PowerQuest
> Partition Magic to "Copy" a Partition (e.g., Master Drive).
> There always develop different facets of the same problem:
> the cloned master does not boot. I've tried Recovery
> Console and Fixboot and FixMBR. I've tried Repair Install.
> I do CHKDSK, and I try working in Safe Mode.

I started with PQ and then Ghost 9. Using either there has been no problem
in making a bootable replacement HDD. Obviously I cannot from this distance
establish what went wrong when you tried the Image/ Restore method. I can
however promise you that it does work and it is the way that the designers
intended that it should be used. I actually Ghost my entire system including
OS, Programs, Data etc on a daily schedule. Manual intervention is only
necessary when testing the backup system's integrity or in the case of an
actual emergency.
>
> The problem is always the same: the resultant clone will
> boot fine in Slave position, jumpered as Slave, but only
> by a fluke of some sort, not-reproducible, can I get it
> to boot in Master position. The problem isn't in making
> an exact clone of the Master drive; it's in getting it to
> boot in Master position (like when it's running alone).

It is obvious that you have NOT made an exact clone of the Master drive. The
boot sector or drive status must contain errors or the clone would boot.

I am surprised that you have not gone back to the Image/Restore method and
sorted out your methodology.

> Your last sentence, Richard: why not? Because it isn't
> just data backups. It's dozens of application programs to
> be reinstalled from source CDs, or worse. They have to be
> reinstalled, because just copying them doesn't do it; their
> use is embedded in all the icons on desktop and in the
> Registry.

I must be mistaken as to the contents of your Master drive and it's clone. I
thought that both contained the OS, programs and data. If this were the case
you would only have to recover any data and added/removed programs since
your last cloning operation. If your backups are not complete why bother
with them at all ?
>
> Richard, any of those wise-asses out there who have nothing
> better to do than chime in to tell me how dumb I am, just
> haven't tried it themselves. With all the traffic you've read
> here, it's strange that nobody (including Symantec and Power
> Quest and the MVPs) has ever furnished a detailed, step-by-step
> procedure, that works. If anybody has one, I'd be happy to
> give it a try.
>
 Well I have tried both methods and they work. However I find Image/Restore
far superior as one can restore any file, folder etc without leaving
Windows. Replacing a broken drive, testing or recovering from a complete
***-up are really the only times it is necessary to juggle with hard drives
and boot from the Recovery CD. The detailed, step-by-step procedures are all
contained in the manual. I found that following the on-screen prompts after
a read through quite sufficient.
Two pointers that are worth following. When booting from the recovery CD
keep your eyes on the screen and watch out for the "press any key to boot
from the CD" it is only there for about 5 seconds and if missed the recovery
process will abort. When presented with options use the defaults in the
first instance, even if you think you know better, you can always run the
process a second time if required.

Richard