Re: How can I use the same Ghost image on several partitions?
From: I'm Dan \(dg1261\) (dgREMOVE-THIS1261_at_cs.com)
Date: 06/02/04
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Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 22:21:35 -0700
"John" <zaku@freesurf.ch> wrote:
> I have the following question:
> I'm running Windows XP Pro, and I'd like to have 4 menus when
> booting my PC, let's say:
>
> C:\ --> Internet and Office
> D:\ --> Software Development (Java, Javascript, Flash, ...)
> E:\ --> Multimedia (Video cut (Pinnacle), etc.)
> F:\ --> Testing software (Shareware, Freeware)
>
> Sensitive data like *.doc, *.xls, *.pst, etc. resides on another HD.
>
> Now I made an image of my C:\ drive, and I've restored it on
> my D:\ drive.
> For the menu selection when booting, I've changed the
> following line in the boot.ini file:
> ...(snipped)...
(No need to quote the rest, as boot.ini is the wrong approach.)
For starters, you should understand that drive letters are not permanently
affixed to specific partitions. You have four partitions, but they are not
always C, D, E, and F. Those are just the labels used by one specific OS
when it boots, they exist only when that OS (and no other) boots, and they
have relevance only in the context of that one OS. Thus, you're not
restoring an image on your 'D' drive, you're restoring it on partition 2.
Second, you need to know there are two basic but incompatible methods of
multibooting -- the Microsoft way and everyone else's way. The MS way
causes much of the confusion because it leads you to falsely think each
partition really does have a permanent drive letter. I also don't consider
that true multibooting because it requires all boot options start booting
through the same partition, so OS's are not kept independent from each
other.
OTOH, third-party boot managers let you setup multiple copies of the same
(or different) OS's and keep them completely independent from one another.
Each OS will see itself as 'C' when it boots, even though they're on
different partitions. IOW, what you really want to do is have one
installation that sees partition 1 as 'C' when it boots, another
installation that sees part.2 as 'C' when it boots, another that sees part.3
as 'C', etc.
Ghost cannot be used to setup multibooting the MS way because each copy
expects to see itself as 'C', which the MS way is incapable of achieving.
What you need is a third-party boot manager. There are many third-party
boot managers, but my favorites are either XOSL
(www.ranish.com/part/xosl.htm) or BootIt-NG (www.bootitng.com). If you want
to read more about multibooting principles, see my webpage at
www.goodells.net/multibooting. Pay particular attention to the problems I
discuss about boot.ini and the [MountedDevices] registry key. Understand
these issues and you should have no trouble getting exactly what you want.
- Next message: Plato: "Re: disc compression"
- Previous message: Sarge: "XP key code"
- In reply to: John: "How can I use the same Ghost image on several partitions?"
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