Best Disk Imaging Software

Can you post your boot.ini?

 

Sorry, don't know what you mean or where I would find that information.

 

beethoven,

I'll get you to make a BootIt BM CD and we can look at several possibilities including boot.ini.

Download BootIt BM. There is a 30 day trial usage. Unzip the file and make a boot CD.


double click makedisk.exe, next
dot in BootIt Bare Metal, next
dot in I accept the agreement, next
don't select Image for DOS (GUI), next
dot in Mouse Support Enabled, next
dot in VESA Video, next
dot in Video Mode 1024*768 - 64K Colors, next
dot in Partition Work (Don't put a dot in Normal), next
don't choose any Device Options, next
tick in Enable USB 1.1 (UHCI), next
tick in Align partitions on Cylinders, next
ignore Additional bootitbm.ini Options, next
select your CD burner drive letter (you can use a CD-RW or a CD-R disc)
Finish


Boot from the CD

your BootIt CD boots to the Work with Partitions window
in the Drives field, make sure it is 0 - BIOS HD
select the WinXP partition by single clicking
click the Edit File button. The Open dialog appears
select boot.ini and click OK
write down the text and post it in your next message


While still in Work with Partitions
click View MBR
can you write down the partition names in order from top to bottom and their Sectors size (right hand field) (the other numbers don't matter to us)
which partition is Active?

 

Brian, many thanks for your help and sorry that I was unable to respond earlier. I made the boot cd and booted into the system following your clear advice.

In the Drives Field it does show 0 and Bios HD as required.
However, I got stumped with the next line of your instructions, selecting the WinXP partition by single clicking.

Which one is the WinXp partition ? Is it the highlighted first line stating MBR 0 Partition E or the second MBR 1 Part E or the third or fourth lines with MBR 2 and MBR3 stating Partition? Only MBR 2 and 3 allow me to edit when highlighted.

When clicking view MBR I see 4 lines but all have the same name:
MBR 0 and the same info regarding sector size: 156280257

 

beethoven,

Thanks for posting those details as it does help in sorting out your problem. The E next to the first two partitions indicates "Error". Do you also see "Errors exist" just above the partitions?

Having four MBR 0 in View MBR is not normal either.

Back in Partition Work, can you select the MBR 0 line and click Properties. Is there an error message? Do the same for the MBR 1 line.

How large is the HD?

 

Yes, Brian - on top of the window it does say MBR Partitions *Errors exist*

under Properties, Partition Information I don't actually see any error message. The info here is identical for both MBR 0 and MBR 1

Name: MBR 0 (or 1) , File System 7/7h:HPFS/NTFS

showing free 63782 MiB and Used 12526 MiB

Additional Info: Bootable NTFS
Cluster Size 4096 bytes
This partition may not boot WinNT


showing free 63782 MiB and Used 12526 MiB

The drive should be 80gb

 

beethoven,

Great info. Just a few more questions but it looks like you have "phantom" partitions.

As far as you are concerned, should there be only one partition on that HD. An 80 GB WinXP partition? Or was there more than one partition?

Edit... with each of the partitions, MBR 0 to MBR 3, can you select it and click Edit File. Do the files look like your WinXP eg

$Recycle.Bin
Documents and Settings
Program Files
RECYCLER
System Volume Information
WINDOWS
AUTOEXEC.BAT
boot.ini
etc
etc


Edit.... When you click Properties for MBR 0, what is the LBA Information (Start and End) ?

 

Brian,

yes, there was only one partition before for 80 GB WinXp.
Right now only MBR 2 and MBR 3 can be edited. MBR 0 and 1 are greyed out.

If I edit MBR 2 or 3, yes the information coming up does include folders like you specified. Seems no difference between 2 and 3.

LBA for MBR 0 is Start 63 and End 156280319

How did I manage to create these phantoms?

 

beethoven,

How did it happen? I don't know.

Try this. Fingers crossed. Select MBR 3, click Delete, Don't select Clear Boot Sector or Wipe Partition. Do the same for MBR 2. Try the same for MBR 1 and Clear Boot Sector and Wipe Partition will probably be greyed out. That's OK.

Now you will only have MBR 0. The "Errors Exist" should be gone. Click View MBR. Is the MBR 0 partition Active? You should see the word Active following the word MBR 0 and just to the left of the Starting C. If it's not Active, click Set Active, Apply.

Does WinXP boot? If not tell us the error message. Try BIBM again, select MBR 0, Edit File, boot.ini. Tell us what is in boot.ini.

 

Best imaging software are Drive Snapshot, Image for Windows and Shadow Protect. Macrium Reflect is also nice but does not fit in that top class imo. For me DS is the best out there. Simply awesome.

 

Brian, you are a champion and a Gold Medal to you - the system is back to its original state.

After taking my image I had updated FF and changed my desktop picture and both these changes have gone. Seems to indicate to me that the image was taken fine as the validation had indicated. I will play a bit more when I have time to see why the restore went wrong, ie if the next few restore actions are fine or lead to similar phantom drives.

On the plus side I got to know a new software (Bootit BM) and knowing it is from Terabyte and my previous experience with Image for Windows was fine, maybe I should stick with either Terabyte or Shadowprotect

Once again, thank you and your help is really appreciated.

 

beethoven,

Nice work and thanks for the compliment. It's great when you can rescue an OS from Mount Doom.

BIBM is incredible.

 

Absolutely true.