Image from dual boot problem

I would like to take an image of one bootable partition that came from a large dual OS boot hard drive and restore it as a single boot hard drive. The restored single drive boots but shows as F: and keeps automatically logging off to the ctr-alt-del screen (WinXP). When I imaged the dual drive the partition was F:
Need some expert advice ... Thanks

PC is laptop, OS is WinXP w/4K clusters, original HD was 100G, new HD is 30G, BootMagic for dual OS.

 

Sorry, but not sure what you are saying. Had this cloned install of XP been assigned by itself as the F: drive when it was on the 100gig? If so then cloning it to another drive or even another partition on the same hard drive is unlikely to work. Only if XP sees itself as C: will cloning always be successful. You must have installed this XP with another OS visible for it to come out as the F: drive. In which case XP’s own bootloader must have been configured. How did you change this to use bootmagic?

Are you also saying that you can’t get to the desktop, but are getting stuck at the login screen?

There are a few tweaks that might work, but it’s a big might. It will require you to edit the registry in the clone. Can you network the laptop and remote edit the registry? Or do you have a bootable CD with this function? You will also need a Win98/ME startup floppy.

The only other way is to do a repair install of XP over the top of the clone. http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm This should retain your data and most of your programs and settings. You will of course need a full XP CD. There is no guarantee it will work, but I have had some success with this method. Give it plenty of time to do the job as it may well seem to stall with no disk activity for half an hour or more.

 

Hi, sserger

You need to repair Bootmagic's MBR, or at least do a FIX MBR to get it to boot:- #5

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Hi there TheQuest….bootmagic does not alter or reside in the MBR. It alters the PBR (partition boot record) of the active partition and resides in the root of that partition. So which ever of his two installs he cloned to the new hard drive I can’t see bootmagic being the problem. He is getting to at least the login screen so all the OS boot files and MBR and PBR must be OK. Unless sserger the new drive also has dual boot or still has an old partition on it somewhere?

 

One way of fixing the problem is to format the hard drive either with the Windows XP CD or the Windows 98 floppy before restoring the image. It worked for me when Acronis wanted to call the hard drive it restored the image to F instead of C.

 

Hi, McTavish

Long time no see .

I had forgotten you told me that before #15

Will remember it in future, Sir.

Take Care,
TheQuest