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invicto

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Norton Ghost Disk asks for image segment that does not exist.

My Ghost disc image spans 3 dvd-r's with 11 files from CDR00001.GHO TO -00011.GHO.  Segments 1-5 are on disk 1, 6-10 on disk 2, segment 11 on disc 3.  Using Ghost Explorer, I attempt to open CDR00001.GHO, which is on dvd 1 in drive "D:".  GhExp then prompts me for the last image file, on dvd 3, called CDR00011.GHO.  In order to avoid the now well-known disk swapping problem, I have copied CDR00011.GHO to c:\.  After doing this, I receive the anticipated error message regarding disk swapping, and I press OK.

GhExp then prompts me to insert CD2 in drive "D:".  I comply.  GhExp then asks for CD 1 containing the file CDR00004.GHO.  Fine.  I remove CD2 and insert CD1.

Here comes the bizarre part:  A dialog box appears with the header "Please select file for segment 12," and in the file selection box is the name "CD00012.GHO."  THERE IS NO SEGMENT 12, never has been.

Pressing "OK" does not get rid of the dialog box.  Pressing "Cancel" generates a dialog box entitled "D:\CDR00001.GHO" with the message "Media not present.  Not all files are shown."

I also tried copying all 11 files to the C: drive on a computer running Ghost 2003, but after loading a small percentage of the file, the program asks me to "insert CD2 in drive C:".  Huh?  All 11 files are already together in one directory.  

I tried using command line switches, in various combinations:
-dlist=cdg
-corrupt
-split

Running XP Home, NTFS, Systemworks 2003.
Avatar of mhambridge
mhambridge

Hi,

Not sure what the problem is here just wondering why you didn't use the spanned image option this would have then given the sequential images on the dvd's an .GSH extension.

Here is a popular link that might help you some.

http://ghost.radified.com/ghost_1.htm

Best of luck.
Avatar of invicto

ASKER

Thanks, mhambridge.  I have already read the radified guide to ghost disc.  It gave me no answers.  I also searched Symantec's web site, and found this observation:

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/8f7dc138830563c888256c2200662ecd/04e2cce30158509288256665007967ff?OpenDocument&prod=Norton%20Ghost&ver=2003%20for%20Windows%202000/NT/Me/98/XP&src=sg&pcode=ghost&svy=&csm=no

It says:

"You might be able to resolve the problem if the segments of the image file are on different partitions or different discs. In this case, create a temporary folder on a the hard drive, copy all the segments of the image file to that folder, and use Ghost Explorer to open the image file from the temporary folder."

The thing is, I did that, and Ghost Explorer mysteriously prompted me for "CD 2 in drive C:\".

Regarding the "spanned image option," I do not understand how this is different from what I did, which is to split the image into discrete, 1-Gb files over 3 discs.  Ghost Disc would simply prompt me to insert the next disc when the current one was full.  To the best of my recollection this configuration was created by a "wizard" that came with SystemWorks 2003.

Could I just change the extension to .GSH?

Question:  would it make any difference if I created a partition on my hard drive and copied the image files to the partition?  (Not that I even know how to create a partition, but in my Internet reading about Ghost Disc, I recall there were some difficulties encountered when trying to restore an image from drive C: to drive C:.)
Avatar of invicto

ASKER

Hola, anyone got any ideas?
Avatar of Callandor
Perhaps the -DLIST parameter may help.  Here are the command line switches: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ghost.nsf/pfdocs/1998082612540625
Re-ghost drive. Sounds like either bad discs or bad image. Do disc spanning again and reburn. How big is the drive your trying to image? Maybe time to start thinking about an image station???
Extract and decompile the images using ghost explorer on hard drive and recompile using same or create iso from it.
You should be able to do this easely if the images are not corrupted for whatever reason.
To my knowledge you won't be able to explore images individually.
Avatar of invicto

ASKER

Thank you all for your many comments.  Let me respond:

As for those who urge me to reburn with different parameters, the problem is that there is data on this particular ghost image that I now need -- badly.

I tried the -DLIST switch, but it did not help.  I had CD 1 in drive D.  Ghost Disc then prompted me for CD 2 in drive D, even though CD 2 was already in drive E, and I used -DLIST=CDEG.  Maybe I should try CDEFG ...

Centery:  I do not understand your post.  How can I " Extract and decompile the images using ghost explorer on hard drive" when Ghost Explorer will not read the image?  Do you mean extract an .iso using DVD burning software, like Roxio or ISObuster?  Could you please provide more step-by-step details?

One more thing, regarding corruption of the image.  This image is bootable.  I tried booting it, and it worked fine.  (I canceled because I do not really want to overwrite my current data.  I started verifiying it, and the verification process ran for a long time, then I canceled it, seeing that the verification app seemed to be able to read it just fine.  Is there some hardware setting on my DVD drives that I need to look at?

Incidentally, I also emailed Symantec's tech support, and they have never gotten back to me.
From personal experience using ghost 2003
Not verbatum but this is the scenario.
Copied all ghost files to empty folder on hard drive from CDs or DVDs
with enough space and same FAT as when image was compiled.
>Don't know if this would be an issue, but may be worth looking into.
When opening GHO file with Ghost explorer, message comes up stating
that it is a partial file and do I want ghost to load the partition.
Answer is yes. When partition loaded I can extract any file or the whole
partition.
Don't know what your options are if ghost images corrupted.
Good luck.
Avatar of invicto

ASKER

I just ran the Ghost discs on bootup, and verified the data.  They read fine, and all the data appears to be intact.

I also retried the "-DLIST=" parameter, putting different discs in different drives and listing the drives in different order in the switch.  Nothing helped.

I am going to buy a new, larger HD, and restore the Ghost Drive into a partition of the drive.  Can someone point me to a good primer for how to create a partition (really, the primer should be "how to create a partition without screwing up your existing one")?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Callandor
Callandor
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