Hi
Ive used Ghost to copy from my new laptops HDD running win764 (C:) to a new installed SSD (F:) . I followed the instructions and selected 'set drive active' and 'copy mbr'.
But, when I select the drive in the BIOS to boot the SSD, I get BOOTMGR is missing. Does the drive letter need to be changed in Disk Managment?
Thanks
quietman,
Can you post a screenshot of Disk Management with both drives attached?
You didn't copy the System Reserved Partition. It contains the booting files including bootmgr.
Rather than doing the whole project again, I suggest creating booting files in the new Win7 partition.
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=411
Your section ceases just before "Technical Notes".
Make sure the new drive is the only drive connected for this proceedure and the first boot.
Success?
this assumes I have DVD to re-instllal which I dont as its an OEM win7 install... when i first started this I think a 100mb was created... so how do I copy a system partition for the new ssd? without having to have a CD/DVD?
ive managed to create a system reserved partition on my ssd and doing another copy to the ssd F drive again to see if that will work
still same error... I dont understand as some instructions state there should be a c:\boot directory but there is none
quietman,
Can you post another screenshot of Disk Management with both drives attached?
My personal solution for new drives is to actually load Windows 7 on the new drive. This formats the drive correctly and you do not even have configure the new install. I use a USB thumb drive that I made bootable (much faster than loading from disc). Install the new ssd, load windows 7 (any version), and then do a ghost recovery as normal. Once the Ghost image is restored, Windows will say that bootmgr is missing and you pop your Windows disc back in and do a repair my computer (might have to do this two times while it recreates your bootmgr partition. Has worked for me every time.
Gadget_Freak wrote:Once the Ghost image is restored, Windows will say that bootmgr is missing
That error means you have made a mistake. Not Ghost or Win7. You should never see that error message.
Not saying it is the correct way, just saying that this is the most consistent way that I have recovered Ghost images. Never had problems with Windows XP, but once Microsoft started doing the 100MB partition I have always had this issue. I am sure that there are other ways to restore, but this is the only way that I have found that has worked 100% of the time for me. When you are installing a new drive or a drive that does not have the 100MB partition already, it seems like Ghost does not like to create it. Then you have an image with no boot partition. That is why I install Win 7, restore the system image, and then let the windows install disc fix the boot partition.
I spent way too much time trying to restore from a Ghost image, the way it should be done, to waste any more time trying it. I just figured out another way to get the job done and have not looked back since. That is until now, Windows 8 won't even register the license for Ghost (but that's for another post).
Gadget_Freak,
In "The Jungle Book", Baloo said to Mowgli, "You’re working too hard." I'm afraid you are too. Installing Win 7 is not necessary. Doing a Windows Repair is not necessary.
The booting files may be in a SRP or they may be in the Win7 partition. If they are in the SRP you need to image and restore two partitions. If they are in the Win7 partition you only need to image and restore one partition. We suggest the target HD be blank, no partitions.
The restore options are in this page.
http://community.norton.com/t5/Other-Norton-Products/Ghost-15-options-for-recovery/td-p/218202
So all that's needed is to restore the image(s) and Win7 will boot without an error message. If you don't restore the SRP when it is needed you get "BOOTMGR is missing". Because it is.
That may explain it. I was an early adopter to Win 7 when there were many people having problems recovering with the Ghost images. Like I said, I never looked back once I figured out a way to do it. That was probably in 2009. Of course loading Win 7 from a flash drive to an SSD only takes about 7 minutes.
Next time I will try it like your tutorial. I am always looking for a faster and easier way to do things! Then I can spend more time fishing. 
Gadget_Freak wrote: Then I can spend more time fishing.
I'm with you.
OK... this should be stright forward right?
So this is what I have done to date (right or wrong)......
Bought brand new Samsung laptop with 1TB drive rinning win7 64
Then bought a Samdung 256gb ssd
Installed the SSD in the spare drive bay
Initialised the drive in Disk Management (maybe some mistakes were nade here)
Carried out a copy hdd to ssd using Ghost and clicked the correct check boxes
Went into the bios made the ssd the boot disk
Then get BOOTMGR is missing....
Ghost only seems to cover the steps of copying the drive but does not assist in the corrdtc way to set the drive up in disk mangament and BIOS..
Can this also be carried out by making the ghost CD bootbale first avoiding going into windows?
quietman wrote:OK... this should be stright forward right?
Not with Win7 I'm afraid.
You have copied the SRP. That's good. But you didn't set it Active. You set the Win7 partition Active. That's bad.
Boot from the Ghost CD,
Utilities
Change Active Partition
Enter ID: of the SRP
Press ENTER
Boot into Win7
One question. Did you delete the Win7 partition on the SSD before you did the second Copy Drive? I think you did. That's good.
OK... not good as I tried using ghost via CD boot and for some reason my Win 7 would not boot. I am back up again after a complete system restore...
OK... so I now have a clean copy of Win7 on my hard drive... Ive now deleted both volumes of the SSD so its 'inallocated' perhaps its time to start again?
Can you talk me through right from the start again.......... appriciate your help btw....
Ive spoken to Samsung as well they told me to use the Magician softweare that comes with the SSD but it could not carry out as it comes up with a 'frozen' state issue.
So do I now retry the ghost copy?
quietman,
Don't visit a casino. You are certainly having a run of bad luck.
The first issue may be sector spread.
But this didn't seem an issue last time so let's try it again without a partition resize. If the following fails we can talk you through a Win7 resize.
You only need to copy the first 2 partitions and you will note that the first partition is Active, not the second. You have already deleted the partitions on the SSD. Start Ghost and tick Show Hidden Drives. Copy the SRP first. Then Win7. After the copies are complete, shutdown and remove the old HD from your computer and move the SSD SATA cable to the motherboard port the old HD was using. After Win7 is booting correctly you can re-connect the old HD and delete the first two partitions.
Use these options...
For the SRP
Check source for file system errors
Check destination for file system errors
Set drive active (for booting OS)
DON'T SELECT Disable SmartSector copying
DON'T SELECT Ignore bad sectors during copy
Copy MBR
Destination partition type : Primary
Drive letter : None
For Win7
Check source for file system errors
Check destination for file system errors
Resize drive to fill unallocated space (you won't have any)
DON'T SELECT Disable SmartSector copying
DON'T SELECT Ignore bad sectors during copy
Destination partition type : Primary
Drive letter : None
I'm sorry you have had so much trouble. Win7 is much harder to clone than WinXP and needs attention to details.
OK... so when you say 'copy the SRP' is this from the current HDD system reserved partition?
Also, I assume there is no way of getting arounf the open heart surgery to the new laptop? I believe there 2 HDDs in this new laptop...
