Dear Forum members:
I joined this Norton Ghost Forum to find out some information.
I have a need for home office high graphics computing system, so I have a Dell Optiplex 320 computer 3.40 GHz. I have used Norton products for a decade or more on several different computers and platforms (even Mac). Unfortunately, this is a new computer to me as I just purchased as second owner in March of this year, using my older Windows XP Professional OS.
I purchased from the online store of Symantec Norton Ghost v15 2011 and Norton Utilities also v15 (not yet installed so I have yet no comments or questions about this one). I have also Norton Internet Security v15 installed 2011.
I had a brand new Maxtor 300GB 7200 RPM Drive IDE installed on the "new" Optiplex 320 computer and professional in the store installed WIndows XP Professional on it. I put several utilitiy programs and one audio program on it to run my CD/DVD.
I then installed Norton Internet Security 2011 with Norton's assistance (I can do it myself but I did not want to upset my brand new system with any improper installation. I then used it for about two weeks before I got the online purchase of Norton Ghost so by that time it was May 2011.
I installed Norton Ghost by myself as I've done this before for years (I buy every "other" year a new version rather than continue the updage program). I pressed "restart computer" and that was the last action I did on the computer.
The blue screen that appears on the boot sequence appears so rapidly no one can view the error code. F8 and safe mode do not operate. No other choice Dell and Microsoft and Norton said after weeks of effort but erase the drive and reinstall everything all over again!
I am trying to use this professionally, so while I have a perfectly good working copy of Windows Home XP edition that still works (without Ghost on it) on that Dell computer, I want to upgrade to SATA Drives, so I got the exact model that fits the computer. Raptor, by WD, 10000 RPM 300 GB. I had Dell install the XP Professional Operating system and my several utility programs the third party people (Avanquest) installed them so I can monitor the drive and protect it. I also had Norton install by remote control the Internet Security 2011 product again.
Then I called Norton and had them install by remote control, Norton Ghost 15 2011. AND IMMEDIATELY upon completion of the installation and request for "restart" I got the same blue screen problem and failure to boot to Windows (I know there are lots of pieces of information I am leaving out about the system and this problem, but I will answer any questions!).
After a solid week of effort with Dell computers, this time they resurrected the drive and went in DOS and managed to disable Norton Ghost leaving the removal for my call to Norton and the Symantec removal Tool (again by remote control only because the computer is "new" to me and I want to get up and running during the summer as I work in a University so school year is too busy for me to do all of these operations, so while I enjoy doing it myself its faster if others do it by remote).
Once again! I had the blue screen on re-installing clean the Norton Ghost, even after Dell removed all pieces of the Norton programs in and out removal from the Registry.
I "give up"! I have removed all traces of Norton programs and only reinstalled the Norton Internet Security as it did work as I know it does pefectly until I installed Ghost so not installing Ghost I am just stumped at what to do to "copy" my programs as I have about 150 programs (on my "data" drives) I use for various graphics, OCR, ABBY, scanning control, DVD creation and editing functions just waiting to be installed (Yes there are newer programs for the Vista or WIndows 7 but I'm used to WIndows XP and trying to just use this computer as a bridge computer until circa 2014 when support for XP ends and I'll have to migrate all my video/DVD materials to a Windows 7 machine.
If someone can read and check this out, and see if this is the right forum for me to inquire about the malfunctioning of the Norton Ghost I would appreciate it. I currently have circa 900 GB of data to be saved to two Tetrabyte drives (WD MyBook essentials) I have purchased for this purpose and am just waiting to accomplish this so I can begin using the new computer the way it was designed to be used.
This is totally stumping me and all the experts at Norton/Symantec Dell and Microsoft.
An old time Fan and supporter of Peter Norton