Ghost 15 - Restoring System and Windows 7 Primary Partitions

As an experiment I deleted the System and Windows 7 partitions after making an Image Backup of both partitions.

 

When I used the SRD CD it was unable to restore these partitions and Windows 7 would not boot. After several tries and hours later I was able to get a workable recovery process:

 

Basic step where as follows:

1) Restore the System partition to the unallocated disk space.

2) Then restore Windows 7.

3) Insert Windows 7 DVD and perform a repair install.

 

There must be an easier way but I haven't found it. Any suggestions.

As an experiment I deleted the System and Windows 7 partitions after making an Image Backup of both partitions.

 

When I used the SRD CD it was unable to restore these partitions and Windows 7 would not boot. After several tries and hours later I was able to get a workable recovery process:

 

Basic step where as follows:

1) Restore the System partition to the unallocated disk space.

2) Then restore Windows 7.

3) Insert Windows 7 DVD and perform a repair install.

 

There must be an easier way but I haven't found it. Any suggestions.

Yes the System partition is set to be the 'Active' partition.

 

I tried using the .sv2i which didn't work.

Then I restored the Windows partition using the .v2i followed by the System Reserved .v2i partition, followed by runnnig the Windows 7 Repair option from the install DVD.

Jim,

 

Did you restore the SRP first or second?

Tried both ways.

 

Would not let me do the SRP first, always received an error message. Is there an undocumented way to get the SRP back on the hard drive after the System partition and Windows partition have been deleted?

 

Would let me do the SRP after I restored the Windows partition first, but as I mentioned I still had to follow up by booting using the Windows 7 DVD and selecting the Repair option.

 

 


JImS wrote:

 

Would not let me do the SRP first, always received an error message

 

Would let me do the SRP after I restored the Windows partition first,

 


 

 

Jim,

 

If you restore the SRP after the Win7 partition, you will have to do your step 3. That didn't happen to me (I restored the SRP first) so when I get a chance I'll look at my restore process again.

Jim,

 

When I restore I click the Drop Down menu and choose Filename rather that Date. I chose the SRP but I noticed that both partitions were selected so I let it proceed just to see what would happen. Win7 didn't boot. I saw the Windows Boot Manager screen. When I looked at the partitions in BING, the SRP was the second partition. Not the first.

 

Both partitions were deleted and I restored as I have in the past.. The SRP was chosen, Edit clicked and Set drive active was chosen. No other options were selected as it was the same HD from which the images were created. Next the Win7 partition was restored, Edit clicked and no options selected. Windows booted.

 

Will try it out and report back.

 

Thanks.

Even though I had deleted the System and Windows partitions by booting from another hard drive and using Windows
'Disk Management' to delete both partitions on what I'll call my "Test" hard drive. Ghost will automatically create
the SRP probably when you pick the SRP backup file.

 

As you said: It turns out the trick is to select the SRP file, use 'Edit' and delete the 100MB System partition the
Ghost recovery environment had already created. Then only select the 'Active' partition option. A new System
partition will be created and restoring to SRP is then possible without any errors. Then when restoring the Windows
7 partition again Ghost likes to create the partition automatically, again I used 'Edit' to delete the Windows
partition (leaving the SRP untouched), unchecked all options and proceeded to restore. After completing the restore
Windows will now boot normally.

To bad the User's Guide doesn't document this.

 


JImS wrote:

Ghost will automatically create the SRP probably when you pick the SRP backup file.

 

As you said: It turns out the trick is to select the SRP file, use 'Edit' and delete the 100MB System partition the
Ghost recovery environment had already created. Then only select the 'Active' partition option. A new System
partition will be created and restoring to SRP is then possible without any errors. Then when restoring the Windows
7 partition again Ghost likes to create the partition automatically, again I used 'Edit' to delete the Windows
partition (leaving the SRP untouched), unchecked all options and proceeded to restore.


Jim,

 

I didn't do that yesterday as I was trying to make it fail but that's what I normally do and I'm glad you mentioned it. I think we should always delete that "intended" partition created by Ghost. Then you have the option of resizing the final target partition (if you want). You can't resize unless you have unallocated space.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Would not have been able to do it without you.