Ghost 9.0 can't copy another drive onto the C drive without an image

I made a complete copy of my C drive onto an external USB drive, and now I want to  copy it back.  This is a full copy, not a backup image.  The error message says it can't make the copy while Windows ( I have XP) is running, and that I have to do it using the Symantec Recovery Disk.  When I boot from the recovery disk, clicked on the Advanced Recovery Tasks and choose System Restore, I was given a choice between (1)Restore drives, or (2)Restore files and folders.  I the single drive option.  It then asked me for the  backup image folder, which I don't have.  Is it really impossible to make a full external drive copy onto the C drive without a backup image?  My copy of Ghost 9.0 has never been updated.