How to launch a .gho image file?

HI everyone-
 

I have a quick question about using a .gho file.  A while back, I took my laptop (Acer Aspire 5580, Windows XP SP3) to a small repair shop since my hard disk conked out on me.  They reinstalled windows on the new hard drive, and created a .gho image file.
 
My question- how do I launch the .gho file so I can recover my computer to its old state?  I have Norton Ghost 14, but I have no idea how to execute the actual image file!

[edit: fixed post width.]
Message Edited by MikeLee on 06-12-2009 04:28 PM

Hi Thermostat,

 

.gho files are created with the Norton Ghost 2003 and earlier versions of Ghost. Norton Ghost 14.0 supports only .v2i files. If you want to recover your files from the .gho file, you can use the Ghost Explorer.

 

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/products/ghost/utilities/GHO_Explorer.exe

 

Run this small utility to browse and recover files from the .gho image.

 

--Vinod

Thanks for the reply pore_vinod.

 

I just tried that, but I got this error message: "Not a Ghost image file" (see below)

 

Very strange, since the actual filename is image.GHO.

 

[URL=http://img31.imageshack.us/i/errorj.jpg/][IMG]http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8897/errorj.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

 

Actually pore_vinod's answer isn't completely accurate.

 

The Symantec Ghost product - which is part of the Ghost Solution Suite - is a currently available product and creates .GHO files. It is a deployment product - and often used by manufacturers and OEMs.

Norton Ghost 2003 was the last consumer version to be based off the Symantec Ghost code base. Since 2004, Norton Ghost has been based on the Backup Exec System Recovery code base. So, sorry for the confusion.

 

If the repair shop was appropriately licensed, they are able to provide a recovery-only copy of ghost.exe that can be used with the image.

Otherwise, you will have to buy the Ghost Solution Suite (the minimum order for GSS is 5 licenses at $39.20 each).

Thanks for the info, Balrob.  I’ll try that next. I’ll update the post after I do.

Alright- I shelled out some cash for Symantec Ghost Solution, but I'm unsure of what I'm supposed to do next with regards

to launching the image.gho file.  I have the following apps in my Start menu, now:

 

 

  • AI Builder
  • Ghost Boot Wizard 
  • Ghost Console
  • Ghost Explorer
  • GhostCast Server
  • User Migration Package Explorer

 

 

What now? 

There's many approaches - tell me a bit more about your environment first:

Is this your only pc, or do you have (or manage) others ? Are you a home or business user ? Will you be repeating this operation on this PC or others - or is this a one time operation on this one machine ?

 

Thanks 

Sure- this is my only laptop.  It's for home use.  I'll definitely repeat this operation on this laptop at some other point, since it's the only

meansI have of reformatting the system (my laptop didn't come with an XP installation disk.  It had an internal factory version that I

could rewind to.  But, that was on the original hard drive which conked out, and I've since bought a new one.  When I replaced the hard drive the computer shop installed XP using my serial no. and installed the image.GHO file that I could revert to).

 

 

Ok, I will assume that the gho file is on the hard disk to be restored? You should make a copy of this gho onto external media (your external backup HD, or DVDs). When you HD fails (note I said "when" not "if"), having your recovery image on the HD won't help you at all.

You should begin by running the Ghost Boot Wizard. Basically you need to create bootable media (media other than your internal HD) that will boot WinPE, then you will run ghost.exe to perform the restore.

You should take the defaults for the first few pages of the wizard. i.e.(these are the selections you will make on each page):

Page 1. Windows PE

2. Standard Ghost Boot Disk

3. [whatever is already filled in - path to ghost.exe]

4. [press Next - since we won't be mapping a network drive]

5. [press Next - since we don't care about IP config]

6. ok - here's where you need to make a decision - what boot media are you going to use ?

Choices are:

an external USB disk - which can be a flash drive that's big enough (1 GB should do) or an HD - but don't choose a disk with anything already on (that you want to keep - cos it'll get wiped) - and your BIOD has to allow for booting from USB devices (if your laptop was made in the last year or two, it should support this)!

Or, create an ISO image which you will later burn to DVD with your own software

Or, burn directly to DVD (keeping a bootable Ghost DVD is always a good idea)

Or, a one-click Virtual partition

 

Now boot from whatever you made above - hopefully a flash drive or DVD. 

Note that once you have booted from a CD or DVD you can remove the CD/DVD and replace it with one that has the image on it - this is because WinPE will perform a RAM boot from the CD/DVD (it will appear to have booted from drive X:).

If you replace the CD/DVD you may have to run diskpart to assign it a new drive letter - the process is something like this:

DISKPART (just run it with no parameters - runs it in interactive mode)

LIST VOLUME (lists volumes - see which volume number is assigned to the DVD you inserted - let's assume it's 1)

SELECT VOLUME=1

ASSIGN LETTER=D

EXIT