Norton Ghost - Copy Drive to SSD

Archive
1

Using Norton Ghost 15.0 on Windows 7, I am in the process of copying the hard drive on my Laptop to a new Samsung SSD. I have the SSD connected using the provided USB to SATA connection. When I use the Copy Drive Wizard the SSD (Destination Drive) does not appear. I therefore can't perform the Copy Drive fuction. How do I perform this Copy Drive function? There has to be a way. Norton Ghost is provided with the Samsung Drive to perform the data migration.

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Using Norton Ghost 15.0 on Windows 7, I am in the process of copying the hard drive on my Laptop to a new Samsung SSD. I have the SSD connected using the provided USB to SATA connection. When I use the Copy Drive Wizard the SSD (Destination Drive) does not appear. I therefore can't perform the Copy Drive fuction. How do I perform this Copy Drive function? There has to be a way. Norton Ghost is provided with the Samsung Drive to perform the data migration.

3

Brian,

 

Is this what you are looking for?(See attachment)

 

Thanks for your help.

4

Steve,

 

When you run Copy Drive do you see 239 GB of unallocated space? Is the SSD initialized? Do you see two drives (Disks) in Ghost?

 

It can be done but SSD makers don't tell you it isn't an easy process.

 

I suggest you move your booting files from the Recovery partition to the Win7 partition. It's a typical Dell setup.

I suggest you resize your Win7 partition to 220 GB.

 

And that's before you use Ghost.

 

Ghost does sector based copies/restores so if  your original partition was....( * is sectors in use, - is free space)

 

[---**----**--]


then the target partition to copy/ restore into can not be smaller than...

 

[---**----**]

 

Do you want a hand?

 

 

 

 

5

Hi Brian,

 

Thanks for your help. This is the first time that I have ever used a technical support forum and I am amazed that I even got a response. I never expected it to be at your level. I am operating in the Central Time Zone. So, you may not hear back from me until after 8:00(CST).

 

The answer to your first question is no. I don't see anything other than the laptop and my external drive that is not connected. I have attached a screen shot as to what I do see. I am not sure if the SSD has been initialized. I did initially get the bubble saying that "Your hardware is ready to use" when I first plugged it into the USB port. As you can see in the attachment, the Samsung SSD doesn't show up. 

 

You are correct. This isn't an easy process. The youtube video's make it look as if it would be plug n' play. Yes I will need a helping hand. Especially when you talk about moving boot files between partitions and resizing partitions. I have never worke with partitions before.

 

Thanks Again,

 

Steve

6

Steve,

 

Try this. In Disk Management, right click in the SSD area where it says Disk 1, Basic, 238.47 GB, Online. Do you get an Initialize choice? If so then Initialize as a Basic Disk. Don't choose Dynamic or GUID.

 

If you don't have an Initialize choice right click in the big 238.47 GB Unallocated rectangle and create a partition. We'll delete it later.

 

Does Ghost see the SSD after either of the above.

 

Thanks for the screenshots. Really helpful.

7

HI Brian,

 

I don't get the initialize choice so, I am in the process of creating a partition.

 

I am presented with two questions that I am not sure as how to answer.  The first question is a choice between assigning a drive letter or not assigning a drive letter. Should I assign one or not?

 

The second choice is   1) Do not Format this volume or

                                     2) Format this volume using the following settings

                                            File System: NTFS

                                             Allocation unit size: Default

 

I thought that I would check with you first before I made a wrong selection.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

8

Do whatever you like because when you have the partition created, delete it and get back to us.

 

Edit... Can Ghost now see the drive?

9

Yes! Ghost now sees the drive. Please note screen shot.

 

Incidently, during the partitioning process, I got a dialogue box asking me if I want to format the drive.It appears in the screen shot. I thought that I check and see if it appears in Ghost prior to formatting and it did. Should I go ahead and format it at this point or just hit cancel?

10

Steve,

 

Good.  Now go back to Disk Management and right click in the SSD rectangle and Delete the partition. Can Ghost see the unallocated space in the SSD? The disk has been Initialized.

11

Assuming Ghost can see the unallocated space, your next step is to copy the booting files from Recovery partition to the C: drive. Regard Recovery as the "System Reserved" Partition in this tutorial.

 

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=409

 

Don't do Part 2. Only Part 1.

 

Questions?

 

 

12

Brian,

 

Great! I deleted the partition and the drive appears in Ghost and I am ready to run the Copy Drive Wizard.

 

You had noticed in an earlier screen shot that my laptop was a Dell. The hard drive has the three partitions. The OS, Recovery, and Dell utility. When I run the Copy Drive Wizard should I first copy the OS then run the wizard for the other two, one at a time? Once the three drives are copied is the transition and is the drive ready to install?

13

Steve, your partition is currently too large to copy. See above.

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I didn't explain the Recovery partition is useless to you on the SSD. It will only recover to a 679 GB partition which you won't have on the SDD. Hence the need for boot files copying and OS partition resizing.

 

Only two partitions will be copied.

15

Hi Brian,

 

Good morning. Don't you ever sleep?

 

I copied only the C drive. I did not copy the Dell Recovery and Utility partitions. When running the Copy Drive in Ghost, I came to a point where there was a list of things that needed to be selected. I pretty much checked off all the boxes that were listed.

 

The SD now looks like it mirrors my existing hard drive. I guess that I am at the point in which I can swap them out. We will keep our fingers crossed and see if it works.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

16

Steve,

 

Try booting the SSD. Then post the boot error. Sorry, but it won't work.

17

Brian,

 

You are right it doesn't work. Here's the message that I get...  BOOTMGR IS MISSING

 

Should I just go ahead and Format the SSD Drive and then run Copy Disk in Ghost again. This time copying all three partitions?

18

Steve,

 

Try this. With any luck it should create booting files in the SSD Win7 partition.

 

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=411

 

You only need to do as far down as Technical Notes. Note A, etc,  doesn't apply

19

Hi Brian,

 

I read the instructions and this getting way past my comfort level. Can't I just format the ssd and do a new Drive Copy? It would be a lot easier for me if I just did a right click on the SSD drive in Disk Management and Format. Once that is done Open up Ghost and do a new Drive Copy. This time copying all three partitions to the reformatted drive. I can do this and go to bed. Shouldn't this work as well?

 

Thank you,

 

Steve

20

Steve,

 

You need a jolly good thrashing. Just joking. You haven't listened to many things I've said. I'm trying to make it easy for you but you keep ignoring my recommendations.

 

The easy path is to follow my latest recommenation and repair Win7 on the SSD. If you don't do that you will have to copy the booting files to the  Win7 partition, resize the Win partition and only then, use Ghost Copy Drive. This will take ten times longer than a repair. Your suggested method won't even get you started as it will run into sectors in use issues.