Unable to convert Ghost 14 file to guest virtual machine (vmware workstation 8)

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1

This thread also exists at http://communities.vmware.com/thread/342119

 

This thread follows the previous problem at http://communities.vmware.com/message/1889842#1889842

 

I now have some kind of password snafu.  Please help me here.  This should not be a case of my having the wrong password.

 

When I run VMware vCenter Converter Standalone client/server version 4.3.0, and I try to convert my Ghost 14 file named MASON.sv2i, it asks me for a password.  I've tried many times, and no matter what I do, it comes back a moment later (repeatedly for every try) saying "Invalid Password" and asking again.

 

1) My newer backups did NOT use a password.  I have tried simply leaving the password blank and clicking on OK, but this still leads to "invalid password".

 

2) The backed up machine overall, that I call Mason, did have a password for me to log in.  I provided THAT password, but it didn't help.  Be aware that my username on Mason is different from my username on the current wouldbe host.  I really don't think ANY of this should be germane, but just in case.

 

3) My older backups DID have a password.  After installing Ghost 15 (not 14, 14 not compatible with wouldbe host Win7), I used windows explorer to look at the folder containing all my old Mason backups from Ghost 14.  I right clicked and did "open".  For the .v2i and .iv2i files, this leaded the Symantec Recovery Point Browser.  I typed in the old password and it worked. 

 

4) Since the old password is long, I typed it in the clear to a notepad window.  I then copied that password onto the clipboard and pasted it when the Symantec Recovery Point Browser asked for a password.  This worked, proving that I had a properly spelled password on the clipboard.  But when I ran the vCenter Converter Standalone and it asked me for a password, and then I did the paste again, I still get "invalid password".  I even subsequently pasted onto a new line of my notepad, and there was my password, still uncorrupted.

 

5) Note that vCenter Converter Standalone is opening MASON.s2vi.  That's an .s2vi file, not a .v2i or .iv2i file.  Over in windows explorer, I could open the .v2i ("Symantec Image File") and .iv2i (also "Symantec Image File") files, which opened with Symantec Recovery Point Browser successfully, sometimes with no password request, other times with my known password.  However, from windows explorer, a simple "open" is not offered for the .s2vi file(s).  Instead, there's only an "open with".  Meanwhile, the .s2vi file type is indeed recognized and described by windows explorer as a "Symantec Recovery Environment file".  So this implies Symantec Recovery Point Browser can't open a .s2vi file, and NONE of the Symantec/Norton Ghost 15 programs can do so.  This begs many questions about vCenter Converter Standalone opening the file and about exactly WHAT password this is.

 

Frankly, I'm totally flumuxed [sp?].

2

Maybe the VMware tool doesn't work very well with Ghost images.  It is after all a proprietary format.

 

If you have Ghost 15, why not use that to convert the image?

I'm not at my Ghost system right now but I think it's under Utilities > One time Virtual Conversion.  (or something like that)

I don't use VMware but I have used it several times for converting to MS Virtual PC.

 

Or you can do it the old fashoned way like if you were going from physical to phisical systems, I actually prefer that in most cases because sometimes I have less problems without the conversion running sysprep.

Use a working VM to make a second VHD, copy the image to the second drive and then detach it.

Create new VPC with the second drive attached, boot the recovery ISO and restore the image from the second VHD to the first.

 

By coincidence I have done both of these several times this week trying to figure something out.

What operating system are you trying to restore?

 

Dave

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Dave,

 

Thanks for the advice.  Win7pro host,  VMware Workstation 8, WinXP MCE SP3 guest (vm).

 

Note I've been following multiple avenues.  The restore-to-blank-vm method gave me something running, but with horrible windows explorer crashing problems.  I'm simultaneously trying to solve those by cleaning reg and just recently, ShelExView to disable shell extensions.  If I get past this problem, I then need to restore usb.inf in c:\windows folder, in order to get virtual usb working properly.

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If I get some free time later I'll try installing VMware player.  I actually have a XP MCE laptop that I been restoring into virtual pc as a test this week.  However, I get prompted for immediate activation before it lets me boot into regular mode.

 

If your getting it to boot at all, your past the 2 main problems you'll encounter, different hal.dll's and hard drive controllers.

I find it best to make the first couple boots into safe mode to stay away from any conflicts from installed programs and drivers.

Sometimes it takes a second boot into safe mode before all the new hardware detections start, once it does you should see XP happily go though a whole bunch of dections in a row.

Then I take it once more into safe mode to make sure everything was installed, and I go into MSCONFIG and disable everything from the startup group and then make a boot into regular mode.

 

Temporarily disabling all the startup programs prevents conflicts from software, drivers, and utilites that may not apply to the new system.  Perhaps thats where your getting your content menu problems.

Once I'm in regular windows, my first stop is into "add and remove programs"

 

There is usually a bunch of stuff that needs to be uninstalled from the previous hardware enviroment.   Video drivers, wifi stuff, touchpad, power management, and any other programs or drivers that are specific to the old systems hardware.

 

Then I reboot and setup everything on the new virtual hardware.

 

Using the v2i to VHD converter in Ghost will run a small sysprep and mini-setup that will reinstall the hal, drive controller, LAN, and all USB devices.  I always wondered why I bothered with the USB, but it just occured to me it's because those devices are originally installed as part of the motherboard chipset drivers and obviously the motherboard has now changed.

 

I'll try it later if I get some time.

dave

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I couldn't get that VMware converter to work.   It clearly says "Symantec Live State Images"  and looks for sv2i files.

Live state was a product before System Recovery and the current Ghost.   The program has a v2i library file but if it works for Ghost I do not know.  I don't use .sv2i files and the system I was testing on doesn't have any because they do not even get made with cold images.  Since it's a test system I don't bother to install Ghost, I do all my images from the recovery disk.

 

Kind of lame, if the program really does support v2i files it should accept them for conversion.

 

But I took an XP image and used Ghost 15 to convert it to a vmware virtual hard drive.  I used the option to run mini-setup on it at first boot.

 

 

Here I have it running on VMware player in Windows 7.

 

VMware_XP.jpg

 

 

You can see all the devices went in with no errors.   I actually didn't have to manually install any, all I did was go into add-remove programs and uninstall the hardware and system drivers from the laptop it came from.

 

Dave