Cannot start Windows after starting a Ghost 2003 task from Windows
Situation:
You start a Ghost task from the option Ghost Basic or Ghost Advanced in Windows. When you finish selecting the options for the task, the computer restarts, performs the task, and then restarts Windows. Either before or after the task, the computer attempts to restart but the process does not complete. You might see an error message such as "Missing operating system," "Invalid system disk," or another message that indicates that the computer cannot start.
Another symptom happens while running Norton Ghost 2003 from Windows. When you select "Run Now," Ghost restarts and the computer stops responding, freezes, or hangs.
Solution:
Before you begin: Enterprise customers: If you see this problem when using Ghost 7.0 or 7.5, see the document
Cannot exit from the Ghost 7.5 Virtual Boot Partition.
There are two parts to solving this problem:
Part 1
The first part is that the computer cannot restart Windows.
- If there is a nonbootable floppy disk in the computer, remove the disk and restart the computer. Then see the section "Part 2" before starting the Ghost task again.
- If there is no floppy disk in the computer, then in most cases, you can resolve the boot-up problem by using the Ghost utility GhReboot. This utility is provided on your Norton Ghost 2003 CD. See the document How to use GhReboot. If GhReboot does not resolve the problem, see the document How to restart the computer into Windows after using Ghost 2003. After you resolve the bootup problem, see the section "Part 2" before starting the Ghost task again.
Part 2
The second part is that Ghost did not successfully complete the operation that you requested. The cause of this problem depends on the point at which Ghost failed.
- If Ghost failed during the cloning operation, search this knowledge base for the error message that is associated with the problem. If the problem did not display an error message, consult the following Ghost troubleshooting documents:
- If Ghost failed while attempting the initial or ending restart, see the section "Causes of the problem" in this document.
Technical Information:
Causes of the problem
Using a hidden diagnostic partition
The computer has a hidden diagnostic partition. A diagnostic partition is placed on some computers by the computer manufacturer. The Ghost Virtual Partition does not work on a computer that has a diagnostic partition. To solve the problem, use a Ghost bootable floppy disk rather than the Ghost Virtual Partition when using Ghost.
Using PC DOS
The computer's BIOS is not compatible with PC DOS. To solve the problem, configure Ghost to use MS DOS rather than PC DOS.
Using RAID, striping, mirroring, or other advanced drive configurations
The computer uses an advanced hard drive configuration such as RAID, striping, mirroring, and so on. Except in limited circumstances, Ghost does not support advanced hard drive configurations. For more information, consult the appropriate document:
Ghost compatibility with RAID
Ghost compatibility with Dynamic partitions
Using an incompatible external device
Sometimes, a device that is attached to the computer can cause Ghost to fail on the reboot. To resolve this problem, unplug all unnecessary devices from the computer until the process has completed. Be sure to leave the keyboard, monitor, and mouse connected to the computer, but unplug all other devices.
Note: If you are creating an image to, or restoring an image from a USB device, be sure to leave the device plugged in as well.
Using a drive manager
You are using a drive manager or overlay (DDO). Ghost does not support drive managers. For more information about drive manager compatibility, see the document Ghost compatibility with drive managers or overlays.
Computer does not support larger drives
The computer's BIOS, hard disk controller, or motherboard does not support larger hard drives. In this situation, Windows might access the drive correctly, but might report the drive size incorrectly, or the drive might not be accessible in DOS.
More information
How the Ghost Virtual Partition affects the bootup process
For any Ghost task that uses a Ghost Virtual Partition, Ghost temporarily modifies the Master Boot Record (MBR) and partition table so that the computer can start from the Ghost Virtual Partition. The Ghost Virtual Partition enables Ghost to run at your computer without having to start the computer from a bootable floppy disk. After performing the cloning operation, Ghost restores the MBR and partition table to their appropriate new values.
When Ghost encounters a Master Boot Record (MBR) or Partition Table that has nonstandard entries or partition types that are not supported by Norton Ghost 2003, Ghost might temporarily change the MBR or partition table incorrectly, preventing the computer from starting Windows from the hard disk.
The points at which the error occurs in the Ghost task
When using the Ghost Virtual Partition, the bootup process can fail at any of the following three points in the task:
On the initial restart: After you choose a Ghost task in Windows and respond to the prompts for configuring and starting that task, Ghost attempts to restart the computer from the Ghost Virtual Partition. When the computer cannot start from the Ghost Virtual Partition, you may see an error such as "Missing operating system" or "Invalid system disk."
During the cloning process: After Ghost restarts the computer from the Ghost Virtual Partition and loads DOS, Ghost runs the selected cloning operation or other operation. If this operation fails, you see a problem that might include an error message and Ghost stops. If you then restart the computer from the hard drive, you may see an error such as "Missing operating system" or "Invalid system disk."
In this situation, Ghost may have encountered two distinct problems: one problem with the MBR or partition table, and a different problem with the cloning process.
On the ending restart: After Ghost successfully completes the selected cloning operation or other operation, Ghost restarts the computer from the hard drive and loads Windows. When the computer cannot start from the Windows partition, you may see an error such as ""Missing operating system" or "Invalid system disk."
Document ID: 2002092510522725
Last Modified: 01/04/2005
Date Created: 09/25/2002
Operating System(s): DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Product(s): Norton Ghost 2003
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