From: vwheeler 

What are you using to clone the drives?

Geo. wrote:
> Ok, so you have heard me complain about XP recovery options before but I've
> never bothered to actually document them. Well here goes...
>
> I cloned my drives, two 60gb drives have now been cloned to two 185gb
> drives. XP is installed on partition1 (second partition) drive 7 also known
> as J: Well below the 128gb limit. It will not boot.
>
> As a test after cloning the drives I wiped J: and installed fresh to this
> exact location just to prove to myself that XP could handle it and it did
> with no problem. Then I recloned the disks again.
>
> Here is the basic setup
>
> DISK0 contains C: logical primary partiton and EFGHIJKL logical drives on an
> extended partition. XP is installed to J:
>
> DISK1 contains D: logical primary partition with nothing on it.
>
> DISK0a is a clone of DISK0 with L: expanded to fill the extra space
> DISK1a is a clone of DISK1 (a 60g partition) with a bunch of unallocated
> space
>
>
> After cloning  both drives I installed the "a" drives and XP
will not boot.
> Ok recovery time.
>
> First thing I did was put the old drive with XP on it back in (DISK0) and
> did a system recovery backup using the wizard. What this did was created a
> file that is a backup J: and a floppy disk used in the recovery process. I
> stored the backup file on DISK1a. Note, it did not ask to backup any of the
> other partitions or logical drives except J: the system partition.
>
> I then switched the XP drive out with the new cloned XP drive DISK0a, the
> backup file remained on DISK1a so it would still be available. I booted the
> XP CD and hit F2 to do the automated system restore process. It asks for the
> floppy disk, no problem here it is, then it informs me that it must not only
> restore the logical drive J: with XP on it but it must restore ALL the
> logical drives!!! Well I didn't backup all the partitions  and besides the
> stupid wizard didn't even ask me what to backup.
>
> Ok, switched back to DISK0 and DISK1a, ran the automated system restore
> wizard again, sure enough, it won't let me pick what to backup with the
> wizard that creates the floppy disk, it only backs up the system partition.
> I'm now questioning how it's going to restore all those partitions and
> drives if it doesn't back them up first? I don't trust this wizard . I
> figure I can do a manual backup/restore later if nothing else works.
>
> Ok, next thing I decided to try is an old tried and true method of telling
> NT to upgrade itself to the same version. Hook up drives DISK0a and DISK1a
> again (the new drives) I booted the XP CD and went to the install routine,
> picked the partition J: to install to and it tells me there is already a
> windows directory there and would I like to wipe out everything in this
> directory to reinstall NT or pick another directory.. Now normally NT4 or
> W2K would have recognized a windows install and even if it were the same
> version asked me if I wanted to upgrade it, nooooo not XP... Well if I
> install to a new directory none of my application software will be installed
> since applications stick dll files in the windows directory and entries in
> the registry and all that will be gone so new is not an option, ok go ahead
> and use the existing directory (hoping it will recognize itself and do an
> upgrade). No dice, it wipes everything and installs fresh.
>
> Mirrored the partition again so I am back to where I started before. Decide
> now to try the last remaining option besides manual backup/restore, the
> recovery console. Boot the CD, pick recovery console. Ok now I can restore
> the boot files, fix the MBR but there doesn't appear to be anything here
> that will work (I've tried the first two already). There is no option to
> check all the system files and well.. fix the system like an upgrade install
> would fix the system. Well that was useful..
>
> So my one remaining option is to backup J: to the second drive, then do a
> fresh install to J: and hope a restore fixes it without.. well.. without
> returning me to the exact same place I was after I cloned J:... I don't hold
> much hope for that, as the clone should be exactly the same as a restore but
> I seem to remember something about a way to restore XP without restoring the
> hardware settings so I'm going to go looking for that procedure before I try
> this again.
>
> I need a drink..
>
> Geo. (this would be SOOOoooo easy with W2K, clone, upgrade, done.)
>
>

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