Restore spanned image from multiple DVDs

[Migration User]

hi,

i am facing problem restore spanned image from multiple DVD. currently i burn the image into 4 DVD + ghost bootable. when the 1st disk finish restore it prompted “Symantec Ghost needs to open an image span. Please insert next disk and choose ok, or browse to locate the next image Span. when i insert 2nd disk and try to browse, it seems like ghost unable to detect it.

is there any way to restore spanned image just using multiple CD/DVD?? ghost version 11.5

[Migration User]

Hi,


Make use of ghost explorer for splitting your image.
You can give the split size as 4 GB  since you are working with DVDs.
This will split your ghost image . You will have a .gho file and couple of .ghs files depending upon your image size.
You can save  .gho file in the first DVD and the .ghs files in other DVDs  in their order .

Make use of this symantec KB document:

http://service1.symantec.com/support/on-technology.nsf/854fa02b4f5013678825731a007d06af/9dd8a2ef66a225538025768e003a17a5?OpenDocument


In normal case, We only add .gho file with the boot disk. 

So ,try splitting the image in this way. When you use ghost explorer to split the image, make sure that you keep the split point as 4 GB.
For example, say you have a image.gho whose size is 9GB.
Open Ghost Explorer and select File Menu->Open->browse and select the image.gho
//this loads the image to ghost exlplorer//
Now go to File Menu again, Select the option " Compile"
Now you will get a new window to select the destination for the compiled image and in this particular window, make sure that you have a check mark on "Span image". This will enable the "Split Point " field. The value should be entered in MBs. So , in our case it should be  4096 MB. Give suitable filename, say "image". Click on save. Now the compilation starts automatically. The progress can be seen at the bottom of ghost explorer window.

Once this is done successfully,the resulting image will have spans in following format:
image.gho  (size nearly 4GB)
image001.ghs (size  nearly 4GB)
image002.ghs (size in some MBs).

Now go to Ghost Boot Wizard and create a new boot disk. And you can add image.gho to the same.
In the next disk, You can add image001.ghs
in the third disk, you can add image002.ghs.

While creating your boot disk,Edit the start.bat as follows:
In your START.BAT, the last line that you see would be " start ghost32.exe"

Now, Edit the same as "  start ghost32.exe -clone,mode=load,src=D:GHOSTIMAGE.GHO,dst=1  "

 

This command line tells Ghost to restore an image named ghostimage.gho from drive D:\ and
to restore it to the first harddrive. Please use caution if your
CD drive letters are different than this example.

****Does this answer your question. Try doing this. And update the status as the next comment. You can also mark this as Solution if this fix your issue****

Regards,
Dilip Sebastian

[Migration User]

hi,

i follow your step to create few disk contains image (*.gho *.ghs)and bootable. The first disk is working, but when the first disk finish restore the message box prompted out again "Symantec Ghost needs to open an image span. Please insert next disk and choose ok, or browse to locate the next image Span". i eject DVD ROM and insert disk 2, trying to browse disk 2 spanned image, found that the contains is remain the same as disk 1...


i realized that when i browse, the file name is new00001.ghs. (currently my image name is new.gho  so the spanned image new001.ghs, new002.ghs....... ) it is different with my spanned image name.

[Migration User]

Hi,

While creating a bootable CD/DVD that includes an existing image on the same CD/DVD follow the guidelines given in the document given below,

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/on-technology.nsf/docid/2008110412374160?Open&seg=ent

Please Note the following requirements revolving around the ghost image.

• This image file must be split so that the first .gho file will fit on the DVD.
• If the image spans to one or more .ghs files the image must be named with precisely 5 alphabetical characters. For this example the name IMAGE.GHO is used.
• If the image is greater than 2 GB, it must be spanned and the spans must not be more than 2 GB. This is due to industry standards for ISOs, which limits a single file included in an ISO to 2 GB or less.
• When adding the image files using the ghost boot wizard the total data including the ghost boot files must be less than 4 gigs on disk 1.
   

Regards,

Prasanna Rajagopalan

[Migration User]

Hi,

As you mentioned, Your second disk has span image with the name " new00001.ghs ". I believe it is the right span to proceed with. Continue with your restoration. Update the result.


Regards,
Dilip Sebastian

[ShawnOfTheFarm]

If you do the restore are you choosing the d drive and browsing to the first .gho or are you using the cd@ drive?   Because this image was burned with the ghost.exe If I followed right then you will need to use the @cdr drive to brows to the gho.    Let us know how that goes.

Cheers.

[Migration User]

Hi,

Currently i make into ISO and test in VM since previously wasted a lot of DVD. May i know any different between cd@ drive and @cdr drive?

i create bootable disk + image (ISO) by using "Windows PE", network client configuration and network client address remain default. Destination Drive i choose ISO, additional files i added "new.gho" and proceed. 2nd ISO follow exactly the same step as 1st ISO added spanned image called new001.ghs.

this is the summary of the configuration before proceed to create ISO

Configuration Files:
START.BAT:
set path=%path%;x:\ghost

x:
cd \ghost
rem --- This will create primary OS drive configuration ---
ghost32.exe /setosdrives /blind >> x:\ghost\startlog.txt
start ghost32.exe


so i have 2 ISO as below:

1st ISO = windows PE + new.gho
2nd ISO = windows PE + new001.ghs

i insert into 1st ISO into virtual cd rom to perform restoration. when the 1st ISO finish i insert 2nd ISO to continue it still unable to proceed. the msg as my second post. the contains of 2nd ISO does not appear when i browsing

[Migration User]

Hi,
In the second disk, You need to write th .ghs file only. No need of WinPE. I haven't tried this in my lab. But I believe yo are doing it wrong at this point. Don't make the .ghs file a part of boot disk. When it asks for the second disk, insert the one with new001.ghs....You don't need to make it  "2nd ISO = windows PE + new001.ghs "...make it  "2nd ISO= new001.ghs "...Try this...

Regards,
Dilip

[Migration User]

Hi,

I think you are doing it wrong....

Regards,
Dilip

[Migration User]

Hi,

i have tried with 2nd ISO without windows PE but it still the same. i use the command prompt to browse it still showing me the 1st ISO contains instead of 2nd ISO

[ShawnOfTheFarm]

Here is a screen shot of the ghost with the @CD-R and the D drive.    The @CD-R drive is only to be used to restore from an image written to cd by the ghost.exe or the ghost32.exe.   If you are burning cds using a windows program then you will need to point the D drive (or what ever drive letter your cd is.)  not the @CD-R drive.


Cheers.

[Migration User]

I have duplicated this issue using the DOS version of Ghost 11.5 and 11.5.1.  What happens to me is that I create a bootable DVD with dvd.gho and dvd0001.ghs included on the first disk.  This boots correctly and calls the ghost command properly.  It successfully makes it through dvd.gho and dvd001.ghs.  At this point it needs the next span, (dvd002.ghs).  No matter what I do to refresh the menu, the contents seen by ghost are still everything from the original DVD.  It seems to no longer recognize the DVD drive and is only seeing what used to be in the drive.  I can verify this by choosing browse with no DVD in the drive and still being able to see the contents of the original drive.  I am working with a DELL E6410 while seeing this issue.  I can take this same set of DVDs and it works fine on older model laptops such as HP 8510p and DELL D830s.  Any help or ideas would be helpful.