Cloned Hard Disk won't boot...

**The Computer Valet** · July 31st, 2004, 05:16 PM

Hey folks,

I did something this weekend that I've done at least 10 times to various desktops or notebooks and it's always worked...

Except this time.

This is a Solo 9500 Gateway notebook. The 10GB IBM hard drive inside started to indicate imminent failure. So, we decided to replace it. I bought a new 20GB Seagate drive.

I used Drive Copy to clone the drive.

Now the system won't boot.

What happens is it runs through BIOS, the screen goes blank, a cursor appears on the upper left and there it sits.

Here's what I've tried:

1. Tried a few different options in Drive Copy -- safe copy, etc.

2. Ran FIXBOOT from the Recovery Console. (Note: I CAN access the disk if I run Recovery Console. I can get a directory listing, run CHKDSK (although it says it doesn't need to run), etc.

3. I also tried Norton Ghost, which has worked for me in the past when Drive Copy didn't.

4. I've default-set the BIOS. (The BIOS does recognize the HDD fine.)

If I put the OLD HDD in, the system reports Missing Operating System. This makes me wonder if it's some BIOS-related problem or whether the drive needs to be tatooed somehow.

If I need to, I'll reinstall XP. (Hopefully I can do a repair install.) I'd prefer not to, however.

Any thoughts?

**Green_Eyed** · July 31st, 2004, 10:37 PM

Have you tried any of the other tools available when you use the recovery console?

What did you use for the source of your clone?

**TripleRLtd** · July 31st, 2004, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by The Computer Valet

If I put the OLD HDD in, the system reports Missing Operating System. This makes me wonder if it's some BIOS-related problem or whether the drive needs to be tatooed somehow.

If I need to, I'll reinstall XP. (Hopefully I can do a repair install.) I'd prefer not to, however.

Any thoughts?

The above speaks volumes Valet!
Do the Repair Insall and everything should again be alright!

Bios related: nah! OS related: YES!
Repair install: YES!!

**techs** · August 1st, 2004, 01:26 AM

Whe're ya been hiding, Valet?
About a 2 months ago I used Ghost on a Gateway tower. The client said she had been on the phone with Gateway who told her the drive was going bad and sent her a replacement. I installed the replacement and ghosted fromt he old one. I had a similiar problem as you. New drive wouldn't boot though in recovery console I could see the files had been copied. I tried a repair install and that totally pooched it. I figured it might have something to do with GoBack. I ended up reformatting.
About 3 weeks ago another computer at that company had the exact same problem. This time I ghosted with no problems. I assume on the failed attempt there was file corruption on the old drive that ghost did not detect.

**futuretech** · August 1st, 2004, 10:22 AM

Sometimes resetting the BIOS to factory defaults will solve the problem of not being able to boot to the ghosted drive.

**Ruslan** · August 1st, 2004, 03:01 PM

Check the the status of that harddrive - I'm pretty sure, it is not set as an "active". Use Partition Magic for that...

**marty3** · August 1st, 2004, 11:21 PM

Have you tried FIXMBR from the recovery console? I've luck with that command in the past in similar circumstances.

**The Computer Valet** · August 5th, 2004, 07:14 PM

It looks like it's an MBR problem.

If I try to FixMBR, though, it kills the partition.

Only if I reformat the reinstall does it work.

I still have the old hard drive. It's in an odd state, though. It won't boot either, but the BIOS at least reports Missing Operating System.

I did notice that the partition, after Ghosting anyway, was not set to active. That was ... ahm... odd.

Hmmm... I think I can try something else. I think Drive Copy screwed the active partition on the old hdd. I wonder: If I reset the partition to active on the old hdd and try ghosting again...

Frustrating. This has worked flawlessly at least 10 times before...

Hey Techs! Nice to see you, too. I have been around. I've just been VERY busy. Business this year has doubled. I think I'm finally into the summer slowdown, but it took a long time to get here!

m

**marty3** · August 5th, 2004, 10:07 PM

Are you saying that you tried fixmbr and it killed the partition? I would try setting that partition active before you try anything else. A simple DOS disk with FDISK will allow you to set the partition active.

Let me know what happens?

**The Computer Valet** · August 6th, 2004, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by marty3

Are you saying that you tried fixmbr and it killed the partition? I would try setting that partition active before you try anything else. A simple DOS disk with FDISK will allow you to set the partition active.

I am saying that running FIXMBR will kill the partition and its contents.

I did try setting the partition active with Partition Magic, but that did not have any effect.

Well... in retrospect, I didn't do it that way. I set it Active in XP by hooking up the disk to another desktop and setting it in the Disk Administrator. Same thing?

m

**marty3** · August 6th, 2004, 10:25 PM

Should be same as setting active via boot disk. I'm not so sure that running FIXMBR will kill all partitions and contents. At least it has not for me, yet. If you're worried about that, grab another HD if you have one and dupe it again and try it. That way, if it does kill the partitions, you'll have a backup image.

Let me know what happens.

Marty

**NooNoo** · August 7th, 2004, 06:00 AM

Fixmbr does not kill the partitions, it rewrites the partition information. IF the partitions have been built badly - eg overlapping partitions, then it will have the effect of not being able to access the data as well.

**The Computer Valet** · August 9th, 2004, 03:37 PM

Well, I am out of ideas.

The partition is set active. It's a single partition built upon the entire drive. It's NTFS.

Right now, after BIOS the system stops at a black screen with a blinking cursor.

I have seen a lot of people with this problem, but they're all dealing with multiple OSs.

I can write a new bootsector with FIXBOOT, but that doesn't fix it. If I do a FIXMBR, it reports invalid information and then, after having written an MBR, I can no longer access the contents of the drive.

Yes, I was able to make a backup and the customer is okay with my nuking it.

But DADGUMIT, I want to _fix_ it.

I'll keep trying, but... I can't think of anything else to do but wipe it.

**The Computer Valet** · August 9th, 2004, 05:42 PM

Ok... so FIXMBR does not ruin the data. My mistake.

**Ruslan** · August 9th, 2004, 07:06 PM

I fixed few times similar "blinking cursor" situation (happened also after imaging) by using Drive Image 2002 floppies. It found few errors in drive's partition and offered to fix them, one by one... Something about LBA-CHS translation... Once fixed, drive started normally...