[SOLVED] Cloned image does not boot - why not?

[Markverhyden]

No boot partition on any of the drives. I did find out that with the c: drive connected, the system asks for a Win 7 repair disk. It seems the c: and X: drives are in RAID Level 1. That would explain why it wouldn't boot from the cloned E: drive.

I'm thinking I need to go to a RAID Level 0 for the C: drive, repair windows, set aside the X: drive and then format the E: drive and try cloning C: to E: again.

How does that sound?

You will not see the 100mb boot partition in windows from what I have seen. It's hidden but will show up if you boot from a W7 install disk if I remember correctly. I seem to remember seeing it in OS X or Linux.

Something does not sound right though. You will not see separate disks if the HD's are RAID'd. Even with the cheap RAID cards. I would make sure your machine boots to one single drive then image that.

 

[tek9]

Where do you see drive X:? Is this from within WinPE? If so, that's your WinPE bootable drive which usually gets the drive letter X.
You should make a separate boot partition with Diskpart. Create a partition sized at 100-350MB. Name it "System" and make it the active partition.
Then create a new partition C: which would be your cloned image.
After doing the clone, boot to WinPE and run bcdboot, bootrec etc and see what happens.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Where do you see drive X:? Is this from within WinPE? If so, that's your WinPE bootable drive which usually gets the drive letter X.
You should make a separate boot partition with Diskpart. Create a partition sized at 100-350MB. Name it "System" and make it the active partition.
Then create a new partition C: which would be your cloned image.
After doing the clone, boot to WinPE and run bcdboot, bootrec etc and see what happens.

Sorry, I was perhaps unclear in my first post. I have three HDD and all three have no partitions. This is a custom machine I built in 2007 with only one 250 GB drive initially. Since then, I have not enough space to carry my data, so in 2010 I installed another 250 GB drive (manually named X) to have more space to back the first drive. Since then, I have added a third 2 TB E: drive and started backing up to that drive. Then I decided to clone the c: drive to the E: drive.

I am in the middle of creating a WinPE disk so I can run the commands you mentioned. I'm at the stage where I am trying to copy the file imagex.exe to a C:\winpe_amd64\iso\ directory so I can make the WinPE disk.

The command MS says to make is: C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\winpe_amd64> copy "c:\program files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64\imagex.exe" c:\winpe-amd64\iso\ - the problem I keep getting is "the system cannot find the file specified." I'm following the MS instructions to the letter but still have problems.

Since I have successfully created the directory: C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\winpe_amd64\iso and copied the imagex.exe file into it I'm hoping that works.

My head is swimming.

 

[drjones]

I'm still not clear; the old drive; it is a single physical disk?

The new drive, is it ONE 2TB, or are you trying to clone the old disk onto some sort of a RAID?

You've mentioned RAID a couple times, but reading your posts, I'm still not sure what you're saying / trying to do.....

I have no idea how / if you could clone to or from a RAID array...I think that would be difficult at best.

 

[tek9]

Sorry, I was perhaps unclear in my first post. I have three HDD and all three have no partitions. This is a custom machine I built in 2007 with only one 250 GB drive initially. Since then, I have not enough space to carry my data, so in 2010 I installed another 250 GB drive (manually named X) to have more space to back the first drive. Since then, I have added a third 2 TB E: drive and started backing up to that drive. Then I decided to clone the c: drive to the E: drive.

I am in the middle of creating a WinPE disk so I can run the commands you mentioned. I'm at the stage where I am trying to copy the file imagex.exe to a C:\winpe_amd64\iso\ directory so I can make the WinPE disk.

The command MS says to make is: C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\winpe_amd64> copy "c:\program files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64\imagex.exe" c:\winpe-amd64\iso\ - the problem I keep getting is "the system cannot find the file specified." I'm following the MS instructions to the letter but still have problems.

Since I have successfully created the directory: C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\winpe_amd64\iso and copied the imagex.exe file into it I'm hoping that works.

My head is swimming.

How did you get the winpe software? Through Windows AIK or Windows OPK? They both have simiilar programs and both can make winpe disks, but obviously they're going to have different folder structures. Check your Program Files folder and see if you have a folder named Windows AIK or Windows OPK (or something similar). adjust as necessary.

 

[Mr.Mike]

How did you get the winpe software? Through Windows AIK or Windows OPK? They both have simiilar programs and both can make winpe disks, but obviously they're going to have different folder structures. Check your Program Files folder and see if you have a folder named Windows AIK or Windows OPK (or something similar). adjust as necessary.

Win AIK. Don't remember where I got it. I'll check out OPK. Do you have a link?

EDIT: Isn't OPK for OEM versions of Win 7? Mine is a retail copy.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I'm still not clear; the old drive; it is a single physical disk?

The new drive, is it ONE 2TB, or are you trying to clone the old disk onto some sort of a RAID?

You've mentioned RAID a couple times, but reading your posts, I'm still not sure what you're saying / trying to do.....

I have no idea how / if you could clone to or from a RAID array...I think that would be difficult at best.

Thanks for asking. What I first believed I had was two disks in RAID 1 and tried to clone to a third 2 TB drive.

If I understand the RAID Levels, am assuming I cannot clone from tow disks in a RAID 1 to a single disk. I could be wrong about that. However, that appears to be the case because if I try to boot from the original C: without the second (X) drive I get an error message asking me to run a repair from Win 7 disk for the C: drive.

I'm not trying to clone an old disk to a RAID. I'm trying to create a clone of my system to a single Disk and remove the need for a second disk.

 

[Mr.Mike]

You will not see the 100mb boot partition in windows from what I have seen. It's hidden but will show up if you boot from a W7 install disk if I remember correctly. I seem to remember seeing it in OS X or Linux.

Something does not sound right though. You will not see separate disks if the HD's are RAID'd. Even with the cheap RAID cards. I would make sure your machine boots to one single drive then image that.

So if I see all three disks in disk management, I can assume they are not in a RAID 1? I thought since the c: drive alone could not boot that it meant I had a RAID 1 configuration. I appreciate your time.

 

[tek9]

Thanks for asking. What I first believed I had was two disks in RAID 1 and tried to clone to a third 2 TB drive.

If I understand the RAID Levels, am assuming I cannot clone from tow disks in a RAID 1 to a single disk. I could be wrong about that. However, that appears to be the case because if I try to boot from the original C: without the second (X) drive I get an error message asking me to run a repair from Win 7 disk for the C: drive.

I'm not trying to clone an old disk to a RAID. I'm trying to create a clone of my system to a single Disk and remove the need for a second disk.

There does not seem to be any RAID here. The reason it's not booting without drive X is because drive X is the boot partition and is marked "active", as per your first post.

 

[Mr.Mike]

There does not seem to be any RAID here. The reason it's not booting without drive X is because drive X is the boot partition and is marked "active", as per your first post.

Yet X doesn't boot by itself. My system only boots when X: and C: are both connected. When trying to boot to X: I get: "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. Insert Windows installation disk. Status 0xc000000e The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible." Then I tried the "Repair Computer" option booting from the Win 7 DVD. The repair failed.

 

[tek9]

Yet X doesn't boot by itself. My system only boots when X: and C: are both connected. When trying to boot to X: I get: "Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. Insert Windows installation disk. Status 0xc000000e The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible." Then I tried the "Repair Computer" option booting from the Win 7 DVD. The repair failed.

You need both disks to boot because the boot files are on the X drive and the Windows files are on the C drive. As per your first post, drive X is listed as "System" and "Active" which means that has the bootloader, which looks to drive C to start Windows which is listed as "Boot" in disk management.

 

[Mr.Mike]

You need both disks to boot because the boot files are on the X drive and the Windows files are on the C drive. As per your first post, drive X is listed as "System" and "Active" which means that has the bootloader, which looks to drive C to start Windows which is listed as "Boot" in disk management.

I see. So If I want to boot from the 2 Tb disk, do I just need to go to system recovery options, run a command prompt then run bootrec.exe then copy all the other system files to that drive?

 

[tek9]

Make sure the other drives aren't connected and run those commands. I don't know that it'll work for sure, because you usually need to set up the System partition to boot from first. Whatever you want to boot from needs to be set as "System", "Active", and if it contains the Windows files then it'll be set to "Boot" as well.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Make sure the other drives aren't connected and run those commands. I don't know that it'll work for sure, because you usually need to set up the System partition to boot from first. Whatever you want to boot from needs to be set as "System", "Active", and if it contains the Windows files then it'll be set to "Boot" as well.

I'm thinking of using this process for the "System", "Active" X: drive: http://www.heiser.net/posts/3256

What do you think?

 

[Mr.Mike]

I would make sure your machine boots to one single drive then image that.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do.

 

[deachus]

This is why I unplugged all other drives or disable them in bios when installing windows. Otherwise windows will sometimes, for whatever reason, choose to create the system partition on one drive and install windows on the drive you chose.

Let us know how you make out

 

[Mr.Mike]

This is why I unplugged all other drives or disable them in bios when installing windows. Otherwise windows will sometimes, for whatever reason, choose to create the system partition on one drive and install windows on the drive you chose.

Let us know how you make out

Thanks. A while ago, I had an issue with not being able to download updates, ended up having to reinstall Win 7 and did not disconnect the two drives. I'm going to try booting to my Win7 disk go to "repair computer" and go to cmd and try bootrec/fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot and Bootrec /rebuildbcd on the disk with "System" on it and see if that works. Back in a bit.

EDIT: Now getting "Boot Manager Missing" for the system volume. After the above commands were made, and before reboot, I noticed: Successfully scanned windows installations. Total Identified Windows Installations:0 The operation completed successfully. Huh?

Still working on it.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Solved

Thanks. A while ago, I had an issue with not being able to download updates, ended up having to reinstall Win 7 and did not disconnect the two drives. I'm going to try booting to my Win7 disk go to "repair computer" and go to cmd and try bootrec/fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot and Bootrec /rebuildbcd on the disk with "System" on it and see if that works. Back in a bit.

EDIT: Now getting "Boot Manager Missing" for the system volume. After the above commands were made, and before reboot, I noticed: Successfully scanned windows installations. Total Identified Windows Installations:0 The operation completed successfully. Huh?

Still working on it.

All this time and effort has payed off. Thanks to everyone who chimed in, especially Tek9 (+1 to you!). Two things made this work. The first was realizing although both drives had a boot folder, the X: (system drive) folfer was missing a Bootmgr file. From there I copied the bootmgr to the system drive and restarted to a booting machine with the other disk disconnected. Now I've go a solid bootable drive with all programs and files, etc. Now to make that clone!

 

[mikeroq]

I didn't notice, but did you try running this command:

bcdboot x:\windows /s x:

Where x is your os partition?

That would copy the necessary boot files, along with marking the partition active and it should boot.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I didn't notice, but did you try running this command:

bcdboot x:\windows /s x:

Where x is your os partition?

That would copy the necessary boot files, along with marking the partition active and it should boot.

And the "/s" does what exactly?

Thanks for that mikeroq. I'll make a special note of this if I run into this again.

Cheers.