View Full Version : Win xp pro cloned drive will not boot - really need help on this asap
If anyone can help me with an issue with a cloned drive I would be grateful, been pulling my remaining hair out for days now.
It wont boot into windows (Win XP Pro) at all just sits there with a flashing cursor top left of screen - I really need this for work related stuff
disk image was cloned using Spotmau and restored to a new disk by booting spotmau from usb while the hdd is fitted internally to the laptop.
The laptop is not the original machine the image was taken from as that machine died completely including the original hdd. The laptop is the same make but different model to the original and the HDD is also bigger than the original.
There are 2 partitions on the drive - the Win XP and a smaller Dos partition that I can boot to if I set it as active (by booting into this, it shows that the BIOS does not have a problem with the disk)
The BIOS sees it in the boot list but from a power off state (if I watch the hdd led) it is accessed during POST but it then does nothing, Win XP partition is primary and active. and if I put it into a usb casing I can access all the data just fine but I cant run certain installed programs that I must have (old software no longer available for PLC programming).
Things I have tried are
Windows Recovery Console fixboot and fixmbr
Various MBR utilities from Hirens Boot CD
Removed all passwords
Any ideas anyone ?
Long shot, maybe try Gparted live CD and set the XP partition as bootable.
Do you need the hdd to boot, or do you just need the data from the hdd?
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He needs for it to boot as runs old apps from it.
Maxwell, do you know any one with Win7 PRO as you can emulate XP but iirc its not an option in HP. something to try if anything else works.
Do you need the hdd to boot, or do you just need the data from the hdd?
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Need it to boot mate so I can run some special PLC programming software, problem is I havent needed it for about 4 years and I have a client with a full production line stopped because of an issue with its PLC (its dumped some of its program) its an obscure make of PLC and the engineering software is no longer available anywhere except it is installed on the HDD I have.
Sorry no help with "cloned" machines
Sorry couldn't resist, will it boot into safe mode?
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Sorry no help with "cloned" machines
Sorry couldn't resist, will it boot into safe mode?
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:D smartarse
No dont even get that far
Are there any other USB devices plugged in. My win7 hangs like you describe if my LaCie HDD is plugged in
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Did a bit of googling, but I'm sure you have too.
FIXBOOT and FIXMBR should pretty much always be run in conjunction with each other, because, when one's broken, Windows doesn't give you enough feedback to tell which one's broken (FIXBOOT fixes the partition boot sector, and FIXMBR fixes the master boot record, if you were wondering). Run FIXBOOT first, then FIXMBR.
If those fail, the next logical point to look at is your boot.ini (which, I *think*, should cause a visible error; shouldn't just be a black screen, although I can't check right now). In the recovery console, you manipulate boot.ini with BOOTCFG (since you don't have a text editor, or the graphical msconfig). 'BOOTCFG /ADD' or 'BOOTCFG /REBUILD' are good starting points here, but these commands are a bit more complicated than FIXBOOT and FIXMBR: see KB291980.
(Note that this is all applicable to Windows XP; Windows Vista and 7 change the boot process considerably and include more automated recovery tools. Post-Vista, the OS can actually usually fix itself (if you do a boot repair in the recovery console).)
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In case for some reason it is the USB mouse, in bios find USB config and set legacy devices to enabled.
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yeah, another thing could be that you have ahci enabled in sata config, which is used for windows 7/vista for data drivers, but on xp you will likely not have the sata drivers loading. So, might be an idea to try setting to legacy rather than ahci if you have that option!?
sorry guys forgot to say in original post its an EIDE (pata) drive and the BIOS is crap old version from 2005 so options are very limited
What size HDD was old and what size is new?
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120 and new is 160 - when it is restored it just leaves the spare unallocated I have tried making the spare active as well
What make? As dell have a limit of 130gb I believe
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laptop is HP and so was the original, it does handle the drive size as its own proper drive is also 160gb and that boots fine.
Cloned drive is Samsung HM160HC
Do you have the original hdd to be able to take another clone from? maybe try using acronis true image (think that's the right name), take a backup and then try doing a universal restore. This will try to restore the image and ignore all driver options. Although you may need the drivers for new laptop to install to it...
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nope cant do that original hdd died a long time ago but thought I would be fine as I had an image DOH !!:whistle:
Conaxthewarrior
12-08-12, 12:21
Not that Im any expert with making then later installing hd clone copies etc but have done this for some years now and hav'nt had any probs because ive always re-copied to the same computer (ie to the same hardware setup). As far a I know, winxp will once in a while connect to microsoft and check its present hardware configuration against whats recorded on their server so if somthing major has been changed (eg the processor) windows xp will say to itself "I've been copied to another computer, so am no longer original" and either wont run or returns a warning that it will shut down until you reactivate with a new key. If you dont have a new key, one has to be bought from microsoft.
Is this the first time you have tried the cloned image? We have any idea if it's good or not.
Also when windows detects changes like in previous post it will tell you, not hang on a black screen.
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no not the first time I have tried but all the data is there inc boot.ini, ntldr, ntdetect etc.
I have manually opened Boot.ini and ntldr in an editor and can see nothing wrong as afr as I can tell.
I am now in the process taking an image of laptops current working drive that I am going to restore to the new Samsung drive and see if it boots, I am beginning to suspect that it maybe the new drive firmware or something so if this doesnt work it proves its the new drive in which case I will try restoring the image I really need to the older working drive and see what happens.
And yes you are right if it detects hardware changes its normally reported on screen
Assumed you'd already tried this, but posting in case not (and me being too presumptuous)... But, have you tried pressing F8 key to see if it gives you any options to boot up the hdd? Like safe mode, last known good config etc. also, have you tried booting up with win xp cd, and doing a restore install? Where it keeps all info, but gets it back working? Also, have you tried reinstalling to another laptop or pc?
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I got a feeling it's because the machine you took the image off is too different from the machine you're putting it on.
Would be nice if you had the original machine to test it on.
Not just hardware different but software different, bios etc.
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no not the first time I have tried but all the data is there inc boot.ini, ntldr, ntdetect etc.
I have manually opened Boot.ini and ntldr in an editor and can see nothing wrong as afr as I can tell.
I am now in the process taking an image of laptops current working drive that I am going to restore to the new Samsung drive and see if it boots, I am beginning to suspect that it maybe the new drive firmware or something so if this doesnt work it proves its the new drive in which case I will try restoring the image I really need to the older working drive and see what happens.
And yes you are right if it detects hardware changes its normally reported on screen
Can you have both working drive and the old/new drive installed at the same time?. In which case install dual boot ( EasyBCD or Vistaboot Pro) on the working system and then add the old/new drive as a bootable XP system.
Then see if you can boot from the dual boot system which may overcome some of the difficulties (you need to watch out for the boot drive letters)
At least you should get into loading up the Old XP system even if it crashes later because of incorrrrect hardware drivers.
Is there no chance you can contact the software supplier and just ask them if they can send out a disk for you? What was the software you need called?
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B&R pc2000 - its Austrian and no longer available according to b&r - still got a couple of things to try though going to edit ntldr manually later to check the hardware changes.
If still can't get anything back after all of that, then can you try contacting them tomorrow? Surely they will have it archived somewhere...
But, did you try the windows xp repair install? Also, how about using the mobscene usb stick. a lot of tools on there that might help, or hiren boot disk...
Conaxthewarrior
12-08-12, 19:12
ok my info might be out of date or even incorrect but I have one time had winxp report itself as a non - original copy after I've cloned over. Also a new windows xp cd would only allow a certain number of fresh instalations before new activation keys have to be bought from microsoft - I got this info from microsoft , phoning them for help trying to get my (then) new winxp installation to work after the 5th or so cd installation. I dont mean to say win7 has this installation key limit either.
[QUOTE=TK4|2|1;147789]Is this the first time you have tried the cloned image? We have any idea if it's good or not.
Also when windows detects changes like in previous post it will tell you, not hang on a black screen.
Made any progress?
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Made any progress?
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Sort of, I have determined that it will not boot due to the extensive hardware differences between the original laptop and the new one, however I have located and purchased a unit identical to the original that should be delivered tomorrow so we will see then.
I also managed to extract and run the PLC programming software via a Win98 DOS partition, but I was unable to get the PLC system reprogrammed because the backup data is held by my client on 5 floppys and one of them simply will not read at all, this disk is crucial for the loading of the machine parameters so now the client must go back to the machine manufacturer and obtain another copy (at great expense), until then his production remains stopped.
you could try doing a clean install of the windows xp over the top of the backup image but dont overwrite the hard disk (it will load the OS on but will not overide the contents.
thanks but all sorted, managed to find a same model laptop
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