603 replies to this topic

[TheHive]

Thanks for the info. I understand now.

Now I understand sparse file.
Is there an Extension for Sparse FIle?

About vmware drivers, I myself inject them before cloning (add hardware wizard point to the vm drivers included in clonedisk.zip).

I see!

The GZIP option is useful only if you want to save file when making a clone of your HD.
Clonedisk can also restore an image from that format.

That's what I needed to know.

About scripting, clonedisk has some command line switches that may help.

This was meant for the general Script publisher for the NativeEx Projects. And I was not referencing Scripting using clonedisk. It was more of a suggestion to include it in the LiveXP Project as a script.


Small suggestions:
Being able to input MB or GB would be much easier for a user such as me. I dont want to bring out a calculator to make the calculations.








Excellent job so far.

[Lancelot]

Hi erwan.l,

can we have an x64 edition too

reason is: currently none of PEx64 project can run x86 application

[Lancelot]

Hi erwan.l,

HaPPPY birthday man


ps: Maybe this post should be in community forum, but since you are mostly at this topic and away for a while, I decide to write here

[erwan.l]

Hi erwan.l,

HaPPPY birthday man


ps: Maybe this post should be in community forum, but since you are mostly at this topic and away for a while, I decide to write here

Hi Lancelot,

Nice, thank you !!
Indeed, I am away these days : too much work and a side dev project taking some attention.

But I'll be back

Regards,
Erwan.

[Lancelot]

Nice to see you around
In case we can not see you in the following days because of you being busy, put these in your pockets and open at the proper day.
Happppy Christmass
and
Happppppy New Year,
with my best wishes.

[nieko_nera]

i have problem restoring from backup image created with CloneDisk, OS win7 64-bit:
backup\\.\P: in raw format > restore \\.\P: in raw format > cant access P:, in Disk management P: file system is RAW

backup \\.\PhysicalDrive1 [Disk ] (usb flash drive) in raw format > restore \\.\PhysicalDrive1 [Disk ] in raw format > error: writefile error:5

[erwan.l]

Hello nieko_nera,

Can you open the img file with a software such as winimage or mount this img with imdisk?

error 5 means access denied : i'll try to reproduce the usb issue on my win7 here at home later today.

Regards,
Erwan.

[nieko_nera]

i can mount this img with imdisk, mounted drive is accessible. i can open this img with 7zip


Thank You

[erwan.l]

Hello There,

Small update, reading a lot of the posts on this forum, I have implemented couple of new options in Clonedisk.

Here they are :

-delete hklm\system\mounteddevices to rediscover storage devices at next boot (this action will be done, transparently, under the system account)
-set to auto start some basic ide drivers (intelide, pciide, viaide, msahci)
-add to the registry some entries for the ide mass storage controllers (read here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314082 )

These 3 options should be applied before cloning your system and should therefore ease the port to another platform (a virtual one or a physical one).

Also, Clonedisk can also now install the Grub4Dos MBR to a physical drive of your choice.

Soon, I'd like to add the option to help porting a windows installation to an USB key.

Regards,
Erwan.

[erwan.l]

Hello There,

Reading a lot on this forum on how to boot from USB, I introduced some changes in latest version (1.6) :

-clone a disk using FileCopy mode.
-patch registry to perform a boot from a usb device.
-backup registry files.

With that said I have ran the following 5 steps in clonedisk to 'hot' clone my laptop system (xp / ntfs) to a FAT32 4Gb usb key :

1-Use the filecopy feature (this runs under the 'system' account to get most possible files).
There, the registry files cannot be copied as in use by the system, we'll fix that later

2-Use the usb boot registry patch feature to enable "usb boot" at next reboot from usb key

3-Use the deleted mounteddevices registry key to force windows to rediscover my drives at next reboot (this runs under the 'system' account)

4-Dump my registry files and copy them back since the 1st step could not copy these files (remove the .sav extension before) on my usb key in x:\windows\system32\config

5-Use clonedisk to install Grub4Dos to have my usb key bootable.

Next I shutdown my laptop,
remove the physical drive (for safety but also to avoid that windows gets confused with logical drive letters at next boot),
and then could enjoy booting my laptop from my cheap usb key

Regards,
Erwan.

PS : anybody would know to boost performances on a usb drive and/or to enable EWF?

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[cdob]

Reading a lot on this forum on how to boot from USB, I introduced some changes in latest version (1.6) :

-clone a disk using FileCopy mode.
-patch registry to perform a boot from a usb device.
-backup registry files.

That's great.

Can you edit usb.inf, usbport.inf and usbstor.inf too?

3-Use the deleted mounteddevices registry key to force windows to rediscover my drives at next reboot (this runs under the 'system' account)

Next reboot may set correct drive letter by chance.
Can you adjust mountedevices?

Example, copy batch to %SystemRoot% at offline windows. Run the batch

@echo offsetlocal EnableExtensions EnableDelayedExpansionrem home dir: old %SystemRoot%pushd %~dp0set CurrentDrive=%~d0set Letter=rem manual command lineif not %~1.==. set Letter=%~1set Value=FOR /F "skip=2 tokens=1-2*" %%a IN ('reg query HKLM\System\MountedDevices /v \DosDevices\%CurrentDrive%') DO set Value=%%cif %Value%.==. (echo Error: Letter settings %CurrentDrive% not found & goto :EOF)copy system32\config\system system32\config\system.%random%reg unload HKLM\offline_System >nul 2>&1reg load HKLM\offline_System system32\config\systemrem automaticif not defined Letter (   reg unload HKLM\offline_Software >nul 2>&1  reg load HKLM\offline_Software system32\config\software  FOR /F "skip=4 tokens=1* delims=\" %%a IN ('reg query "HKLM\offline_Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon" /v Userinit') DO set Letter=%%a  set Letter=!Letter:~-2!  reg unload  HKLM\offline_Software >nul 2>&1)if not %Letter:~-1%.==:. (echo Error: Letter %Letter% unclear &goto :eof)reg delete HKLM\offline_System\MountedDevices /fecho onreg add HKLM\offline_System\MountedDevices /v \DosDevices\%Letter% /t REG_BINARY  /d %Value% /f@echo offreg unload  HKLM\offline_System >nul 2>&1popd

[erwan.l]

Hi Cdob,

About the usb boot patch, i set start key = 0 for usbhub, usbstor, usbohci, usbehci, usbuhci.
I also set the service dependency (group key) based on what I have read on this forum.

About the mounteddevices key, you are right : if the drive is alone, windows will start at c:.
But if there are other drives around (cd, hard drives, etc), this could get messy.
I try to stay on the "online" side rather than the "offline" side as this what clonedisk is about.
However, I guess I could force the disk signature of the USB key on the mountedevices key is not it?
Although, since the files are copied to a usb key, I could indeed edit the registry from the usb key as you suggest!

Regards,
Erwan.

[cdob]

About the usb boot patch, i set start key = 0 for usbhub, usbstor, usbohci, usbehci, usbuhci.
I also set the service dependency (group key) based on what I have read on this forum.

What happens if you add a new USB drive?
Does windows PNP read usbstor.inf and restore start key=3?

Although, since the files are copied to a usb key, I could indeed edit the registry from the usb key as you suggest!

Well, I wrote the code in the past at offline correcting.
The offline windows is the file cloned USB drive.

As for cloning:
remember current windows drive letter, this may be C: or another letter.
remember current MountedDevices\DosDevices value to target USB drive letter
clone drive at file level
open offline windows registry
delete MountedDevices
set MountedDevices\DosDevices, previous windwos drive letter and USB DosDevices value
close offline windows registry

[erwan.l]

<quote>
What happens if you add a new USB drive?
Does windows PNP read usbstor.inf and restore start key=3?
</quote>

now I understand what you mean indeed.
I should take care of this : i'll have a look there.

<quote>
As for cloning:
remember current windows drive letter, this may be C: or another letter.
remember current MountedDevices\DosDevices value to target USB drive letter
clone drive at file level
open offline windows registry
delete MountedDevices
set MountedDevices\DosDevices, previous windwos drive letter and USB DosDevices value
close offline windows registry
</quote>

Indeed today i patch the registy of the to be cloned system then clone at the file level.
Which could be seen as annoying for the current/to be system.
I'll see how I can first clone then take care of the cloned system.

Can you explain more : "set MountedDevices\DosDevices, previous windwos drive letter and USB DosDevices value".
I took a quick look and it seems that fixed drives have a simple disk id (4 bytes) where removable storages have a GUID.

Thanks for your feedback and guidance.

Regards,
Erwan.

[erwan.l]

Hi,

Based on CDOB comments, I have added some offline registry patch features.
Thanks to that, the "Clone To USB boot" procedure is not changing the source anymore but only working on the target.

Here below the 5 steps I used to port a running XP NTFS to a 4gb usb pen FAT32:

1-Use the filecopy feature
There, the registry files cannot be copied as in use by the system, we'll that fix in step 2

2-Dump the source registry files and put them on the target usb drive in x:\windows\system32\config

3-Use the usb boot offline registry patch feature to enable "usb boot" at next reboot from usb key (point to x:\windows\system32\config\system file)

4-Use the deleted mounteddevices offline registry patch feature to force windows to rediscover my drives at next reboot (point to x:\windows\system32\config\system file)

5-Use clonedisk to install Grub4Dos to have the usb drive bootable

Note that I still go the easy way by deleting the mounteddevices key instead of forcing the disk signature.
However, if you have only your usb key (as a hard disk) in your computer, it should be fine (logical drive = c:)

Regards,
Erwan

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[cdob]

Can you explain more : "set MountedDevices\DosDevices, previous windwos drive letter and USB DosDevices value".

A example: current windows use letter D:
Copy the previous posted batch to %SystemRoot% at offline windows: setDrive.cmd

Run the batch:

setDrive.cmd D:

[erwan.l]

Hello Gents,

Clonedisk can now format a usb pen to NTFS using the FormatEX windows API (starting with XP).

Regards,

Erwan.

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[erwan.l]

Hello Gents,

Here below a quick how to that helped me to port Windows7 to a USB-HDD :

In 3 steps :

1-"byte to byte" clone my windows7 source drive to my target USB-HDD

2-patch the offline registry to delete the mounteddevices key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices)

3-patch the offline registry to enable usb boot (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\currentcontrolet\usbxxx keys)

By offline registry, I mean opening the system registry hive found usually under x:\windows\system32\config.
X: being your USB-HDD drive.

I shall add that my source platform was vmware and that my target platform was a lenovo t43 laptop.
I was nicely surprised that I did not have to add some extra IDE registry entries or/and to auto start some disk drivers : windows7 redetected it all

Regards,
Erwan.

[MedEvil]

-"byte to byte" clone my windows7 source drive to my target USB-HDD

Easy to do, no explaination necessary.

-patch the offline registry to delete the mounteddevices key

Same as above.

-patch the offline registry to enable usb boot

For this some more information is necessary.

[erwan.l]

... For this some more information is necessary.

Hi MedEvil,

I put the following drivers on auto start and change their group so that they start ealier in the booting process :
usbhub, usbstor, usbehci, usbohci, usbuhci.

I have read here and there that there may be other registry tweaks needed in order to boot from USB,
but so far this proved to work for my windows Xp and my windows 7.

Regards,
Erwan.

[Wonko the Sane]

Well, no.

to be picky, also this is not "self-explaining":

-patch the offline registry to delete the mounteddevices key

Same as above.

simply, you happen to ALREADY know what "offline registry" means, and you know how to access it, and you also know that "mounteddevices key" actually means:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

Whilst with this:

-patch the offline registry to delete the mounteddevices key

For this some more information is necessary.

You missed the various stickies here:
http://www.boot-land...hp?showforum=77
and the "historical thread" here:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=9051


Wonko

[erwan.l]

Well, no.

to be picky, also this is not "self-explaining":

Same as above.

simply, you happen to ALREADY know what "offline registry" means, and you know how to access it, and you also know that "mounteddevices key" actually means:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

Whilst with this:

For this some more information is necessary.


You missed the various stickies here:
http://www.boot-land...hp?showforum=77
and the "historical thread" here:
http://www.boot-land...?showtopic=9051


Wonko

Hi Wonko,
Thanks for your feedback : I have updated my post about the "offline" concept and also about the registry keys modified.
My work is actually greatly (hear entirely...) inspired from the sticky thread you mention.

About the historical thread, my last concern now is indeed that as soon as you install a new usb device on new usb-hdd windows, the registry usbxxx entries will revert to default.
Unless you install the usbbootwatcher service or unless you patch the usbxxx.inf files?

Regards,
Erwan.

[Wonko the Sane]

Unless you install the usbbootwatcher service or unless you patch the usbxxx.inf files?

Yep, AFAICR the usbxxxx.inf fles may not be enough in "all" setups/modifications/whatever, the usbootwatcher service, on the other hand, never failed in my experience.


Wonko

[erwan.l]

Yep, AFAICR the usbxxxx.inf fles may not be enough in "all" setups/modifications/whatever, the usbootwatcher service, on the other hand, never failed in my experience.


Wonko

Oki, so indeed, instead of simply patching the offline registry and leaving it there, thus taking a risk of a 0x7b at next usb device installation, I might as well modify my clonedisk software to call "usbbootwatcher.exe /prepare x:\windows\system32" which will take put the setup the usb drivers for booting and setup an extra service to enforce it always.

As for usb drivers and usbbootwacther, watching quickly the source code, all it does put the 5 usb drivers mentionned above on start=0 and group="Boot Bus Extender".

Side note, of course if you use EWF on your "xp usb pen", then the extra service watching the registry is not needed.

Thanks for the guidance,
Erwan.

[MedEvil]

Has anyone ever really had this problem?
Within XP there are two kinds of setups/installs in regard to registry settings. The one does overwrite existing settings, the other one does not.