74 replies to this topic

[Zoso]

OK found the advanced menu, dont know how I overlooked that.

edit: now, unclear on this part

before=2048 sectors=bootsector.totalsec+1

and starting and ending chs should be the same?

[erwan.l]

OK found the advanced menu, dont know how I overlooked that.

edit: now, unclear on this part
and starting and ending chs should be the same?

Yes start=end=1023/254/63

[Zoso]

OK, now where to I get bootsector total so that I can add one (+1) an enter it in the last box?

also, I think I should change disk ID too right?

[erwan.l]

The total sectors is in the next tab : enter 2048 if asked an offset.
Dont bother the disk id.

[Zoso]

The total sectors is in the next tab : enter 2048 if asked an offset.
Dont bother the disk id.

I should have done that first because when I went back the boxes had cleared. if I dont change disk ID then when I boot this .img, if I add the old USB HDD I copied cloned, it wont cause windows problems?

[erwan.l]

About the disk id, i would worry about that later.

About the procedure i will imporove it once you report success

[Zoso]

The total sectors is in the next tab : enter 2048 if asked an offset.
Dont bother the disk id.

smalltotalsector or largetotalsectors? I dont see any boxes with only "total sectors"

[erwan.l]

smalltotalsector or largetotalsectors? I dont see any boxes with only "total sectors"

Totalsec (if ntfs)

[Zoso]

Totalsec (if ntfs)

totalsec box is blank? the cloned USB HDD is ntfs.

BTW the computer I work on is in a different room than the one online so I am having togo back and forth LOL

[erwan.l]

You had a partition image to start with right?
Screenshot the boot sector screen here please.

[Zoso]

You had a partition image to start with right?
Screenshot the boot sector screen here please.

right, made by this same clonedisk just an hour ago then I combined it with the header.img as you suggest and the new image that was made is what I am working with here now.

so I need to open the original for this then? I think Ive already deleted it, maybe time to start over (again)

[erwan.l]

You need to do a partition backup (not disk)
You need to append a header to it (2048 sectors=1 MB)
You need to edit the mbr and the bs.
Then you end up with a disk image containing your partition.

[Zoso]

BTW, when I inserted a usb flash drive to store this screenshot, the active clondisk window changed the "Logical drive" box back to C:/

just mentioned it in case. was not expecting this to happen so I will reopen the img.

[Zoso]

You need to do a partition backup (not disk)
You need to append a header to it (2048 sectors=1 MB)
You need to edit the mbr and the bs.
Then you end up with a disk image containing your partition.

I did the partition image, then appended header and now working on edit mbr. but may need to start over if I need to reload the image before apending to get correct sector value of that img?

[erwan.l]

BTW, when I inserted a usb flash drive to store this screenshot, the active clondisk window changed the "Logical drive" box back to C:/
just mentioned it in case. was not expecting this to happen so I will reopen the img.

This is not a boot sector.
At offset 2048 you should find eb5290 i.e a JMP instruction (first field of the boot sector).
You either failed to append 2048 sectors or you failed to make a partition image.

As a test edit the boot sector of your partition image at offset 0 : you should read the correct JMP instruction mentionned above.

Now going to bed

[Zoso]

hmmm..

when I made header.img, it was only 1mb and I didnt do anything to it before I copy /b with the partition image.


for clairification; to get the boot sector value that I need in order to add (+1), do I get that from the combined image or the original partition image that clonedisk made?

[erwan.l]

hmmm..
when I made header.img, it was only 1mb and I didnt do anything to it before I copy /b with the partition image.
for clairification; to get the boot sector value that I need in order to add (+1), do I get that from the combined image or the original partition image that clonedisk made?

Dont modify header.img before appending.
Get totalsec in the boot sector either at offset 0 in your image before appending or at offset 2048 after appending.

I am off for today.

[Zoso]

Now going to bed

OK, thanks for the effort to help today. I may can figure it out from here. I will report success if I can.

edit: if I let it set the default value of 63 instead of changing to 2048 then the sector box has values. so I think I need different chs values than what is in your examples.


where is Wonko?

[Zoso]

well I redid everything and it seemed to work out but when I tried to boot through grub4dos I get error5 "partition table invalid or corrupt"

here is bootsector and mbr screencaps

[erwan.l]

well I redid everything and it seemed to work out but when I tried to boot through grub4dos I get error5 "partition table invalid or corrupt"

here is bootsector and mbr screencaps

 

You missed the hiddencsec part in the boot sector (step 5 in my procedure).

Lets fix that first : bootsector.hiddensec = mbr.sectors before. (double click on the hiddensec field to edit it).

And ensure that the boot sector is at offset 2048, not 63.

 

Also, did you apply a boot loader (in mbr tab)? This will also fix the mbr signature (AA55).

 

If after doint these 2 actions abobe, it still does not work, we will reconsider the C.H.S.

bCHS=eCHS=1023/254/63 is the a convention of saying "dont look at CHS" : maybe grub4dos does not like that.

If not we will try bCHS=1023/0/1 and eCHS=1023/254/63 which also means "dont look at CHS".

Or else we will use a correct bCHS=0/32/33 (to reflect sectors before = 2048).

I did use these steps and booted my disk image fine in QEMU but did not test G4D.

 

If Wonko is nearby, he is best to guide us there around G4D + CHS.

I bet he will probably not like my approach "dont look at CHS"

 

But again, fix the bs.hiddensec and mbr boot loader first.

 

PS:

In latest version, in the MBR form, there is a new button that will take you directly to the BootSector (using the sectors before MBR field).

Download latest version (dated Feb 02), as I did some minor changes to ease this procedure.

 

[erwan.l]

a quick simple picture explaining what you are willing to achieve i.e :

-backup a partition (amongst several partitions on a disk) to an image

-append a header to that image

-edit this header to turn it into a MBR

-edit the BS to make sure it is consistent with the MBR

 

[Zoso]

hi erwin.I,

You missed the hiddencsec part in the boot sector (step 5 in my procedure).
Lets fix that first : bootsector.hiddensec = mbr.sectors before. (double click on the hiddensec field to edit it).
And ensure that the boot sector is at offset 2048, not 63.

Oh, I seemed to have thought that step was optional for some reason..

now, I open the .img and at the popup prompt for offset I enter 2048 (it has 63 default showing) then when I dbl click the hidden box I get a popup "read file error: the handle is invalid"

FWIW I also skipped step 4 thinking that it is optional because I do not have a W8.1 system. Im guessing I should go back to that part too.


thanks

edit: I just noticed that I only have option button for NT6 and not G4D or ANY to change boot code as in your screenshot. is this to be expected?

[erwan.l]

hi erwin.I,

Oh, I seemed to have thought that step was optional for some reason..

now, I open the .img and at the popup prompt for offset I enter 2048 (it has 63 default showing) then when I dbl click the hidden box I get a popup "read file error: the handle is invalid"

FWIW I also skipped step 4 thinking that it is optional because I do not have a W8.1 system. Im guessing I should go back to that part too.


thanks

edit: I just noticed that I only have option button for NT6 and not G4D or ANY to change boot code as in your screenshot. is this to be expected?

 

About your edit : you are looking at the wrong screen!

Bootsector screen has only one NT6 button : you dont need to re inject it as you already have one.

MasterBoot Record screen has 3 buttons : use the NT6 one (I assume you run windows).

 

I suggest :

-you start all over from step1,

-do not skip any steps (as a this what a procedure is meant for),

-and make sure you dont get confused between MBR and BS (this is what I put screenshots in my procedures).

 

Follow the procedure here.

Use latest CloneDisk here.

 

Regards,

Erwan

[Zoso]

OK, I dload clonedisk again driectly from your link above then unzip and when I open the extracted folder I see two clonedisk. one is clonedisk_.exe and the other clondisk.exe

which one to use?

[erwan.l]

OK, I dload clonedisk again driectly from your link above then unzip and when I open the extracted folder I see two clonedisk. one is clonedisk_.exe and the other clondisk.exe

which one to use?

 ignore clonedisk_.exe : should not be there.