Ghost Solution Suite

For the last two months, when I've tried to update the base image using GSS 2.5.1 I've had several issues in capturing the updated base image. When I do this, I deploy the current base image to a dell optiplex 755, run windows updates, application updates etc, make any system changes that have been deemed necessary, and then I boot into the ghost boot partition, map a network drive, launch ghost32.exe and run a disk to image operation. I save the image files as .vmdk's in the network location i mapped to.

The problem we are having is that the image file that is being created is 75GB which is the size of the hard drive instead of 14GB which is the size of the data on the drive. I've tried the -ntc- and -ntexact switches (not at the same time) on both the downghost and upghost processes if you will, and this has not helped. I've searched through several forums but the closest thing i've come up with is this thread, and in it, Deep Freeze is the problem, however we are not using deep freeze. http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/ghost-image-capture-problem-image-size-estimated-size-physical-disk

Can anybody offer any advice on how to create an image of the data on the drive only not the entire drive itself?

Thanks,

AJ

Is any form of encryption in use? This could cause that, since Ghost would not be able to read the file system. Or possibly it is an issue with the SATA driver. Here is a link to the drivers you need:

SATA Drivers for Intel ICH9 and ICH10
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/downloads/sata-drivers-intel-ich9-and-ich10

You may need to recreate your boot media with these drivers added.

Thank you,

Randall Newnham

It's probably the first thing you 've checked. But I had the same issue. Re-check.

What happens if you save it as a .GHO file not a .VMDK?   I bet it is an issue with the conversion not the takeing of the image.    When you create the image what is the stated size of data and drive size in the ghost GUI?  It states how many megs of data are being copied and so on.  I bet it is seeing the data corect.

I don't make vmkds from the dist directly so I can't answer that from the top of my head.   I always go to GHO and then if I need to build a Virtual machine I use the ghost32.exe to convert the GHOs.   

Hope that helps.