Ghost Solution Suite

 View Only
Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

"Error finding Windows installation"

  • 1.  "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Sep 22, 2007 10:14 AM
    Error finding Windows installation.

    Hi, I'm testing new Ghost Suite.
    The following error:
    "Error finding Windows installation" occurs when I run a configuration task (that change pc name and add pc to domain).
    Ghost Client responded and go to ghost partition but task doesn't complete with success.

    How I resolve this problem?

    thanks


  • 2.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 01:50 AM
    Hi,

    Do you use Ghost Boot Partition or Virtual Partition for the Client? If you are not sure, please check the properties of the client in Console, it will say if it is using VP or GBP.

    What is your boot.ini looks like?

    Do you have any USB or other external disks connected to the system?

    Krish


  • 3.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Sep 25, 2007 01:32 PM
    I use Ghost Boot Partition for cliente.
    I haven't any USB or other external disks connected to the system.

    Boot.ini (ghost client):
    "[boot loader]
    timeout=30
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
    Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect"


    thanks


  • 4.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Sep 26, 2007 10:06 AM
    This sounds exactly like an issue we worked with Symantec for months to get corrected. Seems to manifest itself on a second-gen image (i.e. deploy image, modify, capture changed image), but it's possible there are other causes as well. Honestly, I forget. In any event, everything worked fine in GSS 1.1.
     
    We eventually received a patched client, build #1546. This did correct the problem although it introduced an entire other set of problems trying to get it pushed to all of our clients.
     
    Our case # was 311-551-269-Defect 541 if it helps you at all. Good luck.


  • 5.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Sep 30, 2007 02:32 AM
    Hi,

    Thanks for bringing up the TS case. This looks the same.

    Andre, do you have a diagnostic partition in the image?

    The process for changing machine configuration was changed in GSS 2.0. Previously, we used to apply configuration using kernel mode drivers once it boot to Windows. But from 2.0, we apply them just after clone, while the machine still in preOS. So the behavior could be different between 1.1 and 2.0.

    Krish


  • 6.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 10:47 AM
    I occasionally have this issue still. I have read  the two threads I could find on this topic.  I want to bring this back up to the top because I don't see any clear post of what is causing it and what I should be doing to stop it.

    We do often spool out a image, upgrade it, re-image to keep our images up to date. I see that doing this could cause this issue, but are we really supposed to rebuild the image from scratch every 2 months to keep up with windows updates? This seems like overkill.
     
    I also saw something that referred to Symantec might be looking for a pen drive.  We do create our images using DOS ghost from a bootable Memory stick. We do a partition image.  Then put our images on to the ghost console server and create clone tasks. Is this a bad way to go about business? Should the images be created from the ghost console?  I really don't understand how this makes any difference.
     
    Third, I saw a post where someone said do you have a recovery partition in your image? We do not do a full disk image there for we do not have a recovery partition. HOWEVER all machines do have a recovery partition on partition 2. Since we spool only to partition 1 I again don't see this as being part of my problems.

    So if some clarity on this problem and perhaps some comments on how we have decided to maintain our images would be greatly appreciated.


  • 7.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 12:22 PM
    Loren - probably not the boot pen issue in your case unless you are using the memory stick to fire up the Ghost Console Client for your console clone task.
     
    I'm experiencing the problem using a boot pen to launch the console client in order to use the console to perform a bare metal recovery using the clone task. It fails after pushing out the image when it attempts to apply the custom configuration set to the cloned image. Symantec suggest that the problem is probably due to:
     
    "Ghconfig is trying to detect the currently active operating system on the 'boot' disk.  In this case the 'boot' disk is the USB pen drive and hence ghconfig is unable to locate the OS."

    "Ghconfig can be directed to a specific windows installation to update via the /w switch.  Execute 'ghconfig windows' to find windows installations on the system."

    "When under management clients are typically booted from either the hard disk in the computer or via PXE.  Hence the boot hard disk contains the GBP/VP and the OS to update (or at least a pointer to in BCD or BOOT.INI)."
     
    Unfortunately though I'm not in a position to move to PXE boot just yet. Not sure how to get Ghconfig to use the /w switch from the console as yet either.
     
    Dave
    Loren Hudson wrote:
     
    I also saw something that referred to Symantec might be looking for a pen drive.  We do create our images using DOS ghost from a bootable Memory stick. We do a partition image.  Then put our images on to the ghost console server and create clone tasks. Is this a bad way to go about business? Should the images be created from the ghost console?  I really don't understand how this makes any difference.
     


    Message Edited by Ghostly Dave on 10-17-2007 05:25 PM


  • 8.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 18, 2007 02:51 AM
    Hi,

    Dave, in your case you seem to running the task from Console. In that case, the issue of USB boot should not apply. What Ghost build do you use (from Console-About)?

    GHConfig try to find the location of Windows directory and then access the registry for modifications. This was mainly done using boot.ini file and active Windows partition. Could you give the partition layout of the disk, number/type of disks and contents of boot.ini?

    Loren, in your case other than creating the image manually should not make any difference. I presume that you do not change the active partition, but just boot the machine to USB and create the image. You indicated that there is a recovery partiton in 2nd partition. Is that a Windows partition? Does it contain a boot.ini file? Could you give the contents of both boot.ini files if it is there? What is the type and file format of recovery partition?

    About installing updates, there is another method you may be able to use. If you download the necessary updates and copy them to the image, it is possible to install them with a command execution task after clone task. Since you copy the updates to the image, there is no additional overhead of transferring them to the client. In this way, at least you may be able to extend the period of refreshing the image.

    Krish


  • 9.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 18, 2007 05:37 AM
    Hi Krish
     
    Ghost Console Program version: 11.0.0.1502
     
    Single IDE (PATA) 80GB hard drive with two partions 18/62, the first one (NTFS) used for the active system, the second as a data partition to transfer virtual machine drives onto depending on what course we are to be running. gdisk shows disk 1 partition 1 as my boot pen drive and disk 2 partition 1 as my active system partition on the hard drive that I've cloned the image to.

    Interrupting the DOS console client with Ctrl+X then running "ghconfig.exe windows", gives:

    2.1:\WINDOWS "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn 2.1:\WINDOWS default

    so it looks like ghconfig is able to detect the active partition on the hard drive OK.
     
    boot.ini, is as follows:

    [boot loader]
    timeout=30
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin

    However any attempts to use a custom configuration set to apply a hostname results in:

    "Error finding windows installation location"

    Dave



    Message Edited by Ghostly Dave on 10-18-2007 10:39 AM


  • 10.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 19, 2007 03:52 AM
    Hi Dave,

    Looking at the files, it is certainly the pen drive that creates the issue. We try to find the Active Windows installation based on boot.ini. It points to the 1st drive, but actually Windows installation is in the second drive and GhConfig errors out.

    For this to work in this release, hard drive with Windows installation should be the first disk. If I remember correct, some BIOSs allow you to select the emulation type for the USB device. If there is a way to emulate something other than hard disk, it will work correctly.

    Other possibility is running a command execution task in Ghost boot partition to execute GhConfig with "/w 2.1\Windows" parameter. I hadn't had time to check this today, but I'm possitive that this will work. Once the task fails client will remain in Ghost Boot Partition. If you run another task to execute GhConfig with necessary parameters, it should update the system correctly since all the necessary data is already transferred to the GBP. After the command execution, it will boot in to Windows.

    This is not a real solution since it involves another task, but if you try it let me know what happens.

    Krish


  • 11.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 19, 2007 07:20 AM
     
    Hi Krish,
     
    I've just given the ghconfig /w method a try but the ghost console task aborts after attempting to apply the configuration step and thus never attempts the execute step.
     
    The only way I could get it to work was to create a task that does the clone and configuration steps, let it fail, then run a second task with just the execute step, which then picks up the ghregupd.reg file created by the first  task.
     
    I had to change the syntax as well to:  ghconfig /w=2.1:\Windows 
     
    If I recall correctly with pen drives the BIOS tends to allow for floppy emulation, for hard drive emulation or auto
     
    Dave


  • 12.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 19, 2007 09:32 AM
    So its taking me a little time to get the image to fail like it does randomly. However I want to post the boot.ini now and I will keep trying the image for the T43 to fail so I can do a ghconfig and acquire the other information. I am not using a pen drive to do my images, I am only using the ghost console to deploy the images.
    IBM T43 with only 1 partition on the drive.
     

    [boot loader]
    timeout=5
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

     

    IBM T43 with Partition 1 ACT and Partition 2 Hidden with IBM Restore Data

     

    [boot loader]
    timeout=5
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

    So now I just need to get the Ghconfig information. What is strange is the same 3 T43's that failed when I ran the operation again worked fine. 1 T43 with 2 partitions 2 T43 with 1 Partition.



  • 13.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Oct 23, 2007 01:02 AM
    Hi Loren,

    Your boot.ini files are pretty standard, so it can't be the issue.

    If T43s failed in the first time, but successful in the second time means something in the first attempt affected the behaviour. In the first attempt, it would have restored the image to the OS partition and probably that's the difference.

    What did you originally have originally in these machine that failed? If you use any new notebooks, please try to get the partition structure before attempting the task, it may give some clues.

    Krish


  • 14.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Nov 06, 2007 01:11 PM
    hello,
    My problem is resolved.

    For error: "Error finding Windows installation" doesn't occur and the task has success, the windows partiton have to be active.

    Thanks for all
    André Claro


  • 15.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Dec 20, 2007 10:36 PM
    I have limited experience in using GSS 1.1, but I have been able to create some images and clone them onto new Dell laptops using a USB flash drive to install a Ghost Boot Partition, then pushing out the image using a Ghost Console task.  After a botched 'upgrade' to GSS 2.0.1, I'm basically starting fresh.  After working through some other problems, I thought I finally got it working, but now I have the same problem that Andre, Endaar, and Loren are describing above.  Is there an easy fix available for this problem?  I am very frustrated and tired at this point.  Please help!
     
     
    I did the Ctrl + X,  'ghconfig.exe windows' and got the following:
     
    1.2:\WINDOWS "Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
    1.2:\WINDOWS default
     
    I did 'gdisk 1' and got:
     
    Partition 1, Status: A, Type: Primary, Vol Label: -GHOSTBOOT-, System: FAT12
    Partition 2, Status: H, Type: Primary, Vol Label: DelUtility, System: DIAGNOSTIC
    Partition 3, Status: -, Type: Primary, Vol Label: none, System: NTFS/HPFS
     
    The boot.ini from my image:
    [boot loader]
    timeout=0
    default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
    [operating systems]
    multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
    Ghost Console version is 11.0.1.1533
     
     
    Thanks,
    Mike


  • 16.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Jan 09, 2008 01:29 AM
    Hi Mike,

    Does it boot to Windows if you run ghreboot at this point?

    Krish

    Message Edited by Krish Jayaratne on 01-09-2008 06:39 PM


  • 17.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Feb 04, 2008 02:57 PM
    I am having the exact same problem.  And yes, when I run ghreboot the PC reboots into Windows.
     
    Any assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
     
    Thanks.


  • 18.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Feb 05, 2008 01:49 AM
    Hi,

    Do you have a diagnostic partition in the disk? Do you use Ghost Boot Partition or Virtual Partition?

    What version of Ghost do you have (2.0, 2.0.1, or 2.0.2)?

    Krish


  • 19.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Feb 05, 2008 08:38 AM
    Krish,
     
    Good morning.
     
    There is a Dell "Boot to Utility Partition" on the machine.
     
    I am using the Ghost Boot Partition.
     
    The version of Ghost is 2.0.1.
     
    Thanks,
     
    Kenny


  • 20.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Feb 06, 2008 12:34 AM
    Hi Kenny,

    Good morning to you too!

    A similar defect was fixed in last liveupdate build (2.0.2). It is now available for download by running live update. Would you be able to try it?

    Krish


  • 21.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Feb 06, 2008 01:56 PM
    Krish,
     
    Good afternoon.
     
    Installing the update appears to have resolved the problem.  Thanks so much for your help.
     
    Regards,
     
    Kenny


  • 22.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 05:40 AM
    "Hi Kenny,

    Good morning to you too!

    A similar defect was fixed in last liveupdate build (2.0.2). It is now available for download by running live update. Would you be able to try it?

    Krish"


    Just to necro this post a bit, ran into this problem myself, been scratching my head for 3 weeks now on and off trying solve this puzzle, and this was the solution!

    Damn those Dell Diagnostic partitions :P


  • 23.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 03:59 AM
    Hi Slasky,

    Could you describe the issue little more? Since there are several possible reasons for this error?

    Krish


  • 24.  RE: "Error finding Windows installation"

    Posted Apr 28, 2009 05:16 PM
    I am suddenly seeing this frequently but not all the time :(