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Funny problem after image restore.


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#1
MaMister

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I have a sony vaio laptop that comes with recovery option ( hidden partition).

c:(hidden 5GB)
d:WinXP Home (20GB)
e:Others (35GB)

I have a wonderful thinking that if I clone my existing working OS to a image file

Then delete the hidden partition and my xp drive, recreate a 25GB primary active partition and restore the image.

Wonderful idea to do, now the problem comes after restoring the image....

It boots ok. Load with winxp logo ok. The bars below finish moving. Then it stucks at the place BEFORE the prompting for log in password comes out...... Only a small Microsoft windows logo thats all..... any idea?

Edited by MaMister, 08 July 2006 - 06:37 AM.

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#2
MaMister

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Safemode also won't start, happens same thing too....

Edited by MaMister, 08 July 2006 - 12:03 AM.

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#3
Neil Jones

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What you've done is upset Windows. Because you've ripped out the hidden partition that Sony have put on, everything is now one drive letter out. Your computer is looking for stuff on Drive D (where it was before) and can't find it, as its now on Drive C. Therefore Windows doesn't handle this situation with any grace whatsoever and just hangs.

Whether there is a way to get around this without a way to get into Windows I don't know. You may have no option but to wipe the entire thing. Whether Sony's recovery CDs replace this partition (wiping the drive in the process) I couldn't say.
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#4
wannabe1

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Hi MaMister...

Neil is right about what's probably happened. The boot.ini contained in the image is looking to boot to Disk0 Partition1. After wiping the drive and repartitioning, there is no longer a Partition1 to boot to...only Partition0.

Doing a recovery with the Sony CD should get you back up and running, but the machine will be as it was when you purchased it.

OR you may be able to affect a repair to the boot.ini from Recovery Console using This Procedure.

wannabe1
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#5
pip22

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wannabee1 said: "Doing a recovery with the Sony CD should get you back up and running".........

But his recovery files were on the partition he's deleted, not on a CD (as I understand it).
Unless he had the option and good sense to make a CD recovery set before deleting the partition (like HP computers do), I think he may have to fork out for a boxed copy of XP unless Sony is willing to help.

Edited by pip22, 09 July 2006 - 03:22 AM.

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#6
Neil Jones

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Some Sony laptops come with actual physical recovery CDs despite the presence (or not in this case) of a recovery partition. It's usually everybody else that relies fully on the hidden partition in order to recover the system.
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