Solve : Attempt to clone laptop HD is causing laptop to cycle without

1.	Solve : Attempt to clone laptop HD is causing laptop to cycle without booting?
Answer» While trying to clone my laptop's hard drive (running Windows XP Pro) so as to install its mirror image on my desktop, I must have done something that caused this message "LTDR MISSING." When I googled that message for help, I found your forum, and did as instructed, or at least I think I did. I know I inserted the W XP cd disk at the right moment, pressed the "r" key as instructed but never got to hit the 1 key. Right now the computer is endlessly booting into Windows, then entering setup's first WINDOW but never stopping long enough so as to allow me to repeat the instructions before it goes crazily about repeating the aforesaid cyle. I've checked the BIOS to make sure it is still got the hard drive as first in the boot order. But, no luck. Unless I press the "off" button, it seems as though the laptop would go till doomsday. I appreciate any adice and thank all in advance for the assistance. mbrand. Hi, Lots of people hee to try and help you. Yes, some OEM CDs of Windows XP to NOT have the repair option. But first a few questions. Whay kind of laptop? What type of HDD? What kind of Desktop? How did you interface the laptop HDD? Quote install its mirror image on my desktop Did you mean to say that you made a copy or backup of the laptop HDD using a suitable image program? Which program? (Some programs will alter system information on the source disk. Who knows why.) Did you mean to say that now your Desktop runs the Laptop XP system? Were you able to "see" the files on the Laptop HDD? Do you have anyway to force the laptop to boot from a CD? Such as BartsPE or any other diagnostic CD? Hi , Manythanks (no kidding ). The laptop is a Dell Inspiron that's been my main computer for a year or two while I decided how to get and what to get to help me as a writer and photographer (both my main work(s) before I retired). Within the last month, I bought on Dell auction, a WS380 and a smaller Dell Optilex GX 280. I'm using the latter right now to type this reply. I intended to upload the laptop's hardrive (its image, really) onto the workstation which is the niftier of the two Dells, and use that as my main computer for writing and photography work. I didn't want to have to buy another copy of Photoshop since I had a working copy of the software as well as my photos on the laptop, so...... I bought Ghost 14 and a tryout of Acronis. I tried the Acronis (very lengthy process that took about three hours), which didn't work out, even after the software's people spent several hours trying to make it so. (While I did manage to get the software to mirror-image the laptop's HD and transplant it onto the WS380, I didn't have whatever was necessary to unlock the image (its a TIB file).) So, I thought to use the Ghost 14, which I did own. It was during the process of using said software that I somehow unhinged the laptop and got the message that the LTDR was not to be had or was injured or somehow among the MIA. Yes, I can boot the laptop (I'm pretty sure using a floppy or a CD. No, the transplanting of the laptop's OS to the desktop hasn't happened as yet. And no, I can't see anything on the laptop right now or even its image on the desktop. I'm using an Iomega BUP machine with a 120GB HD to copy the laptop's HD. I hope this helps you to help me and I do appreciate the help. Mbrand I just happen to be using a Dell 280 right now. Nice, but now I wish it was a standard size, can not put stuff inside it. Norton Ghost can be put on a CD. At least the old version I had. It can send an image out over a LAN in some ceases. If the laptop has NetBios. Some do. To be bookable, the image has to go on a primary partition, most often the one and only. The partition has to be active. Some people will contradict me on this, but I have never been able to boot a primary partition that was not active. Norton Ghost may not always set the partition active. I am not sure of this, but I recall I have had that problem.So I would boot a Linux Live CD and use the GB part thing to just set the active flag. Big overkill, but that way I don't have to try Partition Magic and try to wade my way through the maze. The Linux thing is quick and easy, but possibly risky. I was able to make an image of my XP configuration of the system inside of XP. I used a program from Run time Software. Free. I would map a network drive. Then use the DriveImage XML to create a image on the network drive. The network drive was mapped to empty folder on a very Huge partition on my workshop machine out in the barn. Int a reasonable amount of time, I have and image on my workshop server. http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm I do NOT like Acorn, or whatever it is called. I bought it and stop using it. I just could not understand what is was trying to do. The XML program stays inside the limits of XP and does things the XP way and I understand what it is doing. The image it makes can only be used by XML, but that is not a problem. The program is free and very RELIABLE and predictable. With an adapter you can use you main computer to read the laptop drive. Google Laptop to Desktop IDE adapter. BTW. You can read IDE drives on a computer with SATA drives if the CD-Drive is IDE. Just use the cable from the CD-drive and reboot the machine. The bios will find you have a new HDD in place of the CD-Drive. At this point, I think the best thing is to take a look at the laptop drive and see if there's a way to recover the files. Hope I did not overload this thread, but this sort of thing is in my recent memory and I just had to let it out. Ask me later and I might forget. Almost forgot, Yes, you can make the second drive, (drive 1?), active in drive management in Windows XP. Hi, At this point, I'm pretty dscouraged. Idon't understand what you're suggesting I do (chalk it up to my inexperience ) I've spent most of this MORNING and the afternoon trying to download and make an ASR, i.e. until I saw the computer figuring it had to download something like 22 hours worth of files. I went back to the laptop and it endlessly cycles (recycles) noting first that "insufficient resources exist for completion) -- which is after it tried to run setup. It will finally (after loading a slew of windows files) give me the message that "the requested operation was unsuccessful." I can cable (I'm pretty sure) my desktop to the laptop in a two computer network. How would that help is my question. I've also got two floppies from years ago. One s a system boot disk and the other is a Windows 98 startup disk for a thinkpad. Are either of these any help. Tell me, should I be trying to get the laptop to boot and if and when I do, what then? Is there anything I can do in Setup, because I've been able to get in there with no trouble. I appreciate your patience and time. I hate to think of pulling the plug on the laptop. Thanks again for any and all suggestions, mbrand OK. Sometimes things work, sometimes the don't Using a floppy disk or CD with Norton Ghost. Our objective is to crate monster file that represents all the stuff on the Laptop Hard Drive, except the free space. This file we shall be stored on you Desktop as a safety net. We don;t want to lose anything on that drive, if at all possible. If the computer boots a floppy disk, that is a starting point. Likewise if it can Boot a CD. Norton Ghost can do it either way. So we want to try and recover as much as we can off of the hard drive before things get any worse.Or we make things worse. The Norton Ghost is able to boot from a CD and them send an image of the local Hard Drive over the network using NetBios. You would, i recall, also have to have your Desktop set up to act as host for the operation. I think you have to prepare two Botable Cd's, one for each machine. (It has been awhile since I did this.) I believe that you can also do it with a floppy, but there can be a problem getting on the Ghost stuff on one floppy if you want all the possible options. Maybe that is why I use Cd's instead of floppies when I can. Is there enough free space on your desktop to receive an image of the laptop Windows XP? sometimes you can have 20GB of stuff on the drive. The image will be a bit smaller due to compression. The image by itself is not usefull. But we need it if we fail to fix the laptop drive. With the image we can put it back just like it was and try again. I now do my repair work this way. I do not try to fix a drive until I have a virtual image of the drive somewhere. Norton Ghost can use this to put the drive back just like it was. I don't like the others as much, because they are to hard to learn and you can make a bad mistake. Of course, with any you have to think about what you are doing. Let me know if you are comfortable with using Norton Ghost. If it seems too much, we can do something else.

Solve : Attempt to clone laptop HD is causing laptop to cycle without booting?

Answer»

While trying to clone my laptop's hard drive (running Windows XP Pro) so as to install its mirror image on my desktop, I must have done something that caused this message "LTDR MISSING."

When I googled that message for help, I found your forum, and did as instructed, or at least I think I did. I know I inserted the W XP cd disk at the right moment, pressed the "r" key as instructed but never got to hit the 1 key.

Right now the computer is endlessly booting into Windows, then entering setup's first WINDOW but never stopping long enough so as to allow me to repeat the instructions before it goes crazily about repeating the aforesaid cyle.

I've checked the BIOS to make sure it is still got the hard drive as first in the boot order. But, no luck. Unless I press the "off" button, it seems as though the laptop would go till doomsday. I appreciate any adice and thank all in advance for the assistance.

mbrand.

Hi, Lots of people hee to try and help you.
Yes, some OEM CDs of Windows XP to NOT have the repair option.
But first a few questions.
Whay kind of laptop? What type of HDD?
What kind of Desktop?
How did you interface the laptop HDD?
Quote

install its mirror image on my desktop

Did you mean to say that you made a copy or backup of the laptop HDD using a suitable image program? Which program? (Some programs will alter system information on the source disk. Who knows why.)
Did you mean to say that now your Desktop runs the Laptop XP system?
Were you able to "see" the files on the Laptop HDD?

Do you have anyway to force the laptop to boot from a CD?
Such as BartsPE or any other diagnostic CD?

Hi ,

Manythanks (no kidding ). The laptop is a Dell Inspiron that's been my main computer for a year or two while I decided how to get and what to get to help me as a writer and photographer (both my main work(s) before I retired).
Within the last month, I bought on Dell auction, a WS380 and a smaller Dell Optilex GX 280. I'm using the latter right now to type this reply. I intended to upload the laptop's hardrive (its image, really) onto the workstation which is the niftier of the two Dells, and use that as my main computer for writing and photography work. I didn't want to have to buy another copy of Photoshop since I had a working copy of the software as well as my photos on the laptop, so......
I bought Ghost 14 and a tryout of Acronis. I tried the Acronis (very lengthy process that took about three hours), which didn't work out, even after the software's people spent several hours trying to make it so. (While I did manage to get the software to mirror-image the laptop's HD and transplant it onto the WS380, I didn't have whatever was necessary to unlock the image (its a TIB file).) So, I thought to use the Ghost 14, which I did own.
It was during the process of using said software that I somehow unhinged the laptop and got the message that the LTDR was not to be had or was injured or somehow among the MIA.
Yes, I can boot the laptop (I'm pretty sure using a floppy or a CD.
No, the transplanting of the laptop's OS to the desktop hasn't happened as yet. And no, I can't see anything on the laptop right now or even its image on the desktop.
I'm using an Iomega BUP machine with a 120GB HD to copy the laptop's HD.

I hope this helps you to help me and I do appreciate the help.

Mbrand

I just happen to be using a Dell 280 right now. Nice, but now I wish it was a standard size, can not put stuff inside it.
Norton Ghost can be put on a CD. At least the old version I had. It can send an image out over a LAN in some ceases. If the laptop has NetBios. Some do.
To be bookable, the image has to go on a primary partition, most often the one and only. The partition has to be active. Some people will contradict me on this, but I have never been able to boot a primary partition that was not active.
Norton Ghost may not always set the partition active. I am not sure of this, but I recall I have had that problem.So I would boot a Linux Live CD and use the GB part thing to just set the active flag. Big overkill, but that way I don't have to try Partition Magic and try to wade my way through the maze. The Linux thing is quick and easy, but possibly risky.
I was able to make an image of my XP configuration of the system inside of XP. I used a program from Run time Software. Free. I would map a network drive. Then use the DriveImage XML to create a image on the network drive. The network drive was mapped to empty folder on a very Huge partition on my workshop machine out in the barn. Int a reasonable amount of time, I have and image on my workshop server.
http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm
I do NOT like Acorn, or whatever it is called. I bought it and stop using it. I just could not understand what is was trying to do. The XML program stays inside the limits of XP and does things the XP way and I understand what it is doing. The image it makes can only be used by XML, but that is not a problem. The program is free and very RELIABLE and predictable.
With an adapter you can use you main computer to read the laptop drive.
Google Laptop to Desktop IDE adapter.
BTW. You can read IDE drives on a computer with SATA drives if the CD-Drive is IDE. Just use the cable from the CD-drive and reboot the machine. The bios will find you have a new HDD in place of the CD-Drive.
At this point, I think the best thing is to take a look at the laptop drive and see if there's a way to recover the files.
Hope I did not overload this thread, but this sort of thing is in my recent memory and I just had to let it out. Ask me later and I might forget.
Almost forgot, Yes, you can make the second drive, (drive 1?), active in drive management in Windows XP. Hi,

At this point, I'm pretty dscouraged. Idon't understand what you're suggesting I do (chalk it up to my inexperience )

I've spent most of this MORNING and the afternoon trying to download and make an ASR, i.e. until I saw the computer figuring it had to download something like 22 hours worth of files.

I went back to the laptop and it endlessly cycles (recycles) noting first that "insufficient resources exist for completion) -- which is after it tried to run setup. It will finally (after loading a slew of windows files) give me the message that "the requested operation was unsuccessful."

I can cable (I'm pretty sure) my desktop to the laptop in a two computer network. How would that help is my question. I've also got two floppies from years ago. One s a system boot disk and the other is a Windows 98 startup disk for a thinkpad. Are either of these any help. Tell me, should I be trying to get the laptop to boot and if and when I do, what then? Is there anything I can do in Setup, because I've been able to get in there with no trouble.

I appreciate your patience and time. I hate to think of pulling the plug on the laptop.

Thanks again for any and all suggestions,

mbrand

OK. Sometimes things work, sometimes the don't

Using a floppy disk or CD with Norton Ghost.
Our objective is to crate monster file that represents all the stuff on the Laptop Hard Drive, except the free space. This file we shall be stored on you Desktop as a safety net. We don;t want to lose anything on that drive, if at all possible.

If the computer boots a floppy disk, that is a starting point.
Likewise if it can Boot a CD. Norton Ghost can do it either way.

So we want to try and recover as much as we can off of the hard drive before things get any worse.Or we make things worse.
The Norton Ghost is able to boot from a CD and them send an image of the local Hard Drive over the network using NetBios. You would, i recall, also have to have your Desktop set up to act as host for the operation. I think you have to prepare two Botable Cd's, one for each machine. (It has been awhile since I did this.)
I believe that you can also do it with a floppy, but there can be a problem getting on the Ghost stuff on one floppy if you want all the possible
options. Maybe that is why I use Cd's instead of floppies when I can.
Is there enough free space on your desktop to receive an image of the laptop Windows XP? sometimes you can have 20GB of stuff on the drive. The image will be a bit smaller due to compression. The image by itself is not usefull. But we need it if we fail to fix the laptop drive. With the image we can put it back just like it was and try again. I now do my repair work this way. I do not try to fix a drive until I have a virtual image of the drive somewhere. Norton Ghost can use this to put the drive back just like it was.
I don't like the others as much, because they are to hard to learn and you can make a bad mistake. Of course, with any you have to think about what you are doing.
Let me know if you are comfortable with using Norton Ghost.
If it seems too much, we can do something else.

Solve : Attempt to clone laptop HD is causing laptop to cycle without booting?

Discussion

No Comment Found

Related InterviewSolutions

Reply to Comment