trying to go from win98 to xp using restore discs

i tried to restore with ghost and got an error saying unexpected end of file and lost win98 and had to reformat

 

make one huge file first.

It seems that the image is containrd in the 2 files, one on each of the CDs, so you will have to copy both files to a folder on your HDD and concatinate them, making a single file. There are dos commands and programs to do this. For example:
copy /b file1 + file2 fileA
as indicated here.

Then direct ghost to this file. It may be necessary to make two partitions with fdisk first so that the program doesn't have to put the file over itself (put the combined file on the second disk, d:\)

You don't need to reinstall windows to do this. just boot to dos with a floppy or when you format c do
format c: /s
and boot to c:

 

clearer?

Maybe this will be more clear. This is what I'd try.

First: boot to a: with a windows startup disk and run fdisk and delete primary partition. Then create primary partition using 50% of hdd. Then create another partition using the rest of the hdd. Reboot (ctrl-alt-del).

Second:
format c: /s
then
format d:

Next: reboot (ctrl-alt-del) to a: with the windows startup disk with CD support and
copy (from the CDs) T4160.gho and T4160001.ghs to d: , like:
copy e:\T4160.gho d: and
copy e:\T4160001.ghs d:
and then change to d: by:
d:
copy /b T4160.gho + T4160001.ghs t.gho

Then reboot with the ghost floppy(s) and run the ghost program telling it to use d:\t.gho for the recovery.

If this is successful, you have restored XP, otherwise you may have to use a second HDD for d:
Good luck.

 

when i typed this command:
format c: /s
i got this message:
bad command or file name

i then deleted the 2 paritions and made just 1 using 100% and still got bad command or file name from typing format c:

 

You must be using a win98 or win98se startup disk for this.
You can get one from your friends, or make one in win98 by going to control panel, add/delete programs, startup disk tab.

You do need 2 partitions, c and d to do the restore properly, because ghost wont restore to the same disk on which the file resides - I checked. If this doesn't work out for you, there are some other, more complicated things to try, such as running ghost from the command line in dos, with arguements. I hope we don't have to try that, but it's a possibility.

 

Boot Disk Downloads

Johanna

 

the boot disc i used when trying this is a windows 98se boot disc

 

That should work. Check that it's making a ramdisk, either c:, d: or e: i think; I'd do this by, at the a:>
dir c: and/or dir d: or/and dir e: , or more if you can't find the ramdisk there, until you see the disk described as a ramdisk above the list of files.

You should see the format.com file in the ramdisk.
You may have to make a new startup disk, or download one as Johanna suggested if yours doesn't have the file format.com.

You DO need two disks, so make two partitions.

On further reflection, when you have reached the point of running ghost, tell ghost to use:
d:\T4160.gho and see if it will find the second part of the image by itself (with both images on d: ). If it doesn't, then try the suggestion in my previous post (d:\t.gho).

Don't give up! Good luck!

 

True. I looked at my ghost split files and the first has a header, but the second does not appear to have a header. Of course the OEM is the only one who knows for certain. But, I think it's worth a try to concatenate them; it certainly can't hurt and may work.

 

well it turns out that my second restore cd is in fact defective because it keeps quitting on me when i try to copy the gho image to the hdd partition so i will have to order a new one from emachines and then try it

 

From post #24.

That details the problem quite well.

WHY are you wasting time ?

OEM machines are not meant to be formated. Doing so destorys everything. Maybe even from the boot sector on up. If there was such a thing as a hidden ( or special ) partition it has more than likely been destoryed.

I believe that partition is what some of the install files may be copied to and used during the install ( or recovery process ).

The 2nd CD may not be actually defective. It may just be set to read only or set to be read by something from the 1st CD. Or even something that the first CD puts on the HD. Or they may even be the ones put into special ( hidden ) partition.

YES ! I may be guessing. But that is the way I see it. Or the way I think. Your call.

BillyBob

 

When you buy a machine it's yours and you can do with it what you want. And formatting does NOT remove any partitions, hidden or not. Only the installation of win98 may have removed code on the drive that an original mbr may have referred to that called a program to run the restore CDs. But even installing win98 wouldn't destroy another partition, only the mbr. The only formatting fonzbear2000 has done was under our direction and that was after this problem developed. When fonzbear2000 ran the restore disk it should have replaced the mbr from the factory installation, and maybe (s)he gave up too soon; it might be worthwhile to retry the CD after the first effort fails, because the original mbr would be present then.

If this were my problem and I realized that I didn't have an XP CD, I'd purchase one; they're available online for the high $80s; unless emachines is willing to replace his CDs and the new ones work.

 

That could well be the case.

OK. So along with guessing I may be learning.

I have only worked with one OEM machine and I quit almost as soon as I started because it was working and I had NO IDEA what to do.

BillyBob

 

They're just like any other computer - nothing magical or mystical.

I'll go along with Sparrow, voting for fonzbear to get an XP CD and take it from there - he/she can get all the drivers that XP doesn't handle right off emachine's website. Actually, those little emachines are pretty nice boxes for the money - too bad Gateway bought em' - they'll be going downhill from here on out.