MS-RAMDRIVE (Z:)

[BoaterDave]

I've not had a great deal of success with Google ......... but I'm sure
someone here will know.

I discovered it whist using Norton Ghost/Analyze/Explore My Computer

Can any of the experts here tell me *why* I've got a Z: drive (!) and
who/what puts
data there? Should I try to delete the data and/or the drive itself? TIA.

David

 

[DL]

Maybe its a recovery partition, installed by the PC supplier?

 

[BoaterDave]

I think not. The PC was 'Homemade' by "the friend of a friend".

I've repaced the hard disk since the build and installed Windows XP Home
from scratch myself.
The only other change I've made was to purchase an extra 250 Mb RAM from
Crucial after
using their own checking programme to make sure I ordered the right card.

Thank you for your thought, DL

David
______________________________________________________________

 

[OS]

Check this out: http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/1763.html

Is it viewable in My Computer?

O

 

[Nepatsfan]

I've not had a great deal of success with Google .........
but I'm sure someone here will know.

I discovered it whist using Norton Ghost/Analyze/Explore My
Computer
Can any of the experts here tell me *why* I've got a Z:
drive (!) and who/what puts
data there? Should I try to delete the data and/or the drive
itself? TIA.
David

It's used by Ghost. I suggest you contact Symantec support if
you have any questions about their product.

FYI, Google found several references to your issue.

Check out the paragraph that starts with "Compared to True
Image though,"
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/81428/symantec-norton-ghost-10.html

Check out reply #5 from Ghost4me
http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1131831389

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I've not had a great deal of success with Google ......... but I'm
sure someone here will know.

I discovered it whist using Norton Ghost/Analyze/Explore My Computer

Can any of the experts here tell me *why* I've got a Z: drive (!) and
who/what puts
data there?

Are you sure it's a ramdrive? How do you know?

Have you looked at the drive in My Computer? What files are in it?

Also look to see if the number of files or the files' date/time stamps
change over time.

Should I try to delete the data and/or the drive itself?

Probably, but if I were in your shoes, I'd want to know more about what it
is before doing it. You may be able to delete it, but you might have to
change other settings first.

 

[BoaterDave]

Thank you for that link "OS" - interesting! I've now got to try to find
"Config.sys" and look there!

The drive is *NOT* visible in My Computer - only when I've used Ghost to
explore.
I now suspect that it might be part and parcel of Norton Ghost itself (see
other answers in this thread).

David
_______________________________________________________

 

[BoaterDave]

Hi Nepatsfan

Very helpful and interesting information. Many thanks!

David
___________________________________________

 

[BoaterDave]

Hi Ken

Are you sure it's a ramdrive? How do you know?

That's what it says on my PC screen!
Local Disk (C NORTONGHOST (X and MS-RAMDRIVE (Z

Have you looked at the drive in My Computer? What files are in it?

It only shows up when I'm using Ghost!

Also look to see if the number of files or the files' date/time stamps
change over time.


Probably, but if I were in your shoes, I'd want to know more about what it
is before doing it. You may be able to delete it, but you might have to
change other settings first.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet - but I'm thinking about it!

Many thanks for your comments, though. Much appreciated!

David

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi Ken



That's what it says on my PC screen!
Local Disk (C NORTONGHOST (X and MS-RAMDRIVE (Z


It only shows up when I'm using Ghost!

I think someone else stated that it was part of Ghost. What you say here
would seem to confirm that.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet - but I'm thinking about it!

No, don't delete it. If it's part of Ghost, and it's only there while Ghost
is running, leave it alone. You will undoubtedly screw up something in Ghost
if you fool with it. Ignore what I said earlier.

 

[Pop`]

It's used by Ghost. I suggest you contact Symantec support if
you have any questions about their product.

FYI, Google found several references to your issue.

Check out the paragraph that starts with "Compared to True
Image though,"
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/81428/symantec-norton-ghost-10.html

Check out reply #5 from Ghost4me
http://radified.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1131831389

Good luck

Nepatsfan

Symantec has made a real mess out of what passes for documentation for
Ghost, esp version 10. It's pretty pathetic, actually, and way worse than
PowerQuest ever came up with before they sold it!

I was going to notify you of a couple of errors in the PCPro page, but they
won't let me back in without signing up, so they can go join the realm of
the rest of the bass-turds, far as I'm concerned. Right now the only error
I can recall was they said Ghost wouldn't lie you backup/recover a single
file - and that's just wrong. You can select anything anywhere to backup,
and restore it to its original or any other location of your choosing. There
were a couple others but I don't recall them right now. It kind of blew
their integrity away for me, to tell the truth.
I like Ghost, but abhor what they've done to the docs.

I don't recall how I did it, but I created an ISO CD for restorations that
used drive R. So, you -could- follow the instructions to create a new ISO
CD and adjust the drive letter that way.

Caveat: It's bad form to name drives willy nilly to something like Z
because other windows operations, including automatically mapping drives,
will also start at Z and work forward from there; it's intentional to keep
drive letter sets visibly separated. If you want to create an odd drive
letter, just make it one that's several letters past your last used drive
letter; that keeps it out of th eway of future things that can be confusing.
I simply make my ext drives the last drive letter used.

HTH
Pop`

 

[Pop`]

Are you sure it's a ramdrive? How do you know?

Have you looked at the drive in My Computer? What files are in it?

Also look to see if the number of files or the files' date/time stamps
change over time.




Probably, but if I were in your shoes, I'd want to know more about
what it is before doing it. You may be able to delete it, but you
might have to change other settings first.

Ken,

The Z ramdrive is indeed created by Ghost, but only if you use the ISO image
CD (to do a restore after a catastrophic failure). The ISO Cd isn't really
intended to be used except under catastrophic circumstances, in which case
things like external drives aren't an issue because they've almost always
gone missing.
I suspect the OP ran into a testing/configuation issue that wasn't quite
"real world". I had the same issues myself, in fact, and found the Z drive,
but it was no problem for me. My major complaint was that I felt it was
done without my knowledge. When (if) one gets to the right documentation,
it is explained but it's a bitch to find it! I have them all saved on hard
disk as Word files now.

Pop`

 

[Pop`]

Thank you for that link "OS" - interesting! I've now got to try to
find "Config.sys" and look there!

The drive is *NOT* visible in My Computer - only when I've used Ghost
to explore.
I now suspect that it might be part and parcel of Norton Ghost itself
(see other answers in this thread).

David
_______________________________________________________

It is; I believe you'll only see it when you've used the ISO CD.

Pop`

 

[BoaterDave]

Thanks Pop'!

 

[BoaterDave]

Symantec has made a real mess out of what passes for documentation for

Ghost, esp version 10. It's pretty pathetic, actually, and way worse than
PowerQuest ever came up with before they sold it!

I was going to notify you of a couple of errors in the PCPro page, but
they won't let me back in without signing up, so they can go join the
realm of the rest of the bass-turds, far as I'm concerned. Right now the
only error I can recall was they said Ghost wouldn't lie you
backup/recover a single file - and that's just wrong. You can select
anything anywhere to backup, and restore it to its original or any other
location of your choosing. There were a couple others but I don't recall
them right now. It kind of blew their integrity away for me, to tell the
truth.
I like Ghost, but abhor what they've done to the docs.

I don't recall how I did it, but I created an ISO CD for restorations that
used drive R. So, you -could- follow the instructions to create a new ISO
CD and adjust the drive letter that way.

Caveat: It's bad form to name drives willy nilly to something like Z
because other windows operations, including automatically mapping drives,
will also start at Z and work forward from there; it's intentional to keep
drive letter sets visibly separated. If you want to create an odd drive
letter, just make it one that's several letters past your last used drive
letter; that keeps it out of th eway of future things that can be
confusing. I simply make my ext drives the last drive letter used.

HTH
Pop`

Thanks once again Pop'. I'll try to remember what you have said!

David

 

[BoaterDave]

Thanks again for your comments, Ken. No action taken!

David

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks again for your comments, Ken. No action taken!

You're welcome. Glad to help.