Repartitioning System Drive on Dual-Boot Laptop

[Mobius]

We came across an old laptop that we would like to "redo" so it can serve
well for a kid for the time-being.

It is a Sony VAIO PCG-FX340 with a 14.3 GB hard drive divided into two
partitions - one with Windows XP Home and the other with Windows XP
Professional.

We would like to retain the Home edition as the laptop originally came with
this and we do not have the original set-up discs.

Can we use Acronis TrueImage to clone the Home partition to an external USB
drive, delete the partitions + format the system drive with one partition,
and restore the TrueImage clone back to it and expect everything to work? I
realize that the reference to Windows XP Pro in boot.ini has to be edited
out besides.

What could be other ways to do this?

Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

Mobius

 

[Dave Patrick]

What is the physical disk *and* partition arrangement? In other words which
disk and partition is the system partition? and boot partition? Be aware
that Microsoft defines the boot partition for the partition where the
operating system is installed, while the system partition is the first
primary active partition (where the boot sector resides) The system
partition can also be the boot partition for one operating system. Which
operating system is installed on the system partition?


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| We came across an old laptop that we would like to "redo" so it can serve
| well for a kid for the time-being.
|
| It is a Sony VAIO PCG-FX340 with a 14.3 GB hard drive divided into two
| partitions - one with Windows XP Home and the other with Windows XP
| Professional.
|
| We would like to retain the Home edition as the laptop originally came
with
| this and we do not have the original set-up discs.
|
| Can we use Acronis TrueImage to clone the Home partition to an external
USB
| drive, delete the partitions + format the system drive with one partition,
| and restore the TrueImage clone back to it and expect everything to work?
I
| realize that the reference to Windows XP Pro in boot.ini has to be edited
| out besides.
|
| What could be other ways to do this?
|
| Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated.
|
| Thanks in anticipation.
|
| Mobius
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

 

[Mobius]

Thanks for the response.

The disk is partitioned into C and D. Windows XP Home is on the C partition
and XP Pro is on D.

Boot.ini is set to boot from partition 2 (D) if no option is selected within
the time-out period (set at 10 seconds on this machine). The exact boot.ini
reads:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"
/fastdetect /NOExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition"
/fastdetect
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought I could create a clone of the first partition on a USB drive,
delete partitions and reformat the system drive, and reclone it from the
external drive with TrueImage.

Beforehand I would edit the boot.ini to read:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]
timeout=15
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------

We do not have contact with the original owner of this unit, which came by
way of someone discarding "non-necessary" stuff on moving. The kid actually
got this as a "reward" for his helping out, mostly as a source of sideline
encouragement and soda-pop fetcher.

Regards and thanks. Hope this information is useful in formulating a
workable solution.

Mobius

What is the physical disk *and* partition arrangement? In other words
which
disk and partition is the system partition? and boot partition? Be aware
that Microsoft defines the boot partition for the partition where the
operating system is installed, while the system partition is the first
primary active partition (where the boot sector resides) The system
partition can also be the boot partition for one operating system. Which
operating system is installed on the system partition?


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| We came across an old laptop that we would like to "redo" so it can
serve
| well for a kid for the time-being.
|
| It is a Sony VAIO PCG-FX340 with a 14.3 GB hard drive divided into two
| partitions - one with Windows XP Home and the other with Windows XP
| Professional.
|
| We would like to retain the Home edition as the laptop originally came
with
| this and we do not have the original set-up discs.
|
| Can we use Acronis TrueImage to clone the Home partition to an external
USB
| drive, delete the partitions + format the system drive with one
partition,
| and restore the TrueImage clone back to it and expect everything to
work?
I
| realize that the reference to Windows XP Pro in boot.ini has to be
edited
| out besides.
|
| What could be other ways to do this?
|
| Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated.
|
| Thanks in anticipation.
|
| Mobius
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

 

[Dave Patrick]

OK I haven't used TrueImage but it is certainly doable with Norton Ghost.
One of the restore options is to "Resize drive to fill unallocated space"


--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Thanks for the response.
|
| The disk is partitioned into C and D. Windows XP Home is on the C
partition
| and XP Pro is on D.
|
| Boot.ini is set to boot from partition 2 (D) if no option is selected
within
| the time-out period (set at 10 seconds on this machine). The exact
boot.ini
| reads:
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
| [boot loader]
| timeout=10
| default=multi(0)disk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
| [operating systems]
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\="Microsoft Windows XP Professional"
| /fastdetect /NOExecute=OptIn
| multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition"
| /fastdetect
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| I thought I could create a clone of the first partition on a USB drive,
| delete partitions and reformat the system drive, and reclone it from the
| external drive with TrueImage.
|
| Beforehand I would edit the boot.ini to read:
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
| [boot loader]
| timeout=15
| 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
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| We do not have contact with the original owner of this unit, which came by
| way of someone discarding "non-necessary" stuff on moving. The kid
actually
| got this as a "reward" for his helping out, mostly as a source of sideline
| encouragement and soda-pop fetcher.
|
| Regards and thanks. Hope this information is useful in formulating a
| workable solution.
|
| Mobius

 

[Mobius]

Thanks for the response.

I will be going ahead with the procedure sometime tomorrow.

I have Ghost 2003 available too. However, it was not able to see the USB
drive on the laptop, whereas TrueImage could at first go. The resizing
option does not seem to be available with Acronis but it seems to do this
automatically as I have used it to change a couple of defective drives
earlier which were replaced with units with different capacities.

Regards and thanks again. I am encouraged with your responses.

Mobius

 

[Dave Patrick]

You're welcome and good luck.

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| Thanks for the response.
|
| I will be going ahead with the procedure sometime tomorrow.
|
| I have Ghost 2003 available too. However, it was not able to see the USB
| drive on the laptop, whereas TrueImage could at first go. The resizing
| option does not seem to be available with Acronis but it seems to do this
| automatically as I have used it to change a couple of defective drives
| earlier which were replaced with units with different capacities.
|
| Regards and thanks again. I am encouraged with your responses.
|
| Mobius
| ----------

 

[Jonny]

Believe TI was meant more for an imaging program that a cloning. Would
certainly be faster this way. TI doesn't need a partition created or
formatted in either case for restoration.

Just be sure the TI boot media can "see" the USB drive before starting the
process.

 

[Guest]

For some reason, you don't want XP Pro to stay on this computer??

Why not just use XP Home to delete XP Pro partition and recreate/reformat
partition. Use this partition for data files. Remove XP from boot.ini file.

Pretty simple. Don't have to mess with disk imaging etc.

 

[Rock]

We came across an old laptop that we would like to "redo" so it can serve
well for a kid for the time-being.

It is a Sony VAIO PCG-FX340 with a 14.3 GB hard drive divided into two
partitions - one with Windows XP Home and the other with Windows XP
Professional.

We would like to retain the Home edition as the laptop originally came with
this and we do not have the original set-up discs.

Can we use Acronis TrueImage to clone the Home partition to an external USB
drive, delete the partitions + format the system drive with one partition,
and restore the TrueImage clone back to it and expect everything to work? I
realize that the reference to Windows XP Pro in boot.ini has to be edited
out besides.

What could be other ways to do this?

Any suggestions would be welcome and very much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation.

Mobius

You don't need to go to the trouble of copying the drive image and
restoring. Just remove the XP Pro installation files, merge the two
partition using a program that can do this non destructively, and then
edit the boot.ini or in msconfig in the boot.ini section click "Check
all boot paths" button. It will offer to remove the invalid entry.

Among the programs that do non destructive partitioning are Partition
Magic, which you must purchase, or BootitNG from Terabyte Unlimited
which offers a full featured 30 day free trail so you should be able to
do the repartioning for no cost.

 

[Guest]

Editing the boot.ini file is only temporary change when using msconfig. Once
you restore Msconfig to Normal Startup, it puts entry back in boot.ini file.

try it!!

Have to edit boot.ini by changing attributes thru command prompt or thru
edit My Computer>System Properties>Startup and recovery

 

[Rock]

Editing the boot.ini file is only temporary change when using msconfig. Once
you restore Msconfig to Normal Startup, it puts entry back in boot.ini file.

try it!!

Have to edit boot.ini by changing attributes thru command prompt or thru
edit My Computer>System Properties>Startup and recovery

"Rock" wrote:

Not when using the check all boot paths option.

 

[Guest]

You're absolutely positive?

It removes it but will revert to original boot.ini file when msconfig is
reset to Noraml Startup.

I could be wrong but I thought I checked this once before.
I'm willing to eat crow if needed.

 

[Rock]

You're absolutely positive?

It removes it but will revert to original boot.ini file when msconfig is
reset to Noraml Startup.

I could be wrong but I thought I checked this once before.
I'm willing to eat crow if needed.

Can't say I'm certain about it, but I believe so.