CTRL+F11 and Custom Restore Image

Question

I have poured through numerous docs and posts regarding creating custom restore images using ghost on the Dell Restore partition. I thought I'd followed everything correctly. I shrunk the main partition, moved and resized the recovery partition, ghosted the main partition files over to the recovery partition and ran dsrfix to fix the partition table. However, after doing all that, I attempt to do a recovery by hitting CTRL+F11, I get the message 'Loading PBR descriptor 3 ... done' and the system just hangs. I'm able to boot into a DOS shell and manual run the recovery utility by hand and use ghost to pull the new image back, but it just won't work from the CTRL+F11. I've even removed the dsrcheck from the autoexec.bat file on the recovery partition to see if that was the problem, but it still just sits there. The only thing that I can think is causing the problem is that Partition Magic need me to first move the recovery partion then allocate to the remaining free space after I shrink the main partition. Or does it have something to do with the MBR? This is on a new Inspiron 1501. Any ideas?

tgsmith · Answer

The_scarecrow,   The CTRL + F11 cannot find the Partition Boot Record (PBR) on Partition 3 to initiate System Recovery.  Partition 1 is Diagnostics/ System Partition, Partition 2 is the XP OS Boot Partition and Partition 3 is the Recovery Partition.  Essentially what is happening is that the partition table descriptor finds the Recovery Partition but no instruction to initiate the System Recovery program.    You need to visit www.goodells.net/dellrestore/fixes.htm to get a grip on how to fix the problem created by the partition resizing.   Tony

the_scarecrow · Answer

Thanks for getting back to me. I have looked at that link, Dan Goodell's info on dsrfix. However, when I run dsrfix /pbr4, as he mentions when you repartition the hard drive, it gives a 'Fatal: pbr4 is not fat32' error. But Partition Magic shows that partition as fat32. How can I correct that error?

tgsmith · Answer

The_scarecrow,   When you ran dsrfix without any parameters was the pbr descriptor 4 type DB?  If not, then whichever pbr descriptor was type DB is the pbr descriptor for the Dell Restore Partition.   If you haven't done so already, you should run the mbrsaver /s to save a copy of Dell's proprietary master boot record on your floppy.  Perhaps you should e-mail Dan Goodell with the dump file created with the DSRFIX  /D  > DSRFIX.TXT command and ask his advice.  His e-mail address is here: http://www.goodells.net/ on the bottom left of the page.    Tony

the_scarecrow · Answer

Thanks for getting back to me. When I run dsrfix without any parameters, the pbr descriptor 4 is type 00. The pbr descripter 3 is set to DB (after I changed it back from the 0C when creating the cutom image). When I run dsrfix /pbr4, pbr 3 is DB, and pbr 4 is 00 and there is the fatal error that pbr4 is not fat32. I will see if I can generate some output to a floppy (it will have to be a USB floppy). Thanks again!

tgsmith · Answer

The_Scarecrow, Let me know the feedback you get from Dan.  I think you're ready to fix the system, but I'll let Dan decide that since I'm no expert.  Fixed this system some time back when I went from a 20 to an 80Gb HD.  Getting older.  The 'little grey cells' are getting a lot grayer. Tony

the_scarecrow · Answer

Ok, thanks everybody for the replies. Dan diagnosed the problem to the repartitioning, which made the code in the PBR fail to boot. Dan's solution was to copy drmk dos files back onto the restore partion. First, make the DSR partition the active partition, boot into a bootable CD with the MKDOS system files and then run 'sys c:', where C: is the restore partion. Then run dsrfix again.

tgsmith · Answer

The_scarecrow, Thanks for posting back with Dan's recommended fix.  Helps everyone viewing these posts. Tony

ju.c · Answer

See this post, 'http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_harddrive&message.id=126506#M126506'

Windows General

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