Ghostcast problem

[witch]

Don't really know if this should be in Networks or software but here goes:
I have built a new machine and now need to image it up to the server across the network using Ghost, and then down again to my 21 new machines. I have done this many times before and it is no problem....until I realise that some idiot (that would be me) has ordered the machines with no CD drive.
SO....I try a couple of spare CD drives which is obviously a pain as I have to open up the machine - but neither work, apparently down to the fact that they are pretty old and don't like burned disks.
Then, I go around the loop trying to make a USB stick bootable and put the ghost files on - you wouldnt believe the hassle, but it still didn't work.(thanks to Peter at SCL online for his help).

So, as I didn't have a newer CD to hand, and we needed one anyway, I went and bought an external USB CD.
Exactly the same problem as with the USB stick (getting the idea?)

I realised that what was happening was that all the initial stuff was fine - detecting network card and the like - but it wouldn't detect the CD drive.
This is due (after a lot of searching) to the fact that ghost doesn't support USB, which is a real pain.
Eventually I ripped a working, machine to bits and used its CD, which being much newer, worked, and my image is now up on the server But I can't really open up all 21 machines to put a CD in just to get the image down from the server. So what can I do?

Yes, I know RIS is the answer but I am on my own, I've never done it and it would involve starting all over again and it has taken a couple of weeks to put all the software titles on the machines.

Does anyone have a work around or know of how I could get this done?

[Netman]

RIS is pretty quick and easy to set up - if you want I could come over for half a day to help get it running for you... Dos_box did a nice how to for RIS a long time ago IIRC... it should be floating around somewhere...

[EduTech]

Heres the How To that Dos_Box Posted a while ago.. this should be able to help you set up RIS

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/showthread.php?t=53

regards
James

[sahmeepee]

Then, I go around the loop trying to make a USB stick bootable and put the ghost files on - you wouldnt believe the hassle, but it still didn't work.(thanks to Peter at SCL online for his help).
...
I realised that what was happening was that all the initial stuff was fine - detecting network card and the like - but it wouldn't detect the CD drive.
This is due (after a lot of searching) to the fact that ghost doesn't support USB, which is a real pain.

We always use bootable USB drives for Ghosting and have done for a few years now (our version of Ghost is pretty old). All we're doing really is creating a bootable pen drive e.g. via the HP utility, then copying the contents of a ghost boot floppy over the top. We have a few different folders on there with the files from the different boot disks for different models of PC, so just copy the relevant one into the root before booting the PC.

It's a million miles faster than booting off CDs and all you need is a working USB port.

[mattx]

Whip out all the HDs from the PCs and Ghost them [ one at a time ] from the one with the CD rom in ? Get one of your students to help you ?? :-)
What prog did you use to try and make your bootable USB stick ?

[techyphil]

Can't you just get a USB floppy drive and make a boot floppy using the Ghost Server?

I think USB floppy drives are more likely to boot then USB CD Drives.

What motherboard did you use?

[witch]

As I said - RIS isn't really an option unless I really really have to as it means starting all over again and I might as well hang a CD on each machine and do them one by one - this would probably take less time.(or whip out the hard drives as mattx suggested.) However, thanks for the offers and I will definitely come back to you next time.
As for the rest....sahmeepee -that is exactly what we did using the HP utility but from a CD, not a floppy. I thought that if you did it via floppy it took two of them? Can you explain in a bit more depth?
If ghost won't support USB, how will a USB floppy work?
Thanks

[markj_metcalfe]

what version of Ghost are you using? and what's the make and model of the PCs?

[K.C.Leblanc]

Can't you just get a USB floppy drive and make a boot floppy using the Ghost Server?

I think USB floppy drives are more likely to boot then USB CD Drives.

What motherboard did you use?

This might be worth trying. A lot of machine BIOSs manage the USB floppy so it still works even if ghost doesn't support USB.

[marco84]

Assuming your PC's support booting from USB you should be able to follow the instructions below to create a bootable USB drive.....

make a set of bootable floppys with ghost and check they boot the machine into ghost
install the HP Drive Key Boot Utility on your PC
insert pen drive run hp app as follows
1st screen next
2nd select pen drive letter next
3rd screen leave default next
4th screen leave default next
5th screen leave default next
it will now format
then offers
HP firmware
or floppy (chosse floppy)
insert your 1st ghost floppy and enter names (doesnt matter what you call it)
It will now create the image boot file from the 1st floppy
Click finish
Now install win image
start win image click file open navagte to your pen drive it will pick up a img called whatever you named it in the hp util
select it and it will open and you will see the files in it.
Insert ghost floppy 2
the clickImage from the tool bar in win image change format and change to 2.88
now select the ghost folder inside the image pain then from the tools menu select inject and you want to inject the
ghost.exe file from the 2nd ghost floppy then save in winimage and you are done.


Hope this helps.

[Netman]

Can't you just get a USB floppy drive and make a boot floppy using the Ghost Server?

I think USB floppy drives are more likely to boot then USB CD Drives.

I've got a spare one you can borrow if you need it...

[andy]

Can we assume that it is an older version of Ghost? We use Ghost here, albeit the latest Enterprise version, which we actually use to create the bootable USB sticks with in the first place!



Andy

[ICT_GUY]

We always use bootable USB drives for Ghosting and have done for a few years now (our version of Ghost is pretty old). All we're doing really is creating a bootable pen drive e.g. via the HP utility, then copying the contents of a ghost boot floppy over the top. We have a few different folders on there with the files from the different boot disks for different models of PC, so just copy the relevant one into the root before booting the PC.

It's a million miles faster than booting off CDs and all you need is a working USB port.

Thumbs up from me.

[richard.thomas]

Are you using a ghost server? Couldn't you just pop a CD drive into the machine (I know it's not ideal) then use boot disc then send the image using ghostcast to all the machines?
Yes it'll take some time, but it sure as hell will be quicker than messing about with RIS

[witch]

Richard - no CD or Floppy in any machine - that's the problem!
Thanks marco84 - that has worked fine as ghost does seem to support usb floppies but not CD! (ghost 6)
Thanks for the offer of a USB floppy drive, netman - I would have taken you up on that

Phew - I really need to understand this all a bit better - thank goodness for edugeek and Peter at SCL who also came up with a solution similar to marco84