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Clonezilla - Restore Windows 7 image in a virtual machine

Asked by FDtoRA,

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FDtoRA

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I captured an image from a Windows 7 computer using clonezilla.  The image is stored on an external usb drive.

 

Within the folder that clonezilla created are files:

sda5.vfat-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sda1.vfat-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sda2.info

sda2.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ab

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ac

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ad

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ae

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.af

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ag

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ah

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ai

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aj

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ak

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.al

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.am

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.an

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ao

sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ap

 

I want to browse the files that were stored on the laptop from which the clonezilla image was obtained.  I cannot restore the image to a laptop as I do not have identical hardware of the laptop from which the image was obtained.

 

I would like to mount the image in a virtual machine, but do not know how to do this base don't he information I have read.  The closest I get is that I create a windows 7 vm, somehow boot clonezilla in the vm and then restore the image from the external usb hard drive to the vm.  How do I boot clonezilla in the vm and then get clonezilla to restore the image to the vm?

 

Another option I have heard is that I can mount the clonezilla image in OS X as a Samba share.  If I can mount a clonezilla image as a Samba share, will this allow me to browse the files from the laptop (e.g. docx, xlsx, pptx, bmp, mp3, etc.)?  What steps are required to mount the clonezilla in OS X?

 

A third option (if it is eve possible based on my understanding of reading about restoring clonezilla images) is to create a bootable usb drive with the image on it.  From http://clonezilla.org/fine-print-live-doc.php?path=./clonezilla-live/doc/04_Create_Recovery_Clonezilla/09-select-options-then-create.doc, "If you want to create a recovery USB flash drive, choose to create zip file, then follow the same method as creating USB flash drive version of Clonezilla live to put the created zip file on USB flash drive and make it bootable."   The method for creating a usb flash drive version of clonezilla is to use tuxboot and select the clonezilla iso.  The problem I have with this method is that I already created an iso file of the image using clonezilla, but the iso contained the same img.gz.a* files so it didn't get me to a point where I could boot the iso.  Will the zip file create a bootable usb drive where I can browse the files the image captured, or will it just create a bootable usb drive with clonezilla on it where I can then use clonezilla to restore the image to the internal hard drive?

 

TL;DR I have a clonezilla image of a laptop using windows 7, and I want to be able to browse the files of the laptop that are contained in the clonezilla image.  How can I do this?

 

Thank you for your help.

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FDtoRA

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Some more info of the contents/files I have as a result of the clonezilla image process.

 

The image was stored in a folder titled "2016-1025-img".  Within this folder are the following files:

blkdev.list

blkid.list

clonezilla-img

dev-fs.list

disk

ecryptfs.info

Info-dmi.txt

Info-lshw.txt

Info-lspci.txt

Info-packages.txt

Info-saved-by-cmd.txt

parts

sdb-chs.sf

sdb-hidden-data-after-mbr

sdb-mbr

sdb-pt.parted

sdb-pt.parted.compact

sdb-pt.sf

sdb1.vfat-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sdb2.info

sdb2.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aa

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ab

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ac

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ad

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ae

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.af

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ag

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ah

sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.ai

 

I opened "sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.aa" in 7-zip and extracted the file "sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz".  When I try to open this file with 7-zip, "Can not open file 'path\sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz' as archive.

 

I also have an iso file "2016-1025-img.iso" with the following folders

.disk

boot

EFI

home

live

syslinux

utils

[BOOT]

Clonezilla-Live-Version (this is a file)

GPL (this is a file)

 

Within the home folder a couple folders deep is the same contents of the "2016-1025-img" folder described above.  I don't think the will be helpful, but I already have it if it is needed.

 

So from these files, how would I go about mounting the image?  I can mount it in OS X, VirtualBox running  Linux (you tell me what the best distro is for this scenario), or Windows.

 

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+BudMan MVC

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well you would need to put them into 1 file.. so something like

 

cat <imagename>.gz.a* | gzip -d -c | partclone.restore -W -o <output filepath>

 

The you would end up with say file.img

 

Then mount that image.. Do you have partclone installed, if not apt-get install partclone.  Assuming your part was ntfs, so you prob want ntfs-3g as well..

 

user@ubuntu:~$ partclone.restore --help
partclone.restore v0.2.51 http://partclone.org
Usage: partclone.restore [OPTIONS]
    Efficiently clone to a image, device or standard output.

    -o,  --output FILE      Output FILE
    -O   --overwrite FILE   Output FILE, overwriting if exists
    -W   --restore_raw_file create special raw file for loop device
    -s,  --source FILE      Source FILE
    -L,  --logfile FILE     Log FILE
    -dX, --debug=X          Set the debug level to X = [0|1|2]
    -C,  --no_check         Don't check device size and free space
    -N,  --ncurses          Using Ncurses User Interface
    -I,  --ignore_fschk     Ignore filesystem check
    -i,  --ignore_crc       Ignore crc check error
    -F,  --force            Force progress
    -f,  --UI-fresh         Fresh times of progress
    -m,  --max_block_cache  The used block will be cache until max number
    -q,  --quiet                 Disable progress message
    -B,  --no_block_detail  Show progress message without block detail
    -v,  --version          Display partclone version
    -h,  --help             Display this help
user@ubuntu:~$ ntfs-3g -help

ntfs-3g 2013.1.13AR.1 external FUSE 29 - Third Generation NTFS Driver
                Configuration type 7, XATTRS are on, POSIX ACLS are on

Copyright (C) 2005-2007 Yura Pakhuchiy
Copyright (C) 2006-2009 Szabolcs Szakacsits
Copyright (C) 2007-2012 Jean-Pierre Andre
Copyright (C) 2009 Erik Larsson

Usage:    ntfs-3g [-o option[,...]] <device|image_file> <mount_point>

Options:  ro (read-only mount), windows_names, uid=, gid=,
          umask=, fmask=, dmask=, streams_interface=.
          Please see the details in the manual (type: man ntfs-3g).

Example: ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows

News, support and information:  http://tuxera.com
user@ubuntu:~$

 

Once you have your image, then could mount it with say

 

ntfs-3g /dir/file.img /mnt/somedir

 

  • 0
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FDtoRA

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Sorry the delayed response.  I just got around to a working Ubuntu 16.04 system to try this.

 

cat <imagename>.gz.a* | gzip -d -c | partclone.restore -W -o <output filepath>

returns the error "gzip: stdin: not in gzip format"

 

When I type file <imagename>.gz.aa in the terminal I get <imagename>.gz.aa: data

 

I don't understand how the gz.a* files are not in gzip format because when I run Clonezilla and try to restore the image, Clonezilla can restore the image.  My problem is that I don't want to restore the image, but simply browse the files so I can select certain files to copy to a new location.

 

I'm hoping you BudMan or someone else has encountered this issue and knows the fix because I have not been successful in finding this same problem duplicated by someone in all the reading of Clonezilla and Ubuntu forums.

 

Thank you.

  • 0
Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

your not using <imagename> are you??  that is a placeholder for your files are actually called.

 

Your files are called sda3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz right?  This is the image of your sda3 partition.

  • 0
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FDtoRA

Posted
  • Author
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I am not using <imagename>.  I was using that to be consistent with your message.

 

What I typed is "cat sdb3.ntfs-ptcl-img.gz.a* | gzip -d -c | partclone.restore -W -o sdb3.img"

I then get the error message that the file is not in gzip format.

  • 0
Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

well if its not in gzip format why does it have gz in its name.. Did you not compress when you did your clone?

 

Do the commands 1 at a time vs piping them..

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