Ghost32 7z For Hiren Boot Cd [patched] -

Here’s a concise write-up on using Ghost32 and 7-Zip (7z) with Hiren’s Boot CD (HBCD) , suitable for documentation, a blog post, or internal IT notes.

What is Ghost32.7z?

Ghost32.exe is the 32-bit version of Symantec Norton Ghost, a disk cloning and backup tool. Unlike the full commercial suite, this standalone executable can run directly from a Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE), DOS, or a lightweight Windows environment like the one found on Hiren’s Boot CD.

The .7z extension indicates the file is compressed using 7-Zip, an open-source archiver known for high compression ratios. On older versions of Hiren’s Boot CD (particularly versions 15.2 and earlier), the Ghost32.7z archive was stored in the \HBCD\Programs directory. When you launched the “Norton Ghost 11.5” shortcut from HBCD’s menu, a batch script would automatically extract Ghost32.7z to a RAM drive (often B:\) and execute it.

The Problem: The Bulky Ghost

Imagine a technician, "Alex," facing a Dell Optiplex 760 from 2009. The hard drive is clicking. Alex boots Hiren’s from a USB stick. He launches Ghost32.exe from the \Programs\Ghost folder. A blue DOS-like window appears. He selects "Local → Disk → To Image." ghost32 7z for hiren boot cd

Ten minutes later, he has a 12 GB .gho file of the entire Windows XP partition. But here’s the catch: that file is stored on a FAT32 USB drive, which has a 4 GB file size limit. Ghost can split the image (-split=2000), but now he has six files: disk1.gho, disk2.ghs, etc. Clumsy. Error-prone.

And if he wants to extract a single file from that .gho without restoring the entire disk? Ghost32 can’t do that. He’d need Ghost Explorer—which HBCD didn’t include. Alex is stuck.

Compress a partition image with maximum compression using 7-Zip

Ghost32 -clone,mode=pdump,src=1:1,dst=backup.gho -z9 7z a -t7z backup.gho.7z backup.gho -mx9 Here’s a concise write-up on using Ghost32 and

Verifying Integrity

A legitimate Ghost32.7z from HBCD 15.2 typically has:

• SHA-1 Hash (example): d7c9c8e77f4b9a2d1f5d6e3c4b8a7f9e2c1d3a4b (exact hash varies by build, but check community forums).
• Extracted Ghost32.exe version: 11.5.1.2266

The Forbidden Workflow

Alex, now wiser, creates a new ritual:

1. Boot Hiren’s. Launch Ghost32.exe.
2. Create a raw, uncompressed image of the failing drive: Local → Disk → To Image. He chooses "No" when Ghost asks for compression. Why? Because Ghost’s compression is slow and less efficient than 7-Zip’s.
3. He saves the file as drive.gho (which is really just a sector-by-sector dump with a Ghost header).
4. Exit Ghost. Open 7-Zip File Manager from the HBCD menu.
5. Navigate to drive.gho. Right-click → Add to archive.
6. He selects:
   • Archive format: 7z
   • Compression level: Ultra
   • Method: LZMA2
   • Dictionary size: 64 MB (or higher, if RAM permits)
   • Solid block size: Solid (for better compression)
7. He clicks OK. Twenty minutes later, his 12 GB .gho is now a 6 GB .7z file.
8. He copies the .7z to his network drive or USB stick—no splitting needed.

Later, to restore, he doesn’t even need Ghost. He extracts the .7z back to a .gho using 7-Zip on any Windows PC, then writes the image back using a modern tool like Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager. Or, if he’s old-school, he extracts the .gho and feeds it back to Ghost32.exe. What is Ghost32

Method 2: Manual Extraction on a Windows PE Environment

If you are using a custom WinPE or Hiren’s Boot CD PE (Windows 10 based), you cannot run the original 32-bit Ghost directly. Instead:

1. Extract Ghost32.7z using 7-Zip on another PC.
2. Copy the extracted Ghost32.exe to a USB drive.
3. Boot into Hiren’s Boot CD PE (64-bit).
4. You must run a 32-bit compatibility layer. Since HBCD PE is 64-bit, Ghost32 won’t launch natively. Workaround: Use a VM with 32-bit Windows XP, or use a legacy DOS boot disk inside HBCD.

Better yet: For 64-bit systems, switch to Ghost64.exe (if you have it) or use Image for Windows from HBCD PE.