Adding and deleting files within images with Ghost Explorer

Products

• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

You want to use Ghost Explorer to add files into a Ghost image file or to remove files from a Ghost image file.

Resolution

In Ghost Explorer 8.3 and earlier, you can add files to images of FAT and FAT32 partitions, remove files from images of FAT and FAT32 partitions, and restore files from images of FAT, FAT32, and NTFS partitions. Ghost Explorer 8.3 and earlier cannot add to and remove files from images of other partitions such as NTFS or EXT2.

Ghost Explorer 11.x and later can add files, restore files and remove files from FAT, FAT32, NTFS, and EXT2.

Note: If you are deleting files from an image in order to reduce the size of the image file, you will notice that the size of the image file does not decrease. To reduce the size of the image file, use Ghost Explorer in Ghost versions 6.0 and later to recompile the image after deleting the files.

Note: GhostExplorer is for use with adding and removing files only. This tool cannot install or remove programs.

Older Ghost versions
Ghost versions prior to Ghost 5.1x cannot add and remove files from Ghost images.

Technical Information
When working with image files, it can be confusing as to whether one is referring to the image file itself or to the files that are contained within the image file.

Add files: When working with Ghost Explorer, "adding files to an image" means to change the image file itself by including more files within the image file. Ghost can add files to images that are of FAT and FAT32 partitions, but it cannot add files to images that are of NTFS partitions.

Remove files: Similarly, "removing files from an image" means to change the image file itself by deleting files that are contained within the image file. Ghost can remove files from images that are of FAT and FAT32 partitions, but it cannot remove files from images that are of NTFS partitions.

Restore files: Also, in this context, "restore files from images" means to copy a file that is contained within an image file, and save that copy to your local hard disk. Copying the file does not remove the file from within the image file. Ghost can restore files from images that are of FAT, FAT32, and NTFS partitions.