Ghost Solution Suite

All I want to do is add a file or folder to an existing Ghost image. In Ghost Explorer I can add the object and I can see that it now exists in explorer, but how do I save the updated image? There is no File > Save option.

You have not mentioned which version of Ghost you are using, or whether the image is of a FAT32 or NTFS partition.

If it is NTFS, then as far as I am aware, the position is as stated by Nigel Bree (a former Ghost developer) in this thread:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/how-edit-images-ntfs-partition

You do not mention what operating system platform you are running Ghost Explorer on, or whether the entire Ghost image fileset is available in the same folder. The more information you can provide, the easier it is to give an accurate answer.

You have not mentioned which version of Ghost you are using [GSS 2.5.1]

or whether the image is of a FAT32 or NTFS partition.[NTFS]

If it is NTFS, then as far as I am aware, the position is as stated by Nigel Bree (a former Ghost developer) in this thread: [I don't think this link answers my question]

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/how-edit-images-ntfs-partition

You do not mention what operating system platform you are running Ghost Explorer on [WinXP Pro SP3, only because I can't get a definitive commitment from Symantec that it will run correctly on Win7].

, or whether the entire Ghost image fileset is available in the same folder [I don't understand what you are referring to here. Ghost Explorer displays the entire image in the editor - ALL folders]

. The more information you can provide, the easier it is to give an accurate answer.

GSS 2.5.1 does not specify the build number - the current LiveUpdate build is 2266 which does support Win 7.  

When you create a Ghost image, it can either be created in 2Gb "chunks" (maximum filesize that can be created on a FAT32 partition) or as a single huge GHO file (which can be created on an NTFS partition).

When multiple GHO + GHS files are created, any update to the existing structure would need to be written to the final GHS file so this must be in the same location as the other GHS and GHO file. The folder structure is saved in the final image file, if I recall correctly so it is technically possible to see the entire structure even if all the GHO and GHS files are not immediately accessible.

The confusion here is with the lack of a "Save" menu item, Ed. The obvious conclusion for the original poster to draw is just to make the common-sense assumption that if there's no save option, there's no need for a save option.

The obvious reason for this is that Ghost image files are huge compressed archives, such that it's infeasible to implement something like Explorer in a way that treats a Ghost image as a document (the "save" option being a document-oriented piece of user-interface metaphor). Instead, modifications are applied immediately.

Indeed, this is completely normal for any software of this kind, such as Zip utilities. The 7-Zip archive manager doesn't have a "Save" option either, for the same thoroughly obvious reason; if a tool is designed to be able to work with up to hundreds of gigabytes of data in an archival store, it's not particularly sensible to try and abstract that away and give it a document interface. Instead, modifications are made immediately and in-place, and if a user wants the effect of a "Save" option (the only real effect of which is to enable *discarding edits by not saving*) then it's the user's job to work with a copy instead of the original.

Thank you for clarifying that Nigel.