Symantec Ghost is commercial software. The inclusion of Ghost32 in older versions of Hiren’s BootCD was a point of controversy regarding copyright infringement. Because Hiren’s BootCD was a free, community-driven project, it did not have a license to redistribute Symantec’s paid software.
Create compressed, exact system backups independent of the local operating system's software locks.
: Use Rufus to burn the HBCD PE ISO to a USB drive. Copy Ghost32 : Open the USB drive in Windows Explorer. Navigate to the HBCD_PE\Programs folder. Create a new folder named Ghost . Paste your ghost32.exe (or ghost64.exe ) into this folder. Boot and Run : Boot your target computer from the USB.
Since the classic Hiren’s CD is obsolete for new hardware, consider these replacements included in : ghost32 7z for hiren boot cd
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Right-click the Ghost32 folder, hover over , and select Add to "Ghost32.7z" .
If you have booted into the Hiren’s environment, here is the typical workflow: Symantec Ghost is commercial software
to the following directory within your extracted Hiren's folder: \HBCD\Programs\Files\ Note: Some versions use a compression format; in those cases, you may need to use to pack the executable. Rebuild the ISO HBCDCustomizer.exe
Because Ghost32 is rarely pre-installed on modern PE disks, you will need to download the ghost32.7z payload separately and run it from your bootable media. Step 1: Prepare Your Bootable Hiren's USB
: Ensure you have a legitimate version of ghost32.exe (for 32-bit environments) or ghost64.exe (for 64-bit PE). Create compressed, exact system backups independent of the
Wait for the Hiren’s WinPE desktop environment to load completely. Step 4: Extract and Launch Ghost32
After creating a backup image ( .gho ), use the Check option in Ghost to verify that the image is not corrupted before deleting original data.
Before modifying the ISO, you must understand which version of Hiren’s BootCD you are using:
| Tool | Format | Best For | |------|--------|-----------| | | .exe (64-bit) | Sector-based imaging, WinPE 10/11, USB 3.0 support. | | Clonezilla | Linux boot | Scriptable, multicast, supports all modern filesystems. | | AOMEI Backupper | .exe | User-friendly, differential backups, system migration. | | HDD Raw Copy Tool | .exe | Exact disk-to-disk cloning (no compression). |
Format your USB drive and flash the official Hiren's BootCD PE ISO using Rufus. Once flashed, open the USB drive in Windows File Explorer.