Using John the Ripper for detecting weak passwords

John the Ripper(JTR) is a free password cracking software tool. Initially developed for the UNIX based environment, it currently runs on fifteen different platforms (11 architecture-specific flavors of Unix, DOS, Win32, BeOS, and OpenVMS). It is one of the most popular password testing/breaking programs as it combines a number of password crackers into one package, auto-detects password hash types, and includes a customizable cracker [wiki].
Few weeks back in my "Network and Information Security" class I was assigned to crack a password file. The password file was a unix based password file with 447 password hashes. I first tried to start JTR in Ubuntu, and downloaded the Unix src of JTR from http://www.openwall.com/john/ . To build the program in Ubuntu I first unzipped the tar :

dilip$tar -xzf john-1.7.2.tar.gz

then changed the folder to the run folder inside the john-1.7.2 directory

dilip$cd john-1.7.2

dilip$cd run

Here we can see a make file. I tried running the make.

dilip$make

Now, at this point the make returns a number of options for the platform its being build on. For ubuntu I did not saw any speicific platform option so I went with the generic one.

dilip$make clean generic

If everything goes well then the john executables will be created in the same directory as run. Now, to start cracking the password I ran the command.

dilip$./john passwd

where passwd is the password file that contains the password hashes. This should be all for John to start cracking the password. Optionally, john also takes some password list to compare with the password file. The password list are basically a huge collection of word lists or dictionaries. Lot of these kind of world lists can be found in the internet. Even different kind of wordlists can be downloaded from different sites and combined in one file using any .txt file joiner as all these wordlists are in .txt format. The command to supply a wordlist is:

dilip$./john w:wordlist.txt passwd

where wordlist.txt is the wordlist created.

In Windows
John also works on windows. For that a windows version of John should be downloaded from http://www.openwall.com/john/. In contrast to linux version, John in windows is reaady to use once you extract the john zipped folder. John can be invoked from the windows command line and supplied the password or wordlist as mentioned above. For windows I used:
C:>/john-mmx passwd
where mmx option utilizes the mmx feature of the processor.
John takes a long time depending upon the speed of the processor and the length of the password file. I kept it running for about 2 weeks to get just 75 password :).

Links for some wordlists:
ftp://ftp.cerias.purdue.edu/pub/dict/dictionaries/English/
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/wordlists/
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=cracklib&filename=cracklib-words.gz&use_mirror=voxel
http://www.openwall.com/wordlists/

Thanks,

Adding Apache Tomcat Server 5.5 to NetBeans IDE 6.1

Since few days I was thinking of writing some Java servlets with NetBeans IDE. I downloaded and installed NetBeans IDE 6.1. I was about to write my first servlet, but I came to know that Apache Tomcat server was no more bundled with NetBeans 6.1 and that I have to add it separately as an external server, which was a little bit irritating news but with no other options I have to add it.
I then downloaded the 5.5 version of Apache Tomcat. To add as an external server I was supposed to download the zipped version of the server rather then the windows installer. I downloaded the server from the Apache site http://tomcat.apache.org/download-55.cgi and then unzipped in c:\ in my hard drive.
Now, I first have to create a servlet project. I opened the NetBeans IDE. Clicked on File--> New Project. I choose the Web Application project.
After giving the name and location of the project when I clicked on the drop down button to see the server list I was able to see only the GlasFishV2 Server.

So, now at this point I clicked on the add button and showed the path to the Apache Tomcate server that I had unzipped early (in c:\).

To successfully add the server I have to make some changes on the configuration of the server. Mainly add an user. So while adding an user there is an option to create an user (a checkbox), I checked on that which created me an user. For more information please follow this wiki link http://wiki.netbeans.org/AddExternalTomcat
After successful addition of the server it did showed up in the dropdown for the server list.

I continued clicking on next and finally finish. I didn't selected any frameworks because I was going to create a generic servlet. Finally I clicked finished and everything was setup and I was ready to write my first servlet with NetBeans.

thanks

DNS goes down in XP service pack 3

Since few days back I am having a weird problem. My internet seems to work fine for some time and suddenly it crashes and I can't browse pages. When I run the MSN troubleshooter, I can see that the problem is with the DNS Suffix. Even if I type the ip add of a web page directly in the address bar, the page is displayed successfully. Till now my research in this issue points that its an issue with the Windows XP service pack 3 (by the way as far I remember I started having this problem sometime after I installed service pack 3). Now, I don't know what to do..whether uninstall service pack3 and fall back to service pack 2( which I really don't want to do) or look for some other solutions.
Related links:
http://forums.techarena.in/windows-xp-support/1023601.htm

X-Server problem in Ubuntu

I am still stuck with the X-Server problem in Ubuntu. Here is the image and the error I get when I turn on my Ubuntu Virtual Machine. Any suggestions and solutions will be highly appreciated.

The original problem was described on :
http://yogidilip.blogspot.com/2008/09/ubuntu-server-as-virtual-machine-on-xp.html#links

j42uRiLs.exe:--What is this..?

My computer has been acting weird since few days. Especially its very slow and my internet browsing speed has also declined. Further, I get some splash screen, showing some add for few second. When I looked on my task manager I can see internet explorer running as a process..but there is no IE window on my screen (probably its the add that's splashing up).... So, I scanned my whole computer with Malwarebyte's Anti Malware (see the previous post about it). It finally detected "j42uRiLs.exe" as a Trojan Agent and asked to delete it. I deleted it and it seems like its working fine. If anyone has encounter a similar situation or the process please give me some tips.

thanks,

Playing with Goolge Chrome

Still playing with it :)

I installed the new browser from Google--Google Chrome. I started playing with it. In overall it looks good. I had fun using it. The tab browser system, the no menu sytem, the bookmark bar system everything was cool. The only thing that worried me was about the security issue. I saw a number of articles in web talking about the security vulnerability issues in Google Chrome. I post here some of the links: 

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210300297

http://www.techytuts.com/internet/serious-security-issues-with-google-chrome-exploit.html

http://www.ghacks.net/2008/09/03/google-chrome-security-vulnerability/

Google Chrome was one of the most awaited browser. In a very short span of time it has become quite popular. But the security issues that raised in just the first week of the release was a serious concern. The later version of the browser will probably not have those vulnerabilities. In overall, its predictable that Google Chrome is going to be one of the most popular browser in near future. 

X Server problem in Ubuntu Server 8.4

As, I mentioned in my earilier post, (http://yogidilip.blogspot.com/2008/09/ubuntu-server-as-virtual-machine-on-xp.html#links) I installed a virtual Ubuntu Server 8.04 on my XP. Now the problem is that I cannot run startx in Ubuntu. Whenever I type the command it gives me some error:

 error X: cannot stat /etc/X11/X (No such file or directory), aborting. ...Unable to connect to X Server.

I don't know what's goin on? I am trying to figure out this problem. Once I got the solution, I will post it here. Any suggestions or solutions is highly appreciated.

thanks,

Antivirus XP 2008 License Agreement REMOVAL

Oh my God! it took me one complete day to figure out what the hell is "Antivirus XP 2008 License Agreement" popup and remove  it.  Everytime I boot my computer a popup would pop up asking me to install the Antivirus XP 2008. Further, there would be a big warning message in my desktop stating that my computer has been infected and I need to install some anti spyware software (see the image in the preivous post). 

I did a little bit research in this and found that "Antivirus XP 2008" popup was a fake popup and all those messages about my computer infection were fake and were displayed so as to convince me to buy the Antivirus XP 2008 anti-spyware software. I tried a number of anti-spyware software and finally a sofware named "Malewarebyte's Antimalware", a freeware, helped me remove it. This software did an excellent job in removing all of the infected files and registry keys. Now my computer acts as normal and I am happy. 

Instructions to remove "Antivirus XP 2008 License Agreement"

--> Go to the page

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/malware-removal/remove-antivirus-xp-2008

--> Download the Anti-Malware tool

--> Scan your computer with the tool.

-->The tool will find all the malware's and trojans. The scan screen will look something like this:

-->Delete all the infected files and restart the computer. 

--> Now if everything goes well, you should be free from the malware and the pop up screen for "Antivirus XP 2008 License Agreement" should not show up. 

The complete instruction on using the malware byte is in the above link.

Thanks

Adware.CWSIEFeats detected

I was surfing internet yesterday and somehow an adware named Adware.CWSIEFeats got installed in my computer. I immediately came to know about it because it changed my desktop background. My desktop background looked like something shown in the image. 

Then I ran my Symantec Antivirus and scaned the whole system. The scan found a couple of adware with the name mentioned above.  

Then I googled it and found the symantec response page for the adware; http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2004-120817-5800-99&tabid=2

. I manually deleted those .exe files from my computer and then restarted the computer. After that the background screen is gone but still my computer does not acts normal. Especially if anyhow I launch the IE..the computer freezes and I have to manually restart the computer. At this point, I guess its because of the registry keys the adware has added in my system. I am yet to figure out this and completely slove the problem. Any suggestions and solutions is highly recommended. 

The symantec removal page for this adware is; http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2004-120817-5800-99&tabid=3

thanks

Ubuntu Server as a Virtual Machine on XP

From a long time I was planning to install a Virtual Server on my Dell Laptop (with XP). It took me a long time to which VM should I load on. Finally, last week I ended up with installing Ubuntu Server 8.0. Sequentillay I;

• downloaded Vmware Server from http://www.vmware.com/download/server/
  
• registered on the same page and obtained a free serial number for the VMware Server.
• downloaded the Ubuntu Server from http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
• installed the VMware Server.
• Created a Virtual Machine in VMWare Server.
• Edited the boot options in the virtual machine to be booted by the iso image rather then the cd.
• started the virtual machine and everything works as charm.

thanks,
I will post the snapshots of this story very soon. :)

Using Gparted with Dell Vostro 1500

I was planning to make a Fat32 partition on my hard drive to use it with knoppix. I downloaded the Gparted ISO image and burned it into a CD. Those who don't know what is Gparted: it's a debian based linux utility software basically used to resize, move and create partition. This is what i did and got stucked.

1. Boot the system with the Gparted cd.
2. Do everything as said in the screen.
3. Finally, the problem occurred when the X-server crashed continuously.
4. This is how I solve the problem
1. sudo Forcevideo (it means type "sudo Forcevideo" in the prompt that occurs after the X-server crashes) the X-server and choose the option medium.
2. Supply keyboard configuration as P101
3. Reply "No" to Video Hardware detection.
4. Choose "Vesa" as the driver
5. Reply "No" to Kernel Frame Buffer.
6. Reply "No" to Monitor auto detection.
5. This should be all to reconfigure the X-server. Now in the prompt type "sudo startx".
6. Now you should be able to run the X-server.
   

Thanks, Let me know if there are any questions or concerns.

A Simple Graphics Editor in JAVA

After a bit of practice on JMF..now I wanna get a hand on java awt package. So, what I thought is I am going to make a simple graphics editor in java...that can draw different 2D geometrical figures and manipulate those figures. I have just started it...lets see how far can I get. If you guys have any suggestions please feel free to leave comments.

thanks.

A simple media player in Java

I have been using JMF to write some simple java programs that can play some audio and video file. Finally, I decided that I am going to make a simple media player in java. Currently I am working on that..my player is ready to go but with minimal features. Once I am done with all the major functions, I will post the whole code here. If you guys doing the same thing and need some help please feel free to leave any comments. I will be more than happy to discuss with you guys.

Here is my first file. Copy and paste this code segment in a java file. This file basically implemnts the JMF package.

import java.awt.*;
import java.io.*;
import javax.media.*;
import java.net.URL;
import javax.swing.*;

public class DilipPlayer extends JPanel{
//Global Variable declaration
Player mediaPlayer;
Component video, controls;

public DilipPlayer(URL mediaURL){
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
Manager.setHint( Manager.LIGHTWEIGHT_RENDERER, true );
//add a line of code here if u want the lightweight swing component support
try
{
//Create a player to play the media specified in the mediaURL
mediaPlayer = Manager.createRealizedPlayer(mediaURL);
//get the components for the video and the playback
video = mediaPlayer.getVisualComponent();
controls = mediaPlayer.getControlPanelComponent();
if(video != null)
add(video, BorderLayout.CENTER); //and video component
if(controls != null)
add(controls, BorderLayout.SOUTH); //and controls component
mediaPlayer.start(); //start playing the media
}//end try
catch(NoPlayerException nomediaPlayer){
System.out.println("No media player found");
}//end catch1
catch(CannotRealizeException cannotrelaizeexception){
System.out.println("Could not realize media player");
}//end catch2
catch(IOException ioexception){
System.out.println("Cannot read from the source");
}//end catch3
}//end constructor
//This code is being written here for testing purpose..might work..might not work..
//method to implement stop
public void stopPlaying(){
mediaPlayer.stop();
}//end method stopMusic

public void pauseMusic(){

}//end method pauseMusic
}//end class


The second file with main method and UI programming.

/*
* DilipPlayer.java May 12, 2008
*
* Copyright (c) 2008 by Dilip Yogi. All rights reserved.
*
* I reserve all rights to this software. You may use it and
* distribute it freely, provided you do not remove this header
* and attribute partial credit to the author, Dilip Yogi (yogidilip@gmail.com.
*/
import javax.swing.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.media.*;

public class DilipPlayer3 extends JFrame implements ActionListener{

//Global variable declaration
JFrame mediatest = new JFrame("Dipware Media Player Version 2.0");
DilipPlayer mediapanel;
JMenuBar menubar;
JMenu fileMenu, playerMenu,aboutMenu;
JMenuItem openSubMenu, exitSubMenu, aboutSubMenu, playpauseSubMenu, stopSubMenu, recordSubMenu;
JMenuItem fullScreenSubMenu, playlistSubMenu, toolbarSubMenu;
JToolBar toolbar;
//buttons for toolbar
JButton openButton, playButton, pauseButton, stopButton, fullscreenButton, playlistButton, recordButton;
URL mediaURL;

//constructor declaration. All the UI designing stuffs is being done here
public DilipPlayer3(){
//Swing components creation and attachment
menubar = new JMenuBar();
fileMenu = new JMenu("File");
fileMenu.setMnemonic('F');
playerMenu = new JMenu("Player");
playerMenu.setMnemonic('P');
aboutMenu = new JMenu("About");
aboutMenu.setMnemonic('A');
openSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Open", 'O');
exitSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Exit", 'X');
aboutSubMenu = new JMenuItem("About Dipware Player", 'B');
playpauseSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Play/Pause", 'P');
stopSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Stop", 'S');
recordSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Record", 'R');
fullScreenSubMenu = new JMenuItem("Full Screen", 'Z');
playlistSubMenu = new JMenuItem("PlayList", 'L');
toolbarSubMenu = new JMenuItem("View Toolbar", 'T');

menubar.add(fileMenu);
menubar.add(playerMenu);
menubar.add(aboutMenu);

//add sub menus
fileMenu.add(openSubMenu);
fileMenu.add(exitSubMenu);
fileMenu.insertSeparator(1);
playerMenu.add(playpauseSubMenu);
playerMenu.add(stopSubMenu);
playerMenu.add(recordSubMenu);
playerMenu.add(fullScreenSubMenu);
playerMenu.add(playlistSubMenu);
playerMenu.add(toolbarSubMenu);
playerMenu.insertSeparator(3);
playerMenu.insertSeparator(5);
aboutMenu.add(aboutSubMenu);

//create toolbar and buttons in toolbar here
toolbar = new JToolBar("Toolbar", JToolBar.HORIZONTAL);

openButton = new JButton("Open");
playButton = new JButton("Play");
//playButton.setIcon(new ImageIcon("play.gif","play"));
pauseButton = new JButton("Pause");
stopButton = new JButton("Stop");
recordButton = new JButton("Rec");
fullscreenButton = new JButton("Full Screen");
playlistButton = new JButton("List");

toolbar.add(openButton);
toolbar.add(playButton);
toolbar.add(pauseButton);
toolbar.add(stopButton);
toolbar.add(recordButton);
toolbar.add(fullscreenButton);
openButton.addActionListener(this);
playButton.addActionListener(this);
pauseButton.addActionListener(this);
stopButton.addActionListener(this);
recordButton.addActionListener(this);
fullscreenButton.addActionListener(this);
playlistButton.addActionListener(this);

//add the ActionListener here
openSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
exitSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
playpauseSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
stopSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
recordSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
fullScreenSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
playlistSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
toolbarSubMenu.addActionListener(this);
aboutSubMenu.addActionListener(this);

//mediatest frame is being made visible here
mediatest.pack();
mediatest.setVisible(true);
mediatest.setSize(700, 450);
mediatest.setJMenuBar(menubar);
mediatest.add(toolbar, BorderLayout.NORTH);
}//end constructor

//main method
public static void main(String [] args){
DilipPlayer3 obj1 = new DilipPlayer3();
}//end main method

//method openFile
public void openFile(){
//show open dialog
//Getting the URL and passing it to the player

JFileChooser filechooser = new JFileChooser();
int result= filechooser.showOpenDialog(null);
if(result== JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION)//user choose a file
{
mediaURL = null;
try{
mediaURL = filechooser.getSelectedFile().toURL();

}//end try
catch(MalformedURLException malformedURLException){
System.out.println("Could not create URL for the file");
}//end catch
if(mediaURL != null){mediatest.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
mediapanel = new DilipPlayer(mediaURL);
String currplay=mediaURL.toString();
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "You are playing " +currplay);
mediatest.add(mediapanel);
}//end if
}//end if
}//end method openFile

//event handling in menus starts here

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
//write the implementation code here
if((e.getSource()==openSubMenu)||(e.getSource()== openButton)){
openFile();
}//open file
else if(e.getSource()==exitSubMenu){
//write code to close window
System.exit(0);
}//end if for exit here
else if((e.getSource() == playpauseSubMenu)||(e.getSource()==playButton)){
//write code here
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Keep patience, this feature is yet to implement");
}//end if for playpauseSubMenu
else if((e.getSource()== stopSubMenu)||(e.getSource()==stopButton)){
//write code here
stopMusic();
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "This feature is in testing phase");
}//end if for stopSubMenu


else if((e.getSource()== recordSubMenu)||(e.getSource()== recordButton)){
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Keep patience, this feature is yet to implement");
}//end if recordSubMenu
else if((e.getSource() == fullScreenSubMenu)||(e.getSource()==fullscreenButton)){
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Keep patience, this feature is yet to implement");
}//end if for fullScreenSubMenu
else if((e.getSource() == playlistSubMenu)|| (e.getSource()== playlistButton))
{
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Keep patience, this feature is yet to implement");
}//end if for playlistSubMenu
else if(e.getSource()== toolbarSubMenu){
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Keep patience, this feature is yet to implement");
}
else if(e.getSource()== aboutSubMenu){
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(mediatest, "Dipware Media Player Version 2.0. (C) 2008 Dilip Yogi");
}//end if for aboutSubMenu
}//end method actionPerformed

//this code is being tested
public void stopMusic(){
DilipPlayer obj1 = new DilipPlayer(mediaURL);
obj1.stopPlaying();
}//end stopMusic



}//end class

You have to download and install JMF (Java Media Framework) for this code to work.

thanks,

Using JMF in Eclipse

I was trying to use JMF API. I was thinking of making some applets that can play audio and video. I downloaded the JMF API from the sun site. Since long I have been using Eclipse as the IDE for java development. But, I was having hard time adding JMF in Eclipse. My java programs were not recognizing the jmf classes. Finally, here is how I solved the problem.

• Open Eclipse
• Go to Project Properties
• Click on Java Build Path
  
• Go to the tab libraries
• Click on button "Add external Jar Files"
• show the jmf.jar file and then click on open

This should be all to add jmf in Eclipse. Now your java program should be able to recognize the jmf classes.

Upgrading windows XP to Vista

I was trying to upgrade few windows XP boxes with the new Vista Business premium. I was using the dell boxes for it. I tried a couple of them and it did not worked as expected. I first upgraded windows XP with vista...it took about 2 hrs to do that. Everything went well till the last phase of the upgrade. After the last phase the computer get restarted and then the next time it booted...it was looking to do some repairing...and that repairing went on and on and on...and forever.....Till this point i don't know what's wrong but...it does not seems to work. Lastly, I installed a clean Vista.

Hyper-V support in Dell Server

I was doing some research on Hyper-V. Actually I was looking if the Dell servers we have are compatible with the Microsoft's Hyper-V. I found that only a few of Dell servers are designed to support Hyper-V. Here is the complete list from the Dell website.

Thanks.

Goolag Scanner

Still playing with it. :)

IE crashes in NetSupport School client

There was a problem encountered while using Net Support School. NetSupport School is basically a software that helps to connect, monitor and keep control on the client(student) machines. Once you use "NetSupport School tutor" and block a few restricted sites to the student machines...the IE automatically crashes as you lunch it in client machines. The problem seems to be that if any student tries to visit any restricted site then IE crashes with no warnings or errors. This becomes a big problem when the default homepage for IE (which is generally a Microsoft pointed LinkId) is set up and once anyone launch the IE..(poof) it goes off.
I was looking around the internet for the solution of this problem and could not find one. If anybody has encountered such a problem and has the solution for it...please let me know. The temporary solution for this seems to be to set up the default homepage of IE in every client machine to one of the approved sites and train student not to visit the restricted sites.

If any questions, please leave comments I will reply as soon as possible.
Thanks

Using "sysprep" for Windows Vista Imaging

sysprep is the program that helps to remove computer specific and user specific settings while imaging. It is always wise to run sysperp before pulling off an image of any windows installation. I have tried this thing specifically in windows vista business, so all of the things mentioned below are tested in that platfrom.
Prerequisites for this task will be two machines one the master one (whose image you want to create) and the next one where you will do some stuffs to create answer file.

-->As we are pulling off the image from a vista machine. we are supposed to run sysprep in this machine.
-->sysprep has got different options to run with and all these options are useful in different context.
-->My context is that I want to create an image so that I can clone the same image in large number of computers (lab computers). For this I used the option of creating answer file so that once the image is cloned and the system is rebooted all the computer specific instructions are read by that answer file rather then entering it manually. For that the first task will be to create an answer file.
--> To create this answer file you will need Window Toolkit installed in your system. This toolkit comes with SIM. (At this point I don't know where can I find one....but if anyone needs a copy of the answer file I can send it...I guess you can edit it manually as it is an XML file)
-->I did this with the help of Windows Vista Beta 2 Deployment Step-by-Step Guide. You can find it here: http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/88f80cb7-d44f-47f7-a10d-e23dd53bc3fa1033.mspx?mfr=true
-->Follow the step2 of this guide step by step. If everything goes well you will be with your answer file.
(NOTE: In product key setting you need to enter the product key of that windows)
-->Copy this file in a flash or floppy drive.
-->Take this file to the machine whose image you want to create.

-->Open a command window and Run this command :
c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:scriptfile
(For details check: http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702a.htm)
-->Sysprep will run, do some processing and then shutdown. Now you are ready to take the image of this machine. Take image with your favorite imaging software ( I use Ghost Cast Server 11.0).
-->Now you are ready to go. You can use this image and clone as many computers as you want and don't have to worry about configuring each computer.

Hope this works. If any questions leave your comments, I will try to reply as soon as possible.

Thanks

Imaging Windows Vista with Ghost Cast Server 11.0

Hey guys..I was trying to image a windows vista business machine with Ghost Cast Server 11.0 and found a problem that every time I finished the cloning session and boot the client there's an error message called "winload.exe is missing or corrupt".
After a bit research in this problem I found that its a compatibility problem between Ghost Server and Windows Vista due to the new way of booting windows vista (presence of boot database rather then boot.ini file). I am still working on this problem and trying to fix it fully. I tried this and it worked...hope it works with you guys also...
How To??
Before pulling off the image from the client machine...
--> Open a command prompt window in the client
--> Enter these commands sequentially
1) bcdedit /set {bootmgr} device boot
2) bcdedit /set {default} device boot
3) bcdedit /set {default} osdevice boot

NOTE: These commands should be entered in a command window with administrator priviliges. For this --Go to Accessories, Go to command prompt, Right click on command prompt and click on Run as administrator.
-->Connect this client to the Ghost Cast Server
-->Now pull the image off this machine (Guess you know this...)
Now clone your clients with this new image. Hope everything should go well and you don't see the error you saw before.
All the credit for this solution goes to : http://blogs.dirteam.com/blogs/sanderberkouwer/archive/2006/11/21/Deploying-Windows-Vista-centrally.aspx

If any question, leave comments. I will reply as soon as possible.
Thanks