Network Install of XP on a X31 w.o. CD (long post)

[HansT]

I recently bought a company surplus X31 with a windows sticker. Since it was under warranty, I called Lenovo and got a new set of five restore disks (WinXP SP2, Swedish). At the time, I did not have a usb-CD so I proceeded to try to reinstall XP over LAN. (The reinstall was mainly due to my need to play with the X31 before it turned into a tool-which-cannot-be-played-with-without-too-much-backups, if you get my drift.)

Anyhow, I got so far as to get a working PXE network boot on the X31 using a small server program called tftpd32, and a network boot floppy image. I used my desktop as server. Immediately, I removed the partitions (fdisk) and wiped the master boot record (fdisk /mbr) of the HDD in the X31.

Then, using the "NET" command on the booted X31, I was able to mount a shared CD-drive on my server. In the CD-tray: IBM X31 Restore CD #1.

I proceeded to start the install .exe on the recovery-CD, and the installation progressed until it was time to change CD - then I got in trouble. The X31 simply couldn't be notified of such a change having been done by me (i.e. I changed into CD#2 but nothing happened).

Having tried some variations on the theme I simply dropped it, and borrowed a USB-CD. The X31 is now restored to factory-specs, including a working pre-boot environment (the hidden partition).

But I still wonder: shouldn't there be some way to do this network install, including setting up the hidden partition etc.? Or is the only option to ghost the (now pristine) hard drive?

Anyone succeded to do this?

BTW: I'm newly registrered here, so I guess I had better start by thanking all people contributing - your posts given me much info!

[Ken Fox]

But I still wonder: shouldn't there be some way to do this network install, including setting up the hidden partition etc.? Or is the only option to ghost the (now pristine) hard drive?

Anyone succeded to do this?

Welcome to the forum!

Network administration of laptops is a very complicated issue I will defer to those who do this. My impression is that if this is possible you would not use the factory recovery disks, as they require the hard drive being written to, to be physically placed inside the laptop, since devices are recognized as the installation progresses and it is actually an automated process but it gives the appearance of what would happen were you loading all this software yourself, manually. I believe that network installation would be done only if the administrator was managing a large number of identical laptops and was loading exactly the same image onto all the notebook drives. In order to facilitate this you would use a completed image and not a painfully slow, application by application and device by device install as happens with the X3x recovery disks.

You should definitely image your drive now that the OS and service partitions are installed. I have used Norton Ghost 2003 via USB floppy drive with good results; don't forget to use the -1b switch under options to preserve the unique IBM boot sector. Others recommend Acronis with which I have no experience. Alternatively you could try using Rescue and Restore (it might be that you actually have an earlier version whose name I forget but that could work also) although some have had problems with R &R. Any imaging program is going to be much faster for disk restoration than using the recovery disks again.

X series laptops lack internal optical drives. This is both a blessing and a curse. For my own use, in which I virtually never have use of an optical device when travelling, the absence of the drive is no problem and makes the notebook lighter and smaller, so this part is a blessing. When loading software or trying to write an optical disk, it is a little like a curse. Fortunately, there are cheap solutions including USB (or also FW) optical drives, not to mention a drive you could put in a docking station or base if you have one.

Since freestanding optical drives are now very cheap, I think anyone owning an X series laptop without a docking station or base, should either own or have access to such a freestanding drive. Such drives will be necessary in order to load software and will allow full utilization of the laptop's capabilities. You may want to consider buying a cardbus USB2 adapter as well. These typically have 2 or 4 USB2 ports and usually sell with AC adapters so that the USB2 ports are fully powered. The X3x series has only 2 USB2 ports and only the one at the back is powered. If you think you would ever have a use for 2 or more powered ports, or simply more than two ports, it is worth the few dollars to pick up one of these adapters which can be used in other laptops that have PC card slots, as well.