Thinkpads Forum

Am not sure if this is the correct forum for such a question; but here it is. Do the X6x & T6x Vista Business 32 bit preloaded machines work with a common recovery disk image? Or does one have to have separate sets of recovery DVDs for the X6x and the T6x? I ask because until now, I have managed to keep a small business with a mix of a dozen X41, X60s, and T42 machines up and running with one set of XP Professional SP2 recovery CDs. Want to know before I plunge in and place and order for a new set of machines from Lenovo.

Any enlightenment would be much appreciated.

Technically it might and actually would work but one shouldn't do it due to legal reasons.

ryengineer wrote:Technically it might and actually would work but one shouldn't do it due to legal reasons.

If he used one set of Discs but put the right MS COA/serial number on each machine, what's the legal issue?. Isn't that more or less what's done today with all Lenovo recovery CD's? I'd think the bigger issue would be whether or not an X6X set would load on a T6X machine due to some kind of BIOS check.

Harryc wrote:If he used one set of Discs but put the right MS COA/serial number on each machine, what's the legal issue?. Isn't that more or less what's done today with all Lenovo recovery CD's?

If he made his own custom XP oem media then that is fair enough but he clearly mentioned using "XP Professional SP2 recovery CDs" and lenovo recovery cd's don't ask you for serial number.

In addition, it would also be illegal to use recovery media to restore a system to an OS other than the oem license on the back of a notebook, case of exception is only the recent free Vista upgrade from Moduslink where users were sent recovery disks for Vista, when required.

ryengineer wrote:

Harryc wrote:If he used one set of Discs but put the right MS COA/serial number on each machine, what's the legal issue?. Isn't that more or less what's done today with all Lenovo recovery CD's?

If he made his own custom XP oem media then that is fair enough but he clearly mentioned using "XP Professional SP2 recovery CDs" and lenovo recovery cd's don't ask you for serial number.

In addition, it would also be illegal to use recovery media to restore a system to an OS other than the oem license on the back of a notebook, case of exception is only the recent free Vista upgrade from Moduslink where users were sent recovery disks for Vista, when required.

Let me clarify. All of the existing 12 machines were purchased with XP Pro SP2 preloaded from IBM/Lenovo. Therefore, I don't see what the legal issue is if I use one copy of this OS stored on CDs to restore the exact same OS on any of these same 12 machines when the need arises. BTW, this common image business is something that IBM/Lenovo at one point used as a key selling point for T, X and select R series Thinkpads. So my question still remains: Does the same hold true for Vista Business 32 bit? Can a recovery disk set for a T6x preloaded with Vista Business 32 bit be used to do a fully OS recovery on an X61s or X61 machine that also came preloaded with Vista business 32 bit? I have spoken to my Lenovo sale rep and he does not know if its possible; wasn't even aware of such commonality with XP Pro preloads.

As for the Modus Link Vista DVD, I got one for my personal X60s. and its definitely not a Lenovo recovery DVD set. Its an upgrade installation to Vista Business 32 bit; while the OS works just fine, the DVD does not overwrite the hidden predesktop area with the Vista Business 32 bit recovery files. It merely lets you install the new OS on your working partitition or the entire disk after wiping out the predesktop area.

If you made your own OEM preload (with valid licenses) I don't see why it would not work. If you're talking about an official Lenovo Rescue and Recovery disc set, you'd have to try it. The R&R Process checks for the machine type in the BIOS and if is not valid it will not work. So, let us know . Someone would have to own or manage both machines and also have tried it to answer your question... not likely but possible. The machine types supported are listed on the Recovery CD's from Lenovo, so someone with the CD's could do a visual for you and report back.

Yes it should work with few missing drivers here and there but it's still illegal.

Restore disks of Windows VBE 32 bit for X61/s and T61/p or R61/i/e, Windows XP for X41, X60, T61/p and T42 all have different part numbers. Hence appropriate media is required to make use of that oem license.

When there is need, there are proper channels available to go through. Some effort, thought, time and production material is burned to create these mediums. So unfortunately, your practice is not legitimate and lenovo does not encourage it.