Unable to access to the IBM recovery partition..please HELP

[hellgate]

Hi everybody,

I have an T42 and I've got a problem of not able to to access to the IBM recovery partition. Actually, I bought this computer from someone else, she wanted to format and re-install her Window but didn't know how to do it. So she re-installed with the Window got from her friend and coincidentally, she had cut off the access to the IBM recovery partition. Since my purchase, I have tried many times to access to this partition to restore this computer to the manufacturing default but it seems impossible. Anyone of you who ever has this problem? Please share me your experience and your opinion about this.

Thanks a lot.

[ajkula66]

Welcome to the forum!

Chances are that the recovery partition is damaged/missing and can't be recovered. You'll need a set of recovery disks to restore the machine to factory condition.

[GomJabbar]

Try pressing F11 at the boot splash screen first. If that doesn't work, the following should get you booted to the recovery partition - assuming it is still intact.

Rescue and Recovery - Recovery repair media

[hellgate]

Ajkula66: thanks a lot..do u have any idea where I can find that recovery disk?
GomJabba: indeed, it didn't work since the access had been cut off by the new window.

[ajkula66]

Post a WTB (want to buy) ad in the forum's marketplace and someone will likely come to the rescue.

Good luck.

[MisterB]

If you can see the recovery partition from windows disk management, you can try to set it active. This will start the recovery process even if the mbr has been changed by a new windows install. If the windows disk manager won't set the recovery partition active, you can boot from a linux cd and use the linux partitioning software to set the recovery partition active.

Reset the bios to default values before you try to do a system restore from a recovery partition. I have done several system restores and the only time I've had a problem is when I changed wifi cards but I'm not sure the hard drive was the original hard drive and the recovery partition could have been for a different thinkpad.