How to recreate HPA based on R&R CDs

[Leoyang]

Hi guys,
My T41's hard drive failed last month, so I replaced new one and get a set of R&R CDs. When I restore my system with R&R, it only restored windows and some IBM tools etc., it didn't restore the HPA. Yes, it did create a 3GB space under the new hard drive, but no file/data under the space, also the "acessIBM" dosen't work.
My question is how to restore the HPA based on the R&R CDs? I did try to use "fwrestor", but since I dont have any imgset, so that dont work.
could anybody help me please?

Cheers,
Leo

[GomJabbar]

I believe you have to uninstall any versions of Rescue and Recovery and Rapid Restore Ultra 4, reboot, then install Rescue and Recovery 3.

Consideration 12
Computers that have a hidden protected area (HPA), also referred
to as PARTIES, and have the Rescue and Recovery program installed
will not be able to boot into either the PARTIES or Rescue and
Recovery workspace after recovering the original factory contents.
To enable the PARTIES area again, restore a backup using either the
Rescue and Recovery program in the Windows environment or by booting
from rescue media and then uninstall the Rescue and Recovery program.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot the link. ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery v3.01.0037

[Leoyang]

Sorry Gomjabbar, I dont quit understand you.
Rescue and Recovery 3 is only a backup tool, it doesn't do any help to restore the data in HPA.
My situation is: my IBM_preload drive has about 10GB space, which 6GB is windows and IBM preload tools, but there is only several hundred MB left, I think the rest 3GB is HPA with no data in it.

[Kyocera]

what shows up in disk management?

[Leoyang]

none, only my preload drive and other 2 drives, no HPA appears.

[GomJabbar]

Sorry Gomjabbar, I dont quit understand you.
Rescue and Recovery 3 is only a backup tool, it doesn't do any help to restore the data in HPA.

I beg to differ. Read the post by mephie in the following thread.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=16470

EDIT: Here is another thread you may find useful. http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=13814

[Leoyang]

Sorry Gomjabbar, I dont quit understand you.
Rescue and Recovery 3 is only a backup tool, it doesn't do any help to restore the data in HPA.

I beg to differ. Read the post by mephie in the following thread.

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=16470

EDIT: Here is another thread you may find useful. http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=13814

Thanks so much Gom for your kind help, but those posts still didn't solve my problem.
Those TPs both have a backup of their old HPAs, but I dont. The only thing I have are 4 recovery CDs.

[GomJabbar]

If you read mephie's post, you will see that Rescue and Recovery 3 replaces the HPA with WinPE. You should have all the old functionality of Rescue and Recovery 2 with Rapid Restore Ultra 4 (or older versions) and more.

Note that the HPA cannot normally be seen. It takes special software to see it. http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Hidden_Protected_Area

Regarding "Consideration 12", it could be better worded I agree. If you have upgraded Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore Ultra since you received your laptop, then Consideration 12 comes into play. You have to do one of the following:

Option (1) Restore a previous backup of your hard disk that you made with Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore Ultra starting from the Windows desktop.

Option (2) Boot from the (1) Rescue Media CD and uninstall Rescue and Recovery. I think this Rescue Media CD has to have been made by your original version of Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore Ultra, but I may be reading it wrong. It's possible it has to be a Rescue Media CD made with Rescue and Recovery 3.

I think that once the above is done, you can install Rescue and Recovery 3 again from within Windows. Note that I upgraded Rescue and Recovery 2 with Rapid Restore Ultra 4 on my T42 with Rescue and Recovery 3. I can boot into the Rescue and Recovery workspace with no problem using the blue Access IBM button on bootup. According to mephie, this replaced my original HPA with WinPE. If I use the Product Recovery Discs that I burned when I got my T42 I will be confronted with Consideration 12 also. I suggest you read the readme file for Rescue and Recovery 3. I posted the link previously in this thread.

[GomJabbar]

I think I haven't been reading your posts accurately. My fault.

You are only using an RnR backup on a new hard drive and not the Product Recovery Discs. And of course the new hard drive does not have HPA or WinPE. What might work is to uninstall your existing version of Rescue and Recovery, then install the new Rescue and Recovery version 3. Hopefully this will install the WinPE boot area. I posted the link to Rescue and Recovery version 3 previously in this thread.

[mamamia]

when you're looking at your hard drive size, it should only be 93 gigs (around there). with nothing on it.
because, first of all, 100GB is not 100 giga bytes.
1000 bytes is one kilobyte, if you're talking about metric, just using kilo to mean one thousand. it is, however, 1024 bytes, in normal computer lingo.
so, basically, your formatted size will not be 100GB in windows. only like 93 or something.
you don't have an empty 3 gigs, i think. you just don't have a hidden partition.
did you use recovery cd's? like, the ones ibm sends, or ones you get to burn only once from your computer? or is it rescue and recovery? cause they are different.
recovery cd's should allow you to restore that hidden partition. it will ask you in the very beginning, before it goes into the windows installation process. if it hasn't by then, it's not going to happen.
it could be because your disk hasn't been wiped clean (not sure if that's true). or, for me, the reason is because your disk isn't recognized as ibm's.
ibm disks are different from non-ibm disks, even if they're the same model. they have a special code in firmware or something. you can hack it and override that, however, to make the firmware seem like ibm's. there's a description on this board somewhere