few questions about partition and T42

[sebizar]

hi there

I got my T42 today.
actually I have the hidden partition and a main partition called c\ibm_preload
I'd like to know if I can change the name of this one without any risk or any probleme for a recovery

then I want to create a partition for my data. I plan to use partition magic. If partition magic is uninstalled, does the partition I created with still work ?

last question: with my 2 partitions (system and data): in case of crash, if I choose to use the recovery mode from the hidden partition; will my data partition erased or keep away from any change ?

thankss guy, and nice forum

[egibbs]

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

That was easy.

In fact, you don't even need to have PM installed at all. You can boot it from the CD or from rescue floppies and do your partition work there. (If you want to use rescue floppoes you would need to install PM, create the floppies, and could then uninstall it.)

I strongly recommend doing any partition work from outside Windows.

Ed Gibbs

[sebizar]

many thanks for you reply.

anyway, if you 2 first answers about the rename of the c:\ibm_preload and the uninstallation of PM, were quite clear, I did not understand very well the last one:

-in case of a recovery from the hidden partition, will my d:\data (for example, created with PM) be erased ?

I just realize I do not have any 3'5 drive, so I'll try to boot from PM CD.

Cheers

[sebizar]

anyone to confirm (or not) if I'll keep my documents partition while erasing the system one during a recovery from the hidden partition ?

[egibbs]

I believe it will just restore the c: partition without touching the data - that is what I have read from others here. I haven't tried it myself.

Ed Gibbs

[sebizar]

ok, thanks

[mobilepilot]

Could someone who has actually tried it confirm what Ed says here i.e Will restore to factory settings from the recovery partition affect only C:\ and leave other partitions intact? I want to be sure that I don't lose data on the other partitions I created.

thanks

[GomJabbar]

Could someone who has actually tried it confirm what Ed says here i.e Will restore to factory settings from the recovery partition affect only C:\ and leave other partitions intact? I want to be sure that I don't lose data on the other partitions I created.

thanks

Copied from the Help menu item under Create Recovery Discs:

When you use the Product Recovery discs, all data and partitions on your hard disk are deleted. The end result will be a single C: partition containing the original factory contents.

[dg]

I can confirm what GomJabbar says.

With RnR all data on the HDD is deleted. It can be restored if you used RnR to make a backup to e.g. an external USB drive.

[mobilepilot]

Thanks but I want to recover from the hidden partition which I left untouched by my partitioning. There appears to be a difference between the two restore methods.

Same help file seems to say that only C:\ gets wiped out. I want to be absolutely certain:

The Restore factory contents method deletes all information stored on the primary partition (drive C). If possible, make backup copies of your data files before using the Restore factory contents method.......Make backup copies of your data files, if possible. Any files on drive C that are not backed up will be lost

[jdhurst]

If you press F11 and do a recovery by the menu, it affects only the C: partition. If you use recovery CD's, the CD process re-creates the hidden partition, and then, does a recovery (just like F11). Either way, if you use proper CD's or F11 recovery, the hidden partition will still be there.

This hidden partition is not a partition at all, and is called the Pre-Desktop Area. There is a a white paper (called predesktop.pdf, I think) that is worth looking for and then reading.

I have done all of the above on T41 and prior, and I have used F11 recovery on T42's so I know that works. The one thing that is worth saying about the recovery CD's is that there is no guarantee the ones you make (on a T42 and newer) will work, or that the ones you get from IBM will work. If you are serious about keeping the machine, I would call IBM, purchase the recovery CD's and then test them (means blowing away the machine). I know that my T41 recovery CD's work properly, for example.
... JD Hurst

[pipspeak]

I read somewhere, soemtime that the restore function will only touch the C: portion of your hard drive, leaving any other data partitions untouched.

This would seem to be the case since System Configuration accessed through the IBM Access application only sees the C: portion of my hard drive and tells me I have a 20GB drive. In other words, my main data partition is invisible to it.

[GomJabbar]

I read somewhere, soemtime that the restore function will only touch the C: portion of your hard drive, leaving any other data partitions untouched.

This would seem to be the case since System Configuration accessed through the IBM Access application only sees the C: portion of my hard drive and tells me I have a 20GB drive. In other words, my main data partition is invisible to it.

You are confusing IBM Rapid Restore Ultra 4.0, IBM Rescue & Recovery, and the Recovery Disks.

(1) With IBM Rapid Restore Ultra 4.0, you can restore part or all of your system (C: drive) while in Windows.

(2) If you can't boot into Windows, you can use IBM Rescue & Recovery to restore your system (C: drive). You press the blue Access IBM button on startup, or boot from a Rescue Media CD (not to be confused with the Recovery Discs). Then you use any backup CD's you created with Rapid Restore Ultra 4.0.

(3) If you want to return your system to the original factory state, you use the Recovery CD's. This also puts in place the Hidden Rescue Partition. You might also do this if you were installing a new hard drive.

[dg]

I think that confusion arises from thinking about the hidden bit as a partition rather than a hidden folder. It is still part of the C drive in fact.

Believe me, for I learned the hard way.

[jdhurst]

I think that confusion arises from thinking about the hidden bit as a partition rather than a hidden folder. It is still part of the C drive in fact.

Believe me, for I learned the hard way.

No, that is not correct. The hidden area is most assuredly not part of C:, and it is not a partition. It is a separate area on the hard drive called the PreDesktop Area. I am not talking about Rapid Restore as I don't use that.

You can start any (functional) recent IBM Laptop, press F11 and build drive C: fresh without starting from any CD and without affecting the PreDesktop Area.
... JD Hurst

[GomJabbar]

The more I read about it, I see the Hidden Protected Area is a bit complex. For those of you that want more information on it, you may want to check out this link, as well as the links on that page. Pre Desktop Area

[mobilepilot]

(2) If you can't boot into Windows, you can use IBM Rescue & Recovery to restore your system (C: drive). You press the blue Access IBM button on startup, or boot from a Rescue Media CD (not to be confused with the Recovery Discs). Then you use any backup CD's you created with Rapid Restore Ultra 4.0.

Well, I don't have any problem booting into Windows but I hit the Access IBM button and booted into the Rescue and Recovery environment. There's a good help manual there which says:

Understanding recovery options/Restoring the factory contents:

Attention: If you are running this utility from a CD, all data and partitions on your hard disk will be deleted. The end result will be a single C: partition containing the original factory contents. If you are running this utility from a hard disk that has multiple partitions, you will be given the option of restoring the factory contents to the C: partition only and leaving the other partitions intact, or deleting all partitions and installing the factory contents in a single C: partition.

My understanding of this is that once I boot into this environment, I can restore to C:\ only preserving my other partitions without the need for recovery CDs or any previous backup set. I will try it over the weekend.

[GomJabbar]

I hit the Access IBM button and booted into the Rescue and Recovery environment. There's a good help manual there which says:

Understanding recovery options/Restoring the factory contents:

Attention: If you are running this utility from a CD, all data and partitions on your hard disk will be deleted. The end result will be a single C: partition containing the original factory contents. If you are running this utility from a hard disk that has multiple partitions, you will be given the option of restoring the factory contents to the C: partition only and leaving the other partitions intact, or deleting all partitions and installing the factory contents in a single C: partition.

My understanding of this is that once I boot into this environment, I can restore to C:\ only preserving my other partitions without the need for recovery CDs or any previous backup set. I will try it over the weekend.

I hadn't booted into the Rescue and Recovery environment to see this help file. This is good information you posted. Thanks.

[jdhurst]

<snip>
My understanding of this is that once I boot into this environment, I can restore to C:\ only preserving my other partitions without the need for recovery CDs or any previous backup set. I will try it over the weekend.

Please let us know. I think the stock IBM method for recovery (F11 on start or IBM recovery CD's) preserves or builds PARTIES (the hidden protected area), but turns the remainder of the disk into one large partition. I can't remember if it protects other partitions, although I know I have used FDISK to remove all partitions and start again.
... JD Hurst

[mobilepilot]

This is good information you posted. Thanks.

I wonder why IBM chose to hide that information there. It's not in any of the help files available from within Windows. I also saw options to rescue files from the windows partition and move them to other partitions. All very good.

Now I need to see how the actual recovery goes.

regards

[mobilepilot]

No surprises. As it happens, the recovery options are pretty clearly spelt out from the word go. The Rescue and Recovery utility detected that my hard disk had multiple partitions and offered to either restore the factory contents to C: only or delete all partitions and restore to a single partition. I chose the former and an hour and several reboots later all was fine although I did not enjoy watching the progress of some of the IBM customisation (post-Windows installation of Norton AntiVirus, the infuriating DLA and Java 1.4).

You also get a chance to back up any files from the partition to be formatted to other media. I had no need for this.

It was also pretty clear that these options apply only to a hard disk that has the hidden recovery partition intact. Booting from the Recovery CDs wipes everything and restores to a single partition.

I'd advice anyone who runs Windows on a partitioned disk to not get rid of the hidden partition.