load os from a usb drive?

[skm67]

Hi Everyone

I've had my T60P (2623-DDU) since 2006 and it has been acting up so I wanted to reload the os but I think the dvd drive is going bad. I've had problems with the drive before and Lenovo even replaced it once but still having issues with it. So, the problem is now I can't load the os from the disks. I've loaded the os from the disks in the past, but these same disks are not working anymore due to the drive issues, I think. I have 3 different sets of disks, including one set I got from Lenovo and I can't get the os to load from any of them.

So my question is, can I copy the contents of the disks to a usb drive and load the os that way? if so, how do i set up the directory structure? There are 7 CDs.

Also, I don't see a way to make the usb drive bootable...

R&R isn't working and the os isn't stable as it is currently.

Thanks

S

[Cigarguy]

Which OS are you planning to install? I don't use the recovery CD or partition as I prefer my own fresh install without all the bloatware. Every since XP, I've long since moved on to OS install from USB key. So much faster and much more convenient. Lots of info on how to do this just Google "Win 7 from USB" for example.

On most of my Thinkpads I've replace the CD/DVD drive with a HDD Ultrabay adapter then install a HDD for data. I very seldom need a CD drive anymore. If you want a replacement/working CD drive, I'd PM forum member TuuS and ask what he have in stock or post a wanted ad in the marketplace.

[ajkula66]

I wouldn't waste my time on moving the recovery image to USB.

Pick up a replacement media drive ($10 for a combo, $20 for a multiburner at the most) and call it a day.

With that said...your T60p is perfectly capable of running Windows 7 and at this day and age that's an upgrade I'd highly recommend.

Good luck.

[skm67]

Thanks for replying!

I'm using win xp.

So it's not possible to copy the os from the installation CDS? I've Googled copying the os from the disks to USB but found nothing.

Unfortunately i don't think the problem is the drive itself, I think it is the interface or control chip, I've already had the drive replaced once.

[skm67]

Thanks for replying!

I've been thinking of getting a new laptop but the new t540p hasn't received great reviews so I'm waiting for the next version. With that in mind, I didn't want to put any more money into this computer.

Also, I don't think the drive itself is the problem, I think it is the interface or control chip as I have already had the drive replaced.

[ajkula66]

Thanks for replying!

I've been thinking of getting a new laptop but the new t540p hasn't received great reviews so I'm waiting for the next version. With that in mind, I didn't want to put any more money into this computer.

Also, I don't think the drive itself is the problem, I think it is the interface or control chip as I have already had the drive replaced.

Well, your $$$ your call but...

a) You'd be surprised how rejuvenated that machine would feel with a SSD, 3GB of RAM and W7.

b) I have yet to see an actual interface going bad on a T6x unit and I've owned hundreds of them. Not that it's impossible, just very unlikely.

Good luck.

[skm67]

Well, if I can't figure out how to do what I am thinking, I'll look into what you are suggesting.

Thanks again!

[skm67]

Even if I were to go with win7, I still have the problem of how to install the os onto the laptop...

[dr_st]

You can replace the optical drive, you can get a USB optical drive, or you can download the Win7 ISO image (or any other operating system ISO image for that matter), make a bootable USB flash drive and extract it there. There are easy ways to do it. Just google and you'll find plenty of instructions.

[skm67]

Thanks!

Looks like I have been approaching my problem from the wrong angle...

[skm67]

Do you know of any reputable websites to download the win 7 iso?

[skm67]

I'm sure pirate bay has it, but you never know what else you might pick up there as well...

[dr_st]

You can download the ISOs from Microsoft directly. Of course it's up to you to have a license and an activation key.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 8486a46ebf

[skm67]

I'd like to just load xp that my laptop came with, but with the problems I am having with the optical drive, I'm looking for anything I can do to get it up and running again...

[Norway Pad]

Concerning your optical drive: It might be a shot in the dark, but does it appear with an yellow exclamation mark in your device manager, and Error Code 39? I have run into this issue a couple of times on computers people have handed me for repair. The optical drive appeared as non-functional, with the mentioned exclamation mark. In those cases, the following procedure fixed it: http://www.woutermakkinje.com/?p=190 As it has always happened on customers' computers, I don't know what originally triggered that fault. But worth checking out, as you have pretty much ruled out the optical unit itself as the culprit.

[RealBlackStuff]

If I remember correctly, this filter-problem happened first with Nero's InCD about 10-15 years ago, in Windows 2000.
All people needed to do in those days was uninstall that InCD program and things were fine!
Guess some other programs, even today, still install those lousy Upper and Lower filters.
Regardless: don't bother with XP any longer, unless you do NOT plan to go online with it.
I still use an old T23 with XP-Pro exclusively for one of my other services. But it hasn't been online since about 2009.

[ajkula66]

Regardless: don't bother with XP any longer, unless you do NOT plan to go online with it.

+1.

Especially for the fact - as I've stated before - that any T60p is perfectly capable of running W7 in a competent manner.

[Neil]

...I'm looking for anything I can do to get it up and running again...

Best way to do that, without spending any money, would be to install a free operating system. There are plenty of user friendly Linux systems that are MUCH easier to install that Windows. Try it! You have nothing to loose, and just might come to wonder why you ever bothered with a Windows OS at all.

[skm67]

Thanks for the input everyone!

I was able to find a win xp dvd for an even older computer I had and it worked. Unfortunately it didn't have any of the drivers my thinkpad needed so finding, downloading and installing them was a major pain in the butt!

I was surprised all of my recovery disks did not work, I still suspect my dvd drive is part of the issue.

[skm67]

Btw, all of you seem to prefer win7, but how do you feel about win 8.1?

The reason I didn't want to put any money into my current 8 year old laptop was I want to buy a new one this year. I've been looking at the t540p but the reviews haven't been great... any one have any thoughts on the t540p?

Thanks again!

[ajkula66]

Btw, all of you seem to prefer win7, but how do you feel about win 8.1?

To me personally, W8 only makes sense on a touchscreen-enabled device.

The reason I didn't want to put any money into my current 8 year old laptop was I want to buy a new one this year. I've been looking at the t540p but the reviews haven't been great... any one have any thoughts on the t540p?

Thanks again!

I'd strongly suggest testing the new keyboard/trackpoint setup in person prior to ordering any of the new *40 series machines. The changes are drastic and definitely polarizing enough to warrant a "hands on" approach.

My $0.02 only...

Good luck.

[skm67]

I wasn't thrilled with the additional num pad and lack of track point buttons...

[ajkula66]

I'm taking the 5th since I've written one too many rants on the subject matter.

My point to you being, spend $200-250 to rejuvenate the machine and wait for the design that you'll like better to come out, be it a ThinkPad or not.

My $0.02 only...

[Cigarguy]

The newest Thinkpad that I have is a T420. Newer Thinkpad have no appeal for me. IMO, a Dell Latittude or HP Elitebook is more Thinkpadish than the newer Thinkpads. Having said that, of the 16 laptops that I have (13 are Thinkpads) my favourite daily runner is a T60 or a X60T screen on a X61T body.

Don't care much for Win 8/8.1, I still prefer Win 7.

[rkawakami]

@skm67: Sent you a Private Message (PM) a couple of days ago. Click the "new messages" link at the top of any forum page (located under the User Control Panel link) and please respond.

[denkpfad]

YUMI is a tremendously useful tool which allows to create a SYSLINUX/GRUB4DOS-based bootable flash drive and stuff it with all kinds of installation, live, or recovery CD images which can be selected from menus (which can be fine-tuned by hand as well if you feel comfortable with configuration of the aforementioned bootloaders). Countless Linux distributions, as well as XP* (I suspect any NT 5.x OS could be installed using the XP preset) and Vista/7/8 installation images are supported. All the boot CDs one once had to juggle can now be put away into the closet, as just one 8-16GiB flash drive should be all that's needed.

--
* for XP, one should get the "legacy" (0.1.1.0) version of YUMI, as the newer GRUB4DOS version used in YUMI 2.x seems to have problems booting NT 5.x images (alternatively, you can use the most recent YUMI version to set up the flash drive and manage the bootable images, and simply copy the older grub.exe into the multiboot directory on the flash drive).

[skm67]

Thanks!