recovery IBM R51

[manfred]

Hi! I would like to know how to install a Windows system from a recovery partition\? My Thinkpad probably has this partition (it has an original disk) but CMOS battery is dead so it shows 271 error on startup. I hit the Access IBM button but there is nothing and later it shows an error and boots Windows XP.

[RealBlackStuff]

Replace the CMOS battery and then set date/time.
Reboot, and press F11 or the blue Access IBM button.
If neither goes into Recovery, you do not have the recovery partition.

[manfred]

Should I buy a special CMOS battery? I don't know.

When I push the F11 Button it shows 3 options:

To go to setup
The second that I don't remember (nothing important)
And to choose boot device (F12)

I've chosen the last one and it shows F1 - Setup. And that's all.

The disk is 40 Gb but it shows 37,2 GB so I thought that It's a hidden partition with recovery

[RealBlackStuff]

It's a CR2032 lithium battery, available at most drugstores (at least in USA) or get any of the 1/2 million IBM CMOS Batteries as advertised on eBay, such as this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-ThinkPad-A2 ... 2eb9db5e03
All those (yellow) batteries are all the same, regardless of P/N or FRU.

You could cut open the old yellow cover along the edge, remove the cover.
Use pliers to carefully tear the old metal strips off the battery sides. Mark from which side they come.
Flatten the old strips.
Then put them against the new battery (with the correct strip, red wire is Plus (+)).
Put the yellow cover back on, then tightly put scotch tape (sellotape, or whatever it is called in Poland) around it a few times.
Put back in laptop and set date/time at the next boot.

The 40GB is in reality a 37.5GB drive, manufacturers lie most of the time about the correct size.