R61, installing WinXP from scratch

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slname · #1 Post by **slname** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:29 am

I'm experiencing some problems with my current setup. I have an R61 with 2gigs of RAM and the rest is the usual. I've had several BSOD's so far, I wasn't able to figure out why some of them were caused, but some of them have shown up ie when I opened an exe file of a program I wanted to run, or when I wanted to mount a certain iso file with DaemonTools.

I was thinking that the best thing for me to do is to back up the data I have to my external hard drive, write down all the software I want to install on the fresh OS installation and then just install WinXP from scratch.

However, I was thinking of doing this by formating the C drive and installing the copy of Windows I have on a CD (it's SP1, I'd just let the update install SP2).

Now, how would I go about doing all this?

If I tell the WinXP to format the C: drive before the installation, what happens to my recovery (I suppose hidden) partition? Does it remain untouched and can I still use it with my ThinkVantage buton prior to the Windows loading)?

What if something goes wrong, can I just reboot, press the ThinkVantage button and let it do the installation and revert it to factory state?

I made the recovery discs, can I just use that to reinstall?

Also, if I make a clean WinXP installation, do I need to download drivers for the ethernet card to go online and get the other drivers? Does my hardware get recognized instantly or do I need to download the drivers from the Lenovo website?

The thing is, I'd like to strip my OS from all the software Lenovo bundles, except the ThinkVantage software, can I just install that later on? Is there a way to obtain the PC Doctor 5 without installing the Lenovo bundled Windows XP?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong. Thanks for the effort to anyone who bothers to reply and/or point me in the right direction by linking some other topics.

mgo · #2 Post by **mgo** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:59 am

slname wrote: The thing is, I'd like to strip my OS from all the software Lenovo bundles, except the ThinkVantage software, can I just install that later on? .

Smart move to create the recovery CDs. Now, they will come in handy.

Yes, the best way is to use the recovery disks to restore your machine to original factory spec. This will ensure that all your drivers and other features are on board, without having to download them from the Lenovo site.

It is very easy to remove programs you do not want after you do the recovery. Just use Add/Remove programs.

Get ready for a long afternoon. The recovery from CDs takes around two hours.

After you get back up and running, spend a few extra dollars for an imaging program and create a backup image of your system. Then you won't have to do the endless CD thing again, instead it will only take 15 minutes or less.

slname · #3 Post by **slname** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:22 pm

actually, i'd really just like to install a clean copy of windows. i'm just wondering, what happens when i tell the windows installation to do a format c:\, does it also delete the hidden partition (because i don't want that)?

the way i'd do it is i'd take a normal windows cd, make a clean install, install the ethernet drivers, go online and get all the drivers i need by using the thinkvantage system update, i think that should do the trick.

pianowizard · #4 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:44 pm

slname wrote:i'm just wondering, what happens when i tell the windows installation to do a format c:\, does it also delete the hidden partition (because i don't want that)?

I clean-installed XP on a hard drive with two partitions several years back, and I vaguely remember being asked which partition to format. So, I believe you will be able to choose the non-recovery partition to install XP into.

slname · #5 Post by **slname** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:18 pm

ok so i just ran the windows cd, to check which partitions it recognizes. it does indeed recognize the rescue and recovery partition as a separate one, but gives it the letter c, and it gives the system (ie the partition i want to install windows on) the letter d. will this affect how my computer sees the drive letter, or will it just assign the system drive the letter c (as it doesn't even see the hidden partition and thus doesn't give it a name)?

pianowizard · #6 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:33 pm

slname wrote:will this affect how my computer sees the drive letter, or will it just assign the system drive the letter c (as it doesn't even see the hidden partition and thus doesn't give it a name)?

I don't know whether the WinXP partition will become drive C later or will remain as drive D. But I've used computers where the main Windows partition was labeled as drive D, and don't recall having any problems installing or accessing programs/files. So I wouldn't worry about it.

mgo · #7 Post by **mgo** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:36 pm

slname wrote:actually, i'd really just like to install a clean copy of windows. i'm just wondering, what happens when i tell the windows installation to do a format c:\, does it also delete the hidden partition (because i don't want that)?

the way i'd do it is i'd take a normal windows cd, make a clean install, install the ethernet drivers, go online and get all the drivers i need by using the thinkvantage system update, i think that should do the trick.

No, format C: will only format the C: partition. It will leave any other partitions alone. Besides, the ThinkPad recovery partition is hidden and that prevents accidental deletion.

slname · #8 Post by **slname** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:43 pm

ok so i guess i can just go ahead with my plan...

i hate it that i have a total of 84 processes running when my computer boosts. my sisters desktop only has 30ish... do i really need all this thinkpad software? (i think it's mostly thinkpad).

mgo · #9 Post by **mgo** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:32 pm

slname wrote:ok so i guess i can just go ahead with my plan...

i hate it that i have a total of 84 processes running when my computer boosts. my sisters desktop only has 30ish... do i really need all this thinkpad software? (i think it's mostly thinkpad).

The number of services running depends on the computer. ThinkPads have some features that may not appear on other computers, and vice versa.

Most of the ThinkPad features are very helpful, like Hotkey features and Easy Eject and a few others. Why not go to the Lenovo site and read up on what the various features do, and then decide if they are useful to your needs.

Remember that formatting your drive means that all the drivers a ThinkPad needs to get on the internet and do other things will be gone. That means your machine may not be able to get on the internet until you install the special drivers for your machine.

That is why I suggest re-loading the factory image from the CDs and then gradually uninstalling programs that are not useful to you after you get running again. It's safer and less frustrating.

pianowizard · #10 Post by **pianowizard** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 7:47 pm

mgo wrote:That means your machine may not be able to get on the internet until you install the special drivers for your machine.

Just plug in an old PCMCIA ethernet card that WinXP has a driver for and thus automatically installs. Connect to the internet thru that card, go to Lenovo's site, download System Update and run it. All drivers will be downloaded and installed automatically.

If you don't have an old ethernet card, then download the driver for your Thinkpad's built-in ethernet card onto another computer

mgo · #11 Post by **mgo** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:40 pm

pianowizard wrote:
mgo wrote:That means your machine may not be able to get on the internet until you install the special drivers for your machine.
Just plug in an old PCMCIA ethernet card that WinXP has a driver for and thus automatically installs. Connect to the internet thru that card, go to Lenovo's site, download System Update and run it. All drivers will be downloaded and installed automatically.

If you don't have an old ethernet card, then download the driver for your Thinkpad's built-in ethernet card onto another computer

Yes, good idea. And here's another idea: download the System Update applet from the Lenovo site -before- you scrub the hard drive. Put it on a flash drive or external USB drive, and install the System Update from the external drive or flash drive after you get XP running. Then you can go back to Lenovo for the rest of the things you want on your machine.

slname · #12 Post by **slname** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:25 am

obviously i downloaded my ethernet drivers before i did anything.

anyway, i've done the installation and i'm doing all the windows updates now. there's a weird thing though. i have an external disc and all the updates are downloaded on that disc, instead on the root c: disc. any ideas?

mgo · #13 Post by **mgo** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:41 am

slname wrote:obviously i downloaded my ethernet drivers before i did anything.

anyway, i've done the installation and i'm doing all the windows updates now. there's a weird thing though. i have an external disc and all the updates are downloaded on that disc, instead on the root c: disc. any ideas?

Perhaps stating the obvious-did you tell the download to use the external drive (by selecting the letter?)

It doesn't matter really, you can always move those over to a temp folder on the C: drive and then run their installs. (.exe) They all end up on a folder called Drivers, anyway and then you run setup from there. Or you can just run them from where they are, since they end up in C:\Drivers anyway.

Sounds like things are going well now. Nice going!

slname · #14 Post by **slname** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:54 am

i'm talking about the windows updates, you can't tell those were to download...

slname · #15 Post by **slname** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:37 am

ok so my reinstallation of all the software is nearly done, but i have noticed that nothing happens when i press the thinkvantage button when the computer boots (it used to lead me to rescue and recovery from the hidden partition). the hidden partition is still there however, any ideas how to fix this?

#16 Post by **ryengineer** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 3:40 pm

Rescue and Recovery - Recovery repair diskette.

You would need a floppy disk drive.

slname · #17 Post by **slname** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 4:50 pm

ryengineer wrote:Rescue and Recovery - Recovery repair diskette.

You would need a floppy disk drive.

obviously, i don't have one

but thanks anyway.

slname · #18 Post by **slname** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:56 pm

i tried a little trick by creating a virtual floppy drive (as i don't have one) and then copying the files onto a blank usb stick and boot from that. however, that just gave me a "disc error" message, so i guess i'm stuck without the thinkvantage and the f11 button functionality...

#19 Post by **ryengineer** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:37 am

As long as you've a set of Product Recovery disks you can always restore your machine to factory state to enable all of it's functionality.

Note that recovery disks wipe out everything on the HDD during restoration process.

R61, installing WinXP from scratch

R61, installing WinXP from scratch

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