Create customized Recovery CDs?

[ZPrime]

Here's the story... My thinkpad doesn't have a serial number on the bottom because I bought a "bare" unit. I did this because I'm an IT consultant and have volume license copies of WinXP among other things.

I have the recovery CDs through a client who has normal retail thinkpads.

I like the predesktop/recovery partition, and I also like the way it preloads all the drivers for me. however, I want the recovery discs to install my volume license copy of XP.

How exactly do the recovery discs get created when you have the system burn a set? Where is it pulling this CD key from that it used during the reinstall? (It uses an OEM XP install and some OEM key that I was able to pull up with the jellybean keyfinder.) Does it just pull the windows files from c:\i386 when it makes new CDs, or do they come from somewhere else? Where can I customize which CDkey it uses?

the only files that I found the current CDKey in were some log file and a file in c:\windows\system32\oobe ... Is it just pulling the key from there when you make new discs?

I want to make my own set that uses the volume license media/cdkey, and i'd also love to remove norton and CD Creator from it as well (i've got my own CD software and AV). Really, the only thing that I want included is XP with the drivers and the predesktop/recovery area. To my knowledge there's no way to add that on later... is there?

[s0larian]

just make a clean install with your retail XP CD's, install drivers and IBM software from the IBM web site, install R&R and create a set of Recovery CD's. That's by far the easiest solution.

But if you are interested: the Volume key for Thinkpads comes from a file called unattend.txt (as far as I remember) in c:\i386.

If you just want to change the IBM VLK to your retail VLK, you can do it afterwards with freeware tools (-> search google for "Windows XP key changer"). Even Microsoft has a description on their web site for doing that. It's legal.

[kaplanfx]

Even Microsoft has a description on their web site for doing that. It's legal.

Just to clarify, it is legal, but only if you own the key you are switching to.

-kaplanfx

[ZPrime]

just make a clean install with your retail XP CD's, install drivers and IBM software from the IBM web site, install R&R and create a set of Recovery CD's. That's by far the easiest solution.

When you install R&R like this, does it make the (hidden) recovery/predesktop area for you? This is really what I care about more than the ability to "Recover" the machine. (I have ghost so I can easily clone the drive.)

But if you are interested: the Volume key for Thinkpads comes from a file called unattend.txt (as far as I remember) in c:\i386.

If you just want to change the IBM VLK to your retail VLK, you can do it afterwards with freeware tools (-> search google for "Windows XP key changer"). Even Microsoft has a description on their web site for doing that. It's legal.

There's one problem - the preinstalled copy of XP from IBM is *not* a VL version. It's a standard OEM install. When you recover from the standard IBM set of discs, (either ones you've created or ones that they ship to you, if your machine has no burner) the key they use is not actually a valid OEM key. It allows windows to install properly, but if you then have to go through one of those MS "genuine windows" things, that key doesn't work.

For someone whose thinkpad came with a license for OEM Windows, they can just use the key on the bottom. I don't have one of those though, I've got a license for Open/Volume windows, and it won't take that key if i'm currently running an OEM copy.

As far as I can tell, the only way to get the IBM predesktop area is to install from Recovery CDs. I just need recovery CDs that will use my own copy of Windows instead of their own, but still put on the predesktop area for me too.

unless there's some way to add predesktop to an existing machine?

[s0larian]

installing R&R on a clean system creates the Rescue environment for doing recovery, rescueing data and so on, but it does not install the predesktop to do a system recovery in meaning of restoring to the factory status.

With my T40p it works the following way: if you delete all partitions on the hdd and boot with the original IBM Recovery CD's, the predesktop is restored on the hdd. If you boot into the predesktop after that and do a system restore, you get the IBM VLK key, no activation is required.

If you boot with the IBM Recovery CD's and just install a new system (without deleting all partitions) without installing the predesktop, you have to activate XP with your OEM key from the sticker on your Thinkpad.