IBM newbie - what exactly does the access IBM button do?

[soccerjoe5]

what exactly does the access IBM button do? i haven't got a clear idea on it. and if the unit doesn't come with the winXP pro cd, how can i reformat and reinstall winXP pro myself? i like customizing the programs that i need, i hate loading up useless programs...

p.s. i didn't know whether to put it here or in the Windows forum

[mattfromomaha]

The button launches Access IBM - which has all of the user manual stuff, system information, and links to IBM services.

You can run the system restore, which is preloaded on the hard drive if you feel the need for a "fresh install." IBM doesn't send the CDs but instead loads their contents to a hidden partition on the drive - smart thinking because you don't have to worry about losing the CDs! (If you feel that for some reason you must have the CDs, call and they'll send 'em to you.)

As far as customizing what runs, just do Start, Run, "msconfig" and select "selective startup" and edit your startup profile to launch/not launch what you want. I think you'll notice that IBM is very conservative about what runs on startup as it is - they don't preload your system with a bunch of crap programs like all the other manufacturers - so it's pretty much only Windows stuff and the IBM utilities that load on startup.

Good luck!

[soccerjoe5]

ey thanks!