Clean Install Guide (works for 32-bit or 64-bit)

I had to install the ThinkVantage power manager app to get the option to switch the graphics. I couldn't find any other way to do it short of changing it in the BIOS.

 

Ok here's my situation...I did a clean install a while back but the disc had a integrated product key but the 30 days still started. If I use the recovery partition to restore my t61p to factory setting, will it have the original product key again?

 

I belive so, yes.

 

Hello,

I will probably be doing a clean Vista install on the T500 Think Pad I will be getting soon. However, I was having difficulty finding a Retail or Upgrade Anytime 64-bit disk. The college that I will be attending in the fall offers free downloads of Microsoft products to students. This offer includes the ability to download the Vista operating system. They offer Vista Ultimate 32-bit and 64-bit. These are to be downloaded onto your HDD, then burned onto a DVD as a bootable disk.

My question is if there is any way to know if these are just the general retail install files, or specifically the Ultimate install file. I don't want to shell out the extra $100 or so at retail for Ultimate just so I can clean install Vista later if this is my only option. The thing that worries me is that the file size of the 64-bit download is 3.53 GB.

Thank you very much.

 

Most likely the download from your college is the whole thing. There is no such thing as an "Ultimate only" disc, or any other "only" disc. All discs have all versions. I'm pretty sure that the files you download will make a fully-functional Vista disc, however there's now way to know until you actually look at them. 3.53 GB sounds like the size of the Vista 64-bit disc.

Even if those are not the real files, I'm sure that once you get to college you will be able to find someone to borrow the disc from. As long as you use your license for the installation, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

Thank you very much. This has saved me a good bit of time looking for a disk to install from. This has made my buying much easier and almost completely laid out!

 

can anyone help? Just got a x200 with Vista home basic, and tried the approach given by orev in another post. Got a couple problems:

1) USE OEM from dell for my desktop with a home premium. No choice can be made when making ISO file with vLite.

2) When installing with the new ISO dvd, no choice can be made for the type of Vista after the product-key step. (I didn't provide the key as suggested in Orev's post.)

Acutally I tried both keys: the one obtained by MagicJellyBean and the one in the bottom of x200. Neither can be found the set-up. I suspect it is because I cannot choose the vista version.


3) The worst, got an error message "Windows is uable to find a system
volume that meets its criteria for installation". So have to stop.

Any suggestion will be appreciated.

 

You probably need to modify the Dell disc so it does not force the install type. Take a look at the "OEM Re-Installation Disc" section in my guide, which explains how to do this for Dell discs.

 

Thanks for fast reply! I did follow your guide - remove $OEM$ folder and PID.txt first before running vLite. But I noticed there is another file called pidxxx.dll in the same directory. I didn't get rid of this one.

After I posted my questions. I got a copy of bootable disc from my school, and tried it again an hour ago. This time, it can find the product key got from MagicJellyBean. But it still won't install because of the issue with hard disc. The error message: "Windows is uable to find a system
volume that meets its criteria for installation".

Then I checked Microsoft Support page. There is no clear answer. The possible causes:
1) Controller in Bios is not enabled
2) Drivers are missing

I am not very sure how to enable the controller in Bios. But there seems only one place in Bios with the keyword 'controller'. I tried both options. Neither helps. Right now, I am tring to collect all the drivers.

 

It seems working now. What I did is to get one more partition of the hard disk.
Before that, I have marged everything into one single partition. Really weird.

 

I've waded through this thread & don't think I've found the answer to my situation - or if I have, I didn't realize it - so apologies if this is repetitious. I'm in Brazil right now & my T61 has failed - I hope (emphasis on the hope) I will eventually get it repaired under warranty but they likely to put a 32 bit version of Vista - in Portuguese (& yes, it's more than just the language config) back on it.

This seems like an opportune time to upgrade the hard drive & install 64 bit Vista. I purchased Vista Ultimate 32x with the machine but have no recovery disks/preload disks. So, two questions:
1. Can I use this method to get a clean install of 64 bit Vista Ultimate on my T61P using the product key for the 32bit version on the back of my machine? (If so, will it create problems with MS's verfication software - i.e. be flagged as a pirated copy?)
2. Can I use this method to install on a new - upgraded - hard drive or would I have to do this on the old, mirror it, then install the new drive & copy the new 64 bit OS onto it?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

 

You will need to obtain a 64-bit Vista disc, but otherwise your license key will work fine. You will not be flagged as a pirate unless you try to install a different version of Vista than you have the license for. ie. if you have Home Premium you must install Home Premium 64-bit.

To install 64-bit, you must do a new install -- you cannot do an upgrade. You can use the same hard drive or a new one, whichever you prefer. Just make sure to have all of your data backed up before you do anything. If you install on the new hard drive and use the old one as the backup, make sure you have a way to access the old drive once the new one is installed.

 

So, i did this yesterday with a Vista 64 SP1 install...

two things happened, first the OREV activation tool says it can't find my backup-text file so their goes my activation and i have to call MS.

secondly, i cannot delete the lousy hidden partition. i did the steps in the tutorial, and it seemed to work, installed vista again. but it still cannot see the extra space...

my machine is a y530, core 2 duo 8600, 320gb harddrive, and Vista 64 SP1

oh, and the hidden partition is roughly 90gbs so i definitely want it....

why didn't anything work?

 

Thanks for the article.

I've got a problem upgrading my W500/Vista Business 32bit to 64.

All goes to plan until I try to run activation_restore.exe from the new build.

I get is a momentary DOS box pop up and the nothing. Running as administrator, copying the files to the local disk and running from a cmd window have no effect.

I've done this from an MSDN Vista 64 disk and wondered if anyone thinks that this might be the problem, as ABR seems very robust as far as I can see from trawling forum posts.

N.

 

When you ran the backup, did it create the 2 backup data files? When you restored, were both of those files in the same folder as the restore program?

I think you posted this on my website as well. When you ran it from the cmd window, what did it output? Anything? An error message?

Try downloading ABR again and see if that helps. It might have gotten corrupted in the download. Also, disable your antivirus if you have it installed, as it might interfere with abr.

 

I did not see any files in the folder i created for activation, for some reason it did not create anything......

also, any input on the hidden partition?

thanks

 

Ah, that was me. Apologies for the impatience, I didn't know that you'd be servicing both requests.

Tried the above - no avail.

No error messages as the restore pops up another (fleeting) cmd window whether run from icon or command line.

I'm souring another install disk over the weekend, will try that next.

 

Don't know about the hidden partition. Maybe someone else does, or google.

When you ran activation_backup it should have created 2 backup files. You cannot run the backup from a CD or DVD, as it must be able to save the files in the same directory. If it did not create the files, then there was an error or something, hard to tell now.

 

Ok,

so i tried this again after i activated through microsoft. the program only creates one text file with the windows key. the other one is missing, and will not be created no matter how much i try ?

my windows is vista 64 (retail) using the lenovo supplied key ...

thanks,

 

ABR only works for OEM installations. Since you are using retail, it will only get the key (the 1 text file you are seeing), and will not get the backup certificate.

 

but i am using my oem key, i thought that qualifies as an oem installation......so what can i do about that?

 

So, I found myself another copy of Vista Business and now ABR completes properly; the pop-up window displays the progress and completes without errors.

Unfortunately it still doesn't register my product!

Given that I definitely have a Vista Business OEM (thinkpad W500) and I'm guessing that it's not Business "N" as I *do* have Media Player, I'm at a loss to know where to go.

Is it possible that some builds just won't work with this technique?

Is there somewhere else that I can delve to see what' going on?

Thanks,

 

ABR will only back up the activation if you ran the backup on an installation that was done at the factory. If you reinstalled it sometime later, even if you used the OEM key (and activated it yourself), it will not work.

Early in ABR's life there were some issues with things not working correctly but those were bugs that were fixed. In recent memory I haven't seen problems that weren't caused by other issues. Here are some things to check:
- Do you have 2 backup files? One is the key and one is the cert.
- Do both files contain data? You can open both of them in notepad to check.
- When you did the initial install, did you type in a license key? The preferred way is to not type in a key at that point, and wait until you do a restore.
- Make sure you installed the same version of Vista you have a license for (Business -> Business, etc...)

It's possible that the backup cert got corrupted somehow, but it's hard to say for sure what's going on.

 

I recently went through all the drivers and downloaded them to an external hard drive. I ordered a T500, so I'm looking at its drivers page. I found and downloaded all drivers as listed in the guide. I only had two problems. Which Intel Chipset driver am I supposed to download? The two at the top of the Matrix page under "Intel AMT", or the driver under the "Windows Install Supplements" labeled Intel Chipset, or all three? And then the Integrated Card Reader driver is confusing. I don't need to the Smart Card reader driver because I didn't add it to my computer, but the only other driver is for 4-in-1. Is this the intended driver for the 7-in-1 reader for the T500?

I am a driver noob as I'm switching from using Macs my whole life. So any help would be greatly appreciated. I understand ever part except for the drivers, which I am somewhat struggling with.

Thanks

 

Success! One more reboot, and Windows came up telling me that my configuration had changed and to enter my product key. I entered the key generated by ABR and now I'm up and running.

Thanks for your help and patience.

 

hai,,

i have few question..
i cannot find step number 9.. after i finish step number 8 (activation key window), there's no window asking me the vista version i want to install,

after i leave the activation key blank, window just change to license agreement..

help please.. dont know what's wrong.. btw my vista is ultimate 32 64 bit.. i cannot choose the x64..

 

Will Lenova tech support help with a clean install?

When I had some issues with my Dell laptop that required a clean reinstall, Dell tech support walked me through the entire reinstall from start to finish.

If a reinstall goes terribly wrong, can we call Lenova tech support to get real-time help?

 

I wouldn't count on it.

This is an excellent example of why it's smart to do a good full backup of your entire system before attempting something major. In the worst case you use the backup to back out of what you tried to do.

External hard drives and 3rd party backup software like Acronis is cheap insurance against headaches and nightmares.

 

This clean vista approach looks quite appealing since my brand new Lenovo T500 feels quite slow with all the bloatware. However, I do have a few questions that are not covered in the FAQ:

1. If I elect not to delete the hidden partition, I can still use the blue thinkvantage button on boot to restore to factory defaults, correct?
2. I enabled the TPM chip on my computer because I got a dialog box for it and figured 'why not'. Do I have to disable TPM before I do this?
3. I paid for a year of LoJack. Do I need any extra special preparation before clean installing, or should it be just as effective from a clean install as a factory install?

 

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-68053

Is this the card reader driver that I might need?

How to make sure that my T61 comes with a card reader?

I found this in DM: Ricoh R/RL/5C476(II) or Compatible CardBus Controller.

The intel chipset must be installed first and I assume that the order of list of drivers must be followed in order for it to work?

 

Anyone want to trade a 64-bit Vista Anytime Upgrade disk for my 32-bit Vista Anytime Upgrade disk?

I have an acer that I purchased about a year or two ago that came with the disk, I am now purchasing a Lenovo with Business-64 and would like to do a clean install.

Also I was going to purchase more RAM and install it myself, will I need to install a separate driver for that?

 

http://lifehacker.com/5042193/speed-up-your-vista-installation-with-vlite-on-a-flash-drive

Does the method above work? A vista media dvd wouldn't required that way.

 

You'd still need a 64-bit Vista DVD from which to build the VLite image.

 

On top of everything listed above, should I install the remaining drivers of some devices listed in "Device Manager" one by one too?

 

Yea, I am having the same problem. Want a clean install and am not sure. Does anyone know what we should do?

 

Is anything missing in device manager? If not, you can probably get by without installing anything extra.

Side question: do you have support for the blue ThinkVantage button, on screen display for volume/brightness, and the Fn+F5(7/8/9)? Can you log on to Windows with your fingerpint reader (if installed)? If you lack these features, there are still components you should install.

 

Sorry for not being clear enough.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I am hesitating on whether to perform a clean install or not b/c I am not entirely sure that I will be able to find all the correct drivers for each of the devices listed in "Device Manager". Installing Vista doesn't look that hard, but finding the right drivers could be challenging since I have absolutely no experience in these matters at all.

My question was, is the list provided in the guide on 1st page enough to get my machine to work at full capacity again? Device Manager shows some devices such as adapters and controllers that aren't listed in the guide.

 

Every different model has different hardware, so you're probably not going to find an exact list of your hardware in any guide. The best thing to do is to go to the website for your laptop vendor and locate the download page for your model number. All of the drivers should be listed on that page.

Doing a clean install requires a bit of flexibility and the ability to adapt if things don't go exactly according to plan. However, it really isn't difficult and when you're done you will have learned something and will be more comfortable with how your computer works in the end.

 

I just want to say thank you to everyone that helped me preparing for the clean install which I finally did last night. It was way easier than I thought even though I still have 2 missing drivers.

 

Would this method work to do a clean install?

1. Find out the Windows Vista 32-bit product key using Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder.
2. Clean install Vista using Vista SP1 DVD.
3. Activate using key found with MJBK.

 

Bump!!! Q _ Q

 

No, this would not work. The key found by MJKB will not allow you to activate online because it is a special key that is issued to OEMs. Consumers are not allowed to use the key to activate. That is why you should use ABR, which backups up both the registration key and the activation. You must have both of those things in order to do a clean install without having to call Microsoft.

 

Ah, I see, then I shall use ABR. Thanks for the response!

 

I would like to do a clean install on windows XP.

I am an intermediate user but realize that this takes a fair amount of knowledge and time as well as familiarity with drivers, etc...

For this reason, I will pay somebody $25 via paypal to help me successfully restore my X61 using a clean install without all of the third party crap.

I only ask that you have firsthand experience and have done this procedure in the past.

Thanks and look forward to working with you...

 

Do you have an OEM Windows XP disc and an external drive? You may wish to start your own thread.

 

I have a cd/dvd attached to the docking station on the x61. Unfortunately, the machine from the factory had everything pre-loaded....

 

As I recall, the laptop came with XP preinstalled as a vista downgrade...

 

This thread is for installing Vista. Please post a new message or reply to one with a more appropriate topic.

 

hello everyone,

I have a W500 and I'm trying to install a new hard drive on it but I'm having some trouble with ABR. When I try to restore after installing Vista on the new install I'm getting the message "Could not find activation certificate or empty". I find this strange because I see that there is a backup-cert file on my flash drive and it's not empty because it is 3KB. I also made sure that I am using the same Vista (home premium -> home premium).

Now I tried ABR once before when the W500 first came out and I remember it working perfectly. The W500 was so new back then that lenovo didn't have the switchable display driver that I could download and I was forced to use the Recovery Disks to return it back to factory settings. Could this have changed something? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

The clean install worked great for me. Thanks for the awesome step by step process.

Prashant