Restoring pre-Windows Rescue and Recovery? (After Clean Install)

So here's the story:

1. My T61p never came with a hidden partition (Lenovo's mistake, they're now sending me a complimentary set of recovery CDs).
2. The hard drive is the thing that's been causing all the problems I've been having with a clean install of Vista. A Hitachi diagnostic found a "device defective". New one is being sent.


I'd like to attempt a clean install on the new hard drive. Can I somehow use the recovery disks to enable booting into Rescue and Recovery on the initial startup screen (with the blue Thinkvantage button)? Also, is it possible to build a hidden partition with the recovery CDs?

 

I'm a little confused. If you are wanting to do a "clean install" you do not need recovery disks. Also, with a clean install I don't think it is possible to have access to the hidden partition via the blue thinkpad button. A clean install can only be done with a Vista installation disk (such as the Anytime Upgrade Disk, OEM, or Retail disk). If a clean install is what you want to do, you would be better off using ABR on your old hard drive to save the OEM activation data. Then you can do a clean install on your new hard drive using the ABR utility to restore the activation. Just follow the guide.

The recovery disks (and the hidden partition) are for doing a factory restore. Meaning, it will be restored to the same exact configuration as when you pulled it out of the box. This includes the hidden partition.

 

"The recovery disks (and the hidden partition) are for doing a factory restore. Meaning, it will be restored to the same exact configuration as when you pulled it out of the box. This includes the hidden partition."

OK, to clarify, I am wondering if using the recovery CDs will allow me to create a hidden partition. By what you said, it sounds like they will indeed restore the hidden partition?

 

Seriously? I even put it in bold. I'll just summarize exactly what I said before.

The recovery disks will restore to the same configuration as when you pulled your laptop out of the box. This includes the hidden partition.

So if you run the recovery disks you will have a hidden partition. That's how it came out of the box, right?

 

That's the thing, it had no hidden partition straight out of the box. Thanks anyway for clarifying.

 

The no hidden partition part is a mistake. Unless they send you defective restore CDs, you will end up with a recovery partition.

The CDs don't actually restore your system, they create the recovery partition and then you boot from that partition to restore the rest of your system.

 

Who cares about the hidden partition! Why do you want to waste 6 gigs away?

Just do a clean install and you are good to go. Most people on here dont want all the crap that is loaded from the factory.