WOW - T61p shipped WITHOUT HIDDEN PARTITION

When I received my computer, the local hard drive was named "SW_TOOLS". After doing my first clean install, I noticed that only one partition showed up. Thus no hidden partition was ever installed on my laptop!

I just called IBM in Atlanta, Georgia and they are going to send me a complimentary copy of the recovery CDs. That was on the second try. On the first phone call, the CSR actually told me "No, that's not possible". F*ing ridiculous.

 

Wait, let me get this straight.....

How did you do a clean install?

Did you know that you are supposed to burn your own recovery CD before doing anything else?

I am sure a 'hidden' partition would like to remain hidden. How did you come to the conclusion that there is no hidden partition? The blue button stopped working or you got one of those harddisk utilities that show only one partition, or your HDD space is fully on the C: Partition?

 

Im sure the hidden partition cant be seen during a format and clean windows install?

 

As far as I'm aware all partitions can be seen when you look at them during a Windows install or via the command prompt. It's only when you're in Windows that the "hidden partition" can't be seen.

I may be wrong of course, but the computer has to be able to spot them somewhere!

 

looks like a good way to get some complimentary disks

 

How can you see it if it is hidden?

 

Answer: Diskpart guide http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=2367169#post2367169/

 

I followed Stallen's guide to clean installing. At the point where you can look at partitions through Windows Vista Setup, I noticed that there was only one partition on the hard drive. I immediately called IBM in Atlanta, GA and a set of complimentary recovery disks are on the way to my mailbox.

Still hard to believe that it would ship like this.

 

Check with Knoppix or something else. They used to hide it with a BIOS setting so that windows could not see it, but I don't think that's there anymore. I believe it shows up looking like an EISA config partition.

 

Did you actually attempt to make recovery disks before you did a clean install?

Did you attempt to use diskpart to delete the partition before starting the clean install?

Have you used diskpart since doing the clean install to see if you have more than one partition?

 

It seems like burning recovery disks is over rated if you're doing a clean install. After all, that's the whole point of doing your own install - to get _away_ from the all the default Lenovo crap! Why would you want to request the disks from Lenovo if you'll never use them anyway? Just get the $5 Vista disk from CompuUSA and be done with it.

I'd pay extra for a computer with bare drive and a Windows DVD included instead of having to spend 10 hours downloading drivers and reinstalling everything just to get a fast & stable system.

OP, be happy that you don't have to deal with deleting the recovery partition!

 

No

Yes, but it was already gone - there was only 1 partition, and that was the main Windows one.

Yes, still only 1 partition shows up.

 

FWIW, I can see the hidden partion with Diskeeper 2008. It is around 6GB in size.

 

I think you should have tried anyway. Mine didn't show the hidden partition when I was installing a clean copy of Vista; however, I was also able to recover the computer once beforehand using the blue ThinkVantage button (after making recovery disks failed the first time). I was also able to make a full set of recovery disks afterwards. Thus it's there, but your installer probably did not see it.

Kudos on the free recovery disks though. Burning 8 CDs in a row wasn't fun.

 

I have to agree. I didn't make recovery disks. However, making Recovery disks is in the guide for three reasons.

1. Those who can not follow the guide exactly as it is layed out.
2 Those who think their system was better before the clean install (most likely because of reason #1).
3. The rare occasion that the ABR utility will not activate. (If this happens, I would prefer to call Microsoft and use the product key sticker for activation. But...).