how to replace thinkpad harddrive

hi, sorry if i post similar question, but i think this is different enough to warrant different thread.. i was wondering. in an event that should my harddrive failed. how do i re-install windows?

would replacing the harddrive and restoring from recovery disc/s will do?

but i read this?

is this true?

does the recovery media that i burn contains all of the software needed (the OS, the program, the drivers, etc.) will it create recovery partition in the new drive also?

 

under the windows menu there is a recover media option. you burn it to cd wich is like 6 cds. you could put a blank hard drive in and if you have these cds you can either choose factory restore or you can do a restore without the extra software i believe. but the stress on "its not a windows cd" is you cant use the recovery disks to install on a non ibm computer. its not a true windows install disk you can just install on anything.

to get started you put the first disk in, reboot, and hold down the "c" key on restart wich will start up the cd rom to begin the recovery process.

i dont know how if its the same with all ibms but HD access is on the side. its 2 screws and a cover pops off. inside is a tab you pull wich disengages the hard drive.

 

Yes, the recovery discs will have all the applications and drivers installed on your machine at the time of purchase. A Windows disc installs Windows and nothing else. Some like myself prefer a Windows disc because it doesn't have all the extra software that typically notebook manufacturers put on notebooks and can lead to a slow down in performance.

 

If you have Windows Vista Business or Ultimate you may also consider creating a Complete PC Backup. It effectively makes an image of your current system. So you will not have to reinstall or setup anything when you restore that image.

It makes a backup of your system drive but you can include any additional partitions you might have. There are also other hard drive imaging solutions, but this one is built into Windows Vista (the editions I wrote about above).

You can find information on these forums, for example here. But you can search the web as well.

Backup instructions: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial145.html#restore
Restore instructions: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial145.html

I used this built in solution when I changed my hard drive in my T500. I made an image of the entire drive (the old one) and restored it onto the new one. No problems. You can also periodically create an image of your entire system if you want any new applications, etc. to be included in the backup.

 

omg you guys are great!

i almost forget that shadow copy thing!

so just to confirm;

-the recovery cd which is burned will fully restore the computer to its factory state, even from a blank HDD.

-the recovery cd which is burned will include full copy of windows vista business that can only be installed on the computer from which it is burned (or exact same model).

-the recovery disk maker program will verify the disk that it is burnt error free during the final phase of burning.

my order of x300 comes with vista business.

 

yes even with a blank HDD

the recovery CD will definitely work on the exact same model, not sure if i can speculate to other machines

yes when you burn something it should double check its error free

I have no clue what you ordered with since I can only find the x301 on their website, but some x300s on Newegg apparently have windows ultimate while some have business so i cant be sure what OS you have. Perhaps list the place where you bought it?

 

I don't think the recovery CDs have a full copy of Vista Business - or at least not in the sense that you can just install a clean copy of Vista from that the same way you can from a DVD you buy in the stores. When you use the recovery DVDs it restores the factory default settings, so Lenovo programs will be installed etc.

I have not checked the disks but I assume they contain the HD image and not the actual Vista install disc + drivers + apps.

But I might be wrong

 

The recovery discs should work on any ThinkPad with the same machine type. F-or example if your machine type is 2765-T1U, your discs should work on any ThinkPad that has the machine type 2765. They'll probably work on other ThinkPads, but you'll may have to install/uninstall some drivers as the hardware is different.

 

yes i like it if the recovery disk has a HD image of the disk. so that i can install/restore the OS and drivers, etc. from a blank HDD.

the reason behind my confusion is that my old compaq computer (1999) has a recovery disk (given from factory) which does not have a windows installation inside, it only contains drivers and some part of the Windows 98SE, and cannot reinstall windows, without windows 98 already installed (wont work from blank)..

i wonder if the recovery disk also create a recovery partition on a blank HDD. so that the full thinkvantage software function can be realised (pre-OS recovery environmen).

 

im not located in the US...

 

ahh sorry didnt know that, I was just trying to say I could not find what OS would be on your x300 because different models from different vendors apparently carry different OS's on them.

 

ah, the OS on my order is Windows Vista Business.