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    where is the vista ultimate disc?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by martinmach, Nov 23, 2008.

  1. martinmach

    martinmach Notebook Evangelist

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    i ordered my thinkpad with vista ultimate, but it came with a xp downgrade. i am planing to triple boot ideneb 10.5.5, vista ultimate x64 and ubuntu. where do i find vista ultimate? should i contact lenovo for the disc?

    whats inside the recovery partition?
     
    martinmach, Nov 23, 2008
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    They don't give you a disc and will not send you one if requested. You're on your own for finding a clean install disc. You can burn off the recovery discs, but they will put your machine back like the day you got it.
     
    ZaZ, Nov 23, 2008
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  3. pacmandelight

    pacmandelight Notebook Deity

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    You have to burn the recovery discs off of the recovery partition. The recovery partition includes a factory image of Vista. Those are your Vista discs.

    The two other discs that came with your ThinkPad is for "downgrading" from Vista to XP.
     
    pacmandelight, Nov 23, 2008
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  4. martinmach

    martinmach Notebook Evangelist

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    is this vista factory image equal to clean install disc? or is is just the windows folder? how do i know if it is 64 bit or 32 bit ultimate in the recovery drive?
     
    martinmach, Nov 23, 2008
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  5. martinmach

    martinmach Notebook Evangelist

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    i got the machine with xp. Does this mean if i run recovery, what does it replace the xp with? vista or xp?
     
    martinmach, Nov 23, 2008
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  6. gary_hendricks

    gary_hendricks Notebook Evangelist

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    Burn the recovery discs off that recovery partition. It's a painful thing, but that's what these laptop manufacturers do.
     
    gary_hendricks, Nov 23, 2008
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  7. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    It is not the same as a clean install disc. Microsoft won't let the laptop manufacturers distribute installation media anymore, so this is what we are stuck with.

    If you want to get Both Vista and XP on that machine you are going to have to get creative with partition resizing, disc cloning software, etc. Because there is not a straightforward way to do it without an actual installation disc (and you don't have one).
     
    jonlumpkin, Nov 23, 2008
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  8. receph

    receph Notebook Evangelist

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    My Vista 32 Business downgraded to XP did not come with Vista disks in the recovery partition

    I made the XP disks. Then I called Lenovo for the Vista disks.

    If there is a MS sticker with a Vista S/N at the bottom of your Laptop, they will send you the Vista factory install disks. If you have an XP s/n, they will not.

    However, the person denied me the disks until I insisted. So be brave!
     
    receph, Nov 23, 2008
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  9. martinmach

    martinmach Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for the advise. i will be calling lenovo today
     
    martinmach, Nov 23, 2008
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