Wrestling with ThinkVantage [ Edited ]

[jtfey]

I acquired an IBM T-43. I'm also a lifelong Mac user so I'm a bit lost trying to get Windows XP reinstalled on this laptop.

The previous owner installed ThinkVantage3 on the T-43 and also provided a set of restore CDs. I've tried three or four times to reinstall the OS  onto this laptop but at the end all it does is boot back into ThinkVantage.

I've considered just buying a version of XP to get the thing running but would rather not.

Is there a way to obtain some DVDs that could take the place the CDs and still be able to work the XP's licensing? Other solutions?

Thanks.

[zoltanthegypsy]

Hello and welcome,

Don't give up on your reinstall yet.

IIRC, after one installs from the CDs, it is supposed to boot to ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery.  From there you select "restore to factory state" (or similar, I dont' recall the exact wording) and it completes the install.

The initial install from CDs installs the recovery image and installs R&R.  Then R&R uses the image to rebuild the rest of the hard drive.

(I think this was still the case with the T43....)

Z.

[jtfey]

Zoltan, thanks. I've tried that. I tell the software to restore to original state, click all the appropriate choices and, after launching the restore, a message comes back that says "Product Recovery failed during the convert ion phase."

[Mornsgrans]

This message very often appears, if more partitions than "C:" and Recovery - partition are on the disk. Specially non-Microsoft-partitions make problems.

They must be deleted manually but take care NOT to delete the recovery-partition.

Additional hint:

While recovering from recovery partition windows reboots several times and runs skrips. While proceeding several dialog messages appear which seem to wait for a user-action. Do *NOT* do anything, but leave the computer running by itself. After a delay the recovery continues. A user-action leaves the recovery in a unstable and incomplete state.

[jtfey]

How do I delete these partitions?

Sorry, I'm Windows Stupid.