Can ThinkVantage does the same thing as Norton Ghost for hard drive replacement?

Hello,

I just bought a 200GB hard drive and am planning to replace the 100GB drive on my current T61.

Someone suggested that I should use Norton Ghost to make an image of the hard drive to an external hard drive and restore it so that I don't have to reinstall everything afterwards. Is it true?

I notice that ThinkVantage on my T61 has two tools:

Create Recovery Media

and

Rescue and Recovery.

Can any of the two do the same job as Norton Ghost? Which one of the two is the right tool?

Thanks!!!

 

Yes, Thinkvantage is basically a proprietary Norton Ghost.

Create Recovery Media allows you to make CDs to restore it to factory settings; while Rescue and Recovery allows you to create a full disk image to restore it. First make a recovery CD set to be able to restore the OS, and then make a disk image on an external hard drive with Rescue and Recovery. Once you put in the hard drive, boot from the recovery disks, and when it installs XP with the Thinkvantage factory settings and programs, go to Rescue and Recovery and restore your hard drive's image from the external drive with the Restore tool.

Good luck!

 

SkeeteRX8,

Thanks so so much for your input with detailed howto!

Thanks again!!!


BTW, I saw in your signature:

>>Planned upgrades: Core 2 Duo T9300 2.5 Ghz| 4GB RAM (2 DIMMS)|

Are you planning to replace the CPU on your current T61p yourself? If yes, I am interested in your experience since I am thinking about the same upgrade.

 

Yes......I actually am, to make it future proof throughout college. Lenovo has a guide to dissassemble it online, and it's not that hard to do. Here's the link:

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/42x3546_03.pdf

 

Is it possible to replace the Thinkpad system restore with my own? I ordered the laptop w/ Vista Basic because I can get Ultimate from my University for $15... can I make my own image and put it in place of the existing image?

 

I finished the replacement by using the steps outlined by SkeeteRX8. The backup took about 7 hours and the restore took an hour.

One clarification:

>>when it installs XP with the Thinkvantage factory settings and programs, go to Rescue and Recovery and restore your hard drive's image from the external drive with the Restore tool.

Here is what I did: install XP and factory settings first. After that, use the installed R&R to restore the image.

One more question:

How can I remove the backup image on an external drive? I was unable to see this big file even when the system was set to display hidden files.

Thanks!

 

this is exactly what i'm planning to do with my t60. i was looking into norton ghost but this is great to know. Do you have any recommendations as to what kind of HD to get? I'm running a 80gig 5400rpm that came with my comp. I'm looking to get atleast 200gb (250 would be nicer) at the same speed since its fast enough for me and I dont want the extra heat/power consumption.

I've heard good things about seagate. The reviews on WD drives seem to be on the fence. Sorry, dont mean to hijack the thread, I'm looking through older ones now. Just wanted to say thanks for starting this thread.

quick question: i follow the same procedure outlined above even if my laptop isnt brand new. That is, i can create recovery disks to copy the OS/restore to factory settings and then use R&R to restore all my programs, music etc. thanks!

 

regarding which HD is good or better. read this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=250896

the steps you outlined should be okay.

good luck.