Clean XP install vs. ThinkVantage Custom Restore?

Has anyone ever tried both a clean XP install and the ThinkVantage custom restore option? My Thinkpad is loaded with the ThinkVantage software and other things that I want to get rid of (the load time is well over 2 minutes...my four year old desktop loads faster than this). If I did a custom restore and unchecked every single application, would this be the same as a clean XP install (in terms of computer speed after formatting)? The only software I want is the fingerprint software and the hard drive shock protection.

One other question...is the CD Key located on the sticker at the bottom of my Thinkpad the "actual" CD Key? I've done a search and seen that this CD Key does not work for some users.

The reason I ask this is because I do not have a Windows XP CD, nor can I make an XP bootable CD based on the clean XP install guide posted on these boards. I'm also reluctant to pay up for a copy of Windows XP Pro too since my university bookstore does not carry it anymore and I'd have to pay full price. Anyway, your opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone

 

Rest assured the key on the bottom of your ThinkPad is indeed a valid key, that however does not mean it will work with any CD. If you have a CD with a valid key I would suggest using they key from the CD. After you've finished installing and are ready to activate, the XP activation program allows you to change your key. At this point you can change your key to the one on the bottom of the machine which should work with Internet activation. I've done this many times. It's worked every time. If you're downgrading from Vista Business/Ultimate you may have to call, but it shouldn't be an issue since your key is valid.

Yes the custom install is essentially a clean install. I'd suggest putting on the Power Manager in addition to the fingerprint and drive software unless you're going to be plugged in all the time. Maybe you want to try the custom install first. This way the key won't be an issue and you won't have to install all the drivers. You can always put it back if need be. As always make the recovery discs and burn off a copy of the the SWTools folder before doing anything.

 

Is the activation step you mentioned the whole Windows Genuine Advantage thing? I've never done the Genuine Advantage before, so I just want to make sure of this before I do anything stupid. The one big problem I have is I don't have an actual Windows XP CD (the other versions I've had in the past were pre-installed on my systems).

I will definitely try the custom restore and see how it feels. Going out to buy a Windows XP CD will be a last resort, in which case I wouldn't even need the CD Key on the bottom of my laptop anymore. Thanks for the tip on the power manager also, I'll keep that in mind.

 

I've been wondering the same thing. It seems everyone is doing a traditional style reformat/reinstall even though you can accomplish the same thing through the rescue and recovery program with the OS and driver only option. I've been debating to do this my self. Please post your results if you decide to do it. Thanks

 

It won't be the same thing. I've tried both and even optimized the custom install. It was still considerably slower to boot than a fresh install. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate the culprit. All I know is that the custom install load time after the login page was much slower than the one from a clean install.

 

Interesting. Was anything turning on with Windows that wasn't with the clean install?

 

Like a service? I don't think so. I had the same services start with both installs, same programs installed, same defragmenter, disabled features like system restore and hibernation, modified the BIOS the same way, etc. I did everything I could think of but I could never get rid of that after-logon delay. Shutdown time wasn't an issue though.

If I remember correctly, everything but the start up time was pretty much the same. So, if you could tolerate a 10-15 sec difference in startup time, then a custom install would be the safest/stable way to clean your system.

 

Yeah I'm actually leaning towards the custom restore so I run into as little problems as possible. A 10-15 second delay doesn't mean much to me as this thing is pretty fast on it's own already. I do have a few questions with the ThinkVantage software though. Is the "Productivity Center" (the main program) necessary for the other programs to run? I specifically want these only: hard disk shock protection, finger print software, and maybe the system update. I'm not sure I'd want to put in all the time and effort to search out every single update necessary for my software.

Also do I need to install the Rescue and Recovery software right when I do the custom restore if I wanted to do another one somewhere down the line? I guess I could probably download it and install it when I'm ready to use it, but I just want to make sure. Thanks!

 

Productivity Center is not necessary for those other ThinkVantage softwares to run.

If you want to do another custom install, you will need Rescue & Recovery. Though, if you burned the recovery discs, I don't think you'd need any programs. But I'm not 100% on that.

I recommend that you keep R&R on there because there have been reports that reinstalling it after removing it disables the boot-into-R&R feature.

 

thats exactly what i'm looking for the most safest/stable/fastest way to reinstall. The slightly longer boot time is not that big of a concern for me. is the process/program pretty intuitive? I've already backed up my files and swtools (just in case). Can you suggest anythings else I may need before I start. I'm running a t61 w/nvs140 and xp.

 

That's the same exact system I'm running. Mine is a 14", btw.

Yes, the process is completely simple. Make sure to look for the custom factory install. You will be provided a list of the bloatware and you can check or uncheck whichever one you want to leave on.

 

I have been trying to figure out a way to customize the boot partition. I have found some tools (base software administrator and ThinkVantage Technologies Administrator tools)

but I got nowhere.

I used to make custom recovery cds for xp systems with nlite. Now they have vlite for vista. Works GREAT. Way faster and its on a dvd so I get to free up that space the recovery partition takes. (i carry dvds in my laptop bag anyway so its not that big a deal for me)

So yeah give nlite or vlite a shot if you dont mind keeping a dvd for backup

Side note, I have found the stock lenovo install blue screens on me. NEVER had a bluescreen after a clean install (well a few times but thats when I was getting the voltage right for my undervolting)

clean install is faster and more stable in my experience

 

I'm a big fan of installing Windows by reformatting the system partition, installing the OS, then using the ThinkVantage System Update to do all the ***** work of picking the correct drivers for my hardware. If you uncheck all the "bloatware", you can get almost exactly as clean a system as you could by installing all the drivers manually (maybe one or two extra processes, at most), with a fraction of the tedium. I did have to follow a few "tricky" software installation steps between installing the OS and using System Update, though. Take a look at the brief step-by-step post I made a while back, if you're interested, but I think you already know how it's done.

 

I did a custom restore with ThinkVantage instead of doing a clean install and had no issues with it. The machine boots fast (~30 sec) and is very responsive. I didn't do much other than not install all of the bloatware which includes some of the ThinkVantage apps. I did stop some vista services that were running on the background, but I don't think this affected the system too much.

 

hit the thinkvantage button this morning only to find out i don't have a custom factory install option. I have rnr v4.2, is it hidden somewhere? am i missing something?

 

just realized i have v4.0, updating now to v4.2. hopefully this will give me the custom reinstall option.