Installed new HD on my x61. How do I create the hidden partition?

I have just put a new 200GB HD on my x61 and installed XP on it. However I was away on business and my laptop started to play up refusing to boot into windows. I managed to get the problem sorted but I did waste a day in doing so. It made me think that I would really like to have the backup facilty that the blue ThinkVantage button provides.

I dont really care that the partition takes up x amount of HD space as time lost at work is much more important if I ever need to do an emergency backup.

So is it possible to keep my current installation of XP and create the hidden partition and place a backup on there which could be activated using the blue ThinkVantage button?

J

Thanks all!

 

Yes!
It IS possible.

1) Find and DL these apps.

Ghost 2003
PTEDIT
Partition Magic
a bootable media (like USB or boot CD)

2) Make a boot CD (or use a bootable USB); put Ghost and PTedit on there at least.

3) Install partition magic and resize your "C:\" drive smaller with like, say, 10gb or 20gb empty at the end of the drive... restart to finish.

4) Ghost your C:\ (operating system) partition- but NOT the whole drive;

5) save the image files to the new partition you just created using perfect disk when you were in windows... then (this is a non-critical step but sure is nice) restart your machine when it's done and BURN the images as BACKUPS off disk (like to a DVD(s) or such, or backup drive; DVD is best!).

6) Resize the 2nd partition once back in windows to just fit the ghost image files in the 2nd partition using Partition Magic.

7) Reboot into DOS and run PTEDIT

8) Change the "type" of partition that the ghost image is on something that the ThinkVantage button is qued by (for the Dell's it's called DE or something, ask around what the code is- I don't know)

9) Run the thinkvantage recovery tool (it's like the dell version I've heard- the dell finds the partition labeled as the recovery type in the partition table and automatically "points" the boot code towards where this partition begins, as well as runs code to change it to the boot code when the recovery function is utilized- I don't know what the thinkvantage does but probably exactly the same variety of function, with a boot key combo pressed to activate the restore function- ask around in that part of the forums for your laptop!)...

Once you've repaire the function you ought to have a ghost image that will restore the computer back to whatever you saved in the ghost image when you press the vantage button at boot, as I recall.

WARNING- read about the function of this vantage button, and if there is an HPA let me know- that complicates things a lot. If not, the above proceedure ought to work, leaving you with a slightly "smaller" hard drive space and a hidden ghost image that you don't need to put in DVD's to get back...

Of course you COULD always just ghost the drive to DVD's using Ghost2003 and then just keep them handy. Takes about 15-20 minutes for a full giant HD restore complete from DVD for me, with a loaded OS and all my apps in the ghost image.

Peace

-JP

p.s. their button function fixing tool is probably on the DL drivers section in the support section on their website, just FYI.

 

of note- sometimes one has to do this process TWICE in a row, to get the hidden ghost partition the right size, and then ghost the whole drive (but without the ghost image ON the drive, or you begin to get a "hall of mirrors" software effect here)... capice?
So at step 4-5, when you go TO SAVE the images, instead, write down the SIZE of the image file TOTAL (you can use max compression) and then exist back to windows and RESIZE the 2nd partition to that size + say 50mb...
THEN reboot into ghost and GHOST THE WHOLE DRIVE, saving THAT image into your now hidden back up image partition.

Yay!!!

Remember, if there is a HPA (read a bit about your notebook) then you do NOT want to EVER use this ghost image transfered to a BIGGER hard drive, or it will truncate the extra space into a hidden very difficult to get rid of or expose hidden partition... if there isn't an HPA, forget I warned you. lol!

Hope that helps.

 

I really do appreciate your suggestion. I was expecting a much easier way to do this LOL. Looks like its going to be a very long night as I'm going to have a go at this now.

Right time to re-read your suggestion another 3 times before I attempt it though.

A big thanks for your time in helping me out. I'll post my results here when I'm done. I dont have Ghost 2003 but I do have a copy of Acronis, hopefully it does exactly the same job.

 

If you want easier...

Boot a Vista DVD and start an install. The first thing you are presented with is an easy to use partition creation/deletion manipulation facility.

 

I'm stuck at this point. I've done a search but found nothing on Google. Can anyone help? I did find this but aren't sure if it applies to the x61

Rescue and Recovery version 4 is installed on T61/R61.

The partition type is 0x27. By factory default, the R&R partition is the first partition on the disk. The filesystem used is NTFS. The preloaded Windows appear as the second partition, with the active bit set.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Rescue_and_Recovery

@Renee -Will your method of partitioning work with the blue thinkvantage button?

 

"@Renee -Will your method of partitioning work with the blue thinkvantage button?"

My methods of partitioning simply makes partitions and then you have to fill it.
But to answer your question, if you put the R anR software in the partition then yes, the blue thinkpad button should work.

 

"I have just put a new 200GB HD on my x61 and installed XP on it. However I was away on business and my laptop started to play up refusing to boot into windows. I managed to get the problem sorted but I did waste a day in doing so. It made me think that I would really like to have the backup facilty that the blue ThinkVantage button provides."

You know what? If you install Vista from lenovo recovery disks,, you can make an image backup and not have to ever worry about it again. I have never used the R&R space and i have deleted it off my system. Vista Complete PC backup has saved me many times.

 

Thanks mate. If I fail to get XP working I know I can always fall back on Vista and buy some extra memory

I'm surprised that no one has covered this in any of the stickies about doing a clean install..