Is it worth it to keep the hidden/service partition if changing the OS?

[alkemyst]

I have a Thinkpad T60 and the original OS was XP Pro...I am going to Windows 7. I know there is a lot of diagnostic tools which are helpful, but a lot of them can probably just be run off a bootable cd/thumbdrive.

Is there a way to put my windows 7 stuff into it and then be able to at least restore it to a Win 7 setup?

I tried searching Lenovo/IBM, but they only addressed a clean install of Windows 7 on the main partition.

Thanks

 

[AndroidVageta]

If I understand you correctly it is NOT necessary to save your old Restore/back-up partition as all that data pertains to Windows XP and will in no way shape or form do you any good with Windows 7. That is if Im understanding you right.

Now if you are asking about making a Windows 7 restore partition, thats a totally different beast.

Also, whatever diagnostic tools you have now that you would like to save are most likely useless with Windows 7 or you can download other 3rd party apps that will do all the same stuff.

 

[xSauronx]

you want to...create your own windows 7 restore partition in the hidden partition on the drive?

id look into booting windows 7 install from a flash drive...but replicate those steps onto a second partition on your hard drive, then setup the windows boot manager to give you the option to boot from that partition so that you could select it and boot into a windows 7 install

you could also maybe leave a 2nd partition on the drive, setup windows 7 with your software, use something to take an image of that, then store the bootable version of that software on the 2nd partition along with your compressed win 7 image

but id rather keep that kind of image on an external drive as the full install + some apps will eat up space pretty fast.

what are the odds youll really need to just up and restore windows one afternoon and doing it from the local drive would be the required option? i have my system imaged, but the image is on my external backup drive

 

[alkemyst]

Trying to make the 6GB it's using more beneficial. I figure travelling if I did end up killing the OS, having a backup with me is better than nothing...however, chances are if I do that it's because of a physical issue and at that point that drive would be useless.

I just haven't had a thinkpad long enough to know if blowing out all that ThinkVantage stuff is the right thing to do.

 

[xSauronx]

i still have a t60 around, the lcd is dead (still not sure how that happened) so its hooked up to an external display.

ive never used any of the thinkvantage stuff. i restored from it once...ONCE...what a mistake, that shit took forever to reinstall their bloatware-laden rendition of XP.

nuke it, if youre worried about it dying and you need an OS to deal with, make a livecd or a live flash drive of a linux distro and keep that with you. ive got a 4gb xubuntu live drive in my laptop bag for troubleshooting and such.

arent you an IT guy anyway? certainly you already have a boatload of apps, believe me....youd way, way rather use those or a live cd than the thinkvantage crap.

worst case you have to buy the restore cds 2nd hand, i did that too, $20 that i could have spent better.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Yeah, Id have to agree.

Just format the drive and delete both partitions. What I would do is have a USB Windows 7 bootable flash drive and carry it with you.

Im sure that whenever you are carrying your laptop around you most likely use some kinda bag to carry it right? More than enough room for a flash drive. If you are carrying around just the laptop then look into getting a low profile flash drive so you don't have to take it out.

This way you'll at least always have a copy of Windows 7 on hand and ready to do any kinda of repair/recover work or complete reinstall at any time. Plus, with the size of USB drives now a days there is plenty of back up space to store data on should something happen.

Over all though...ThinkPad software is either never used, over-bloated, and they all have much better alternatives, most of them free if not all of them in some shape or form.