It is a T40p, model 2373-G3U I have an old set of original Thinkpad recovery disks, I have 5 not 7. (Didn't have these available when the virus hit, everything was in storage.) I'm not sure how to proceed. I do want to have a properly running, fuss and goof free system. But I am hesitant to go the route of starting from the recovery disks (or the partition, if it's still there) as I'd need to somehow get SP3 and all the MS updates on it. My understanding is that the unpatched WXP will be immediately infected w malware, faster than I could downoald SP3. Beyond that, merely dealing with Windows update was a headache - with the image I got from the fixit shop there were roughly 100 updates due. That required a call to MS support, as they will not self install -- one or another obscure windows component is an old ver and blocks other updates, but Windows update doesn't detect and correct that. I haven't put too much time into configuring the current install. If it's never going to be right, then I'll start over. I now have the recent data and one of my backup 2.5" drives accessible so I have options, one of them being add the last few months of data to an old backup (cloned drive), scan it for virii and hope I find whatever was lurking - prolly some rootkit - and pop the backup in place as my current drive. The backup has the advantage of being 160GB rather than 60. The orginial would then become a backup, though too small to clone 100% onto. I'm bouncing around doing house sitting and don't have a good workspace, so 10-20 hours fussin with this isn't possible, even if I were willing. The only upside is this gave me an occassion to intall a spare, faster cpu which has been waiting a while; I had to get spares out of storage put some time into the machine in any case. This is the1st time I've had anything more than the keyboard off; I was a bit surprised when it booted up and operated normally on the 1st try. So it seems like you're telling me I have to start from the original ibm image - Lenovo System Update won't auto-install the right stuff? Is the Thinkpad OS substantially different from whatever is installed now? Thanks for your voice of experience on this. -- Larry
From: Ray Bay <[email protected]> >To: Laurence <[email protected]> >Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:24 AM >Subject: Re: [Thinkpad] How to rebuild environment after generic reinstall? > > >Best way is to buy or borrow the Lenovoa Windows XP Professional install set >for your type number, and start over. It costs $52 with shipping and will fix >everything... from the Atlanta office of Thinkpad. > >Otherwise, install Windows XP Professional from CD in Repair mode... which >will give you a good install, then download all the drivers from the Lenovo >site for your type number. > >I doubt you will be able to get what you feel you need in any other way... >though you could come close if you had more experience with the Thinkpad >version of WXP Pro. > >If you go to the Lenovo site for your type number and download ALL the drivers >and updates listed, and install them one at a time, you can come close, or get >lucky... But it will take you somewhere between 11 and 19 hours to do the >updates correctly. > > >A clean install is the smart way to go... Repair shops use a standard WXP they >buy from IBM for the purpose of making quick and easy repairs... and, as you >know, that generic version is not adequate for a Thinkpad. > >I am on the road. If you can wait for 10 days, I can send you a seven disk >install set for some models... but you didn't state which version of Thinkpad >you have. > >RB > > > > >On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 6:06 AM, Laurence <[email protected]> wrote: > >I have a t-pad which had a stealthy bit of malware attack while I was away >from backups and means to recover. After commercial fixit service (cleaned and >saved my data, but could not fully scrub the OS/installed programs) it now has >a generic windows install and a minimal kit of device-specific drivers. >> >>Thus it doesn't have an ibm windows image. Some functions work, e.g. the >>keyboard light, but most thinkpad functions don't - fn-keys, battery >>maximizer, ect. The ibm utilities (Access ibm, Battery/power, Access >>Connection etc) were (obviously) not part of the generic install. I also >>noted that F8 does not bring up the boot menu options. >> >>In theory I could back up my recovered data, restore the machine with >>original recovery disks and proceed with a lengthy reinstall. But I've found >>that using Windows update to bring such a system up to date is not a reliable >>process - even with SP3 intalled it was neccessary to call Microsoft to >>straighten out the update chain. In addition my backups are a few months old >>and apparrantly have a stealthy bit of malware hiding in them, so I'd have >>some fussing should I restore from one. >> >>How can I add the various thinkpad function to the generic XP I have now? >>Should I install ibm system update and allow it to add what it chooses, or >>should I take specific packages only from the lenovo site? >>Can I restore the F8 boot menu options and Access IBM functions? >>The machine is a T40p, XP pro. >> >>-- LS >>_______________________________________________ >>Thinkpad mailing list >>[email protected] >>http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad >> > > >-- > >You've got to be very careful if you don't know where >you're going, because you might not get there. > >.... .... ..... ...... ........ Yogi Berra > > > > _______________________________________________ Thinkpad mailing list [email protected] http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/thinkpad
