[ltp] sysrescue cd in hidden partition booting with the thinkvantage-button

[Jeffrey Taylor]

Quoting Richard Neill <rn214@hermes.cam.ac.uk>:
>>
>>> Welcome to Linux - I hope you enjoy Ubuntu. As to the system rescue 
>>> feature, it's in the BIOS on the "hidden partition". As long as you don't 
>>> unhide that partition (in the BIOS option), you almost certainly won't 
>>> break the system restore function.
>> This is NOT true for all models of ThinkPads.  
>
> I think you've quoted the wrong bit of my message here - I think you wanted 
> to disagree with my assertion that the rescue partition can trash your 
> linux install; not my assertion that if you leave the hidden partition 
> hidden by the BIOS, you won't be able to delete the rescue partition by 
> accident.
>

You are quite correct, I was hasty on selecting the quote.

> AFAICT it is true only for the
>> rescue CDs.  On my T41 I have restored Windows at least 4 times without
>> touching the Linux partitions.  The rescue partition overwrites just the 
>> first
>> partition; so just leave Windows there, shrink the partition and install 
>> Linux
>> in the new partition(s).
>
> I stand corrected - though I think what I say was correct at least for the 
> A22 I used to use. (I wiped the HDD clean on my T60p). Doesn't the rescue 
> program also zap the partition table or bootloader?
>

Not the rescue partition on my T41.  I have not heard on this list anything
different in the four years I've been on this list.  That the rescue CDs are
different was a surprise to me that I heard on this list.

>> IMHO, I've paid for Windows and it is occasionally in necessary to get the 
>> job
>> done.  It gets booted several times a year, mostly to update it.  And the
>> rescue partition is insurance against MS f*cking with dual booting in 
>> their
>> "security" updates, which it sure looks like they are doing.  
>
> But these days, KQEMU or VMWare are both sufficiently good that you needn't 
> use a "real" install of Windows. Also, Wine handles a surprising amount of 
> software.
>

I use Wine (strictly speaking, CrossOver Office) to run Quicken.  It works
well.  TurboTax will not run satisfactorily under Wine.  

As you say, the virtualization packages are generally good enough.  I intend
to setup VMware to run the existing Windows partition as a "raw disk" (not
virtual disk), since I never got around to getting the rescue/install CDs
while under warranty.  I doubt that it is practical to re-install from the
rescue partition into a "virtual disk", i.e. a file.

Jeffrey