[ltp] Restoring thinkpad with linux to factory settings

[Ruben Jenster]

If you have a primary partition with fat32 that is in front of the hd (it has 
to be physically the first partition) with a size of about 10 G than the 
recovery installer should take this partition instead of wiping out the whole 
disk. But first backup your linux partitions with tar or dar. A backup from 
your data is always usefull.

But there is another problem you will have, setting up a dual boot system. I 
you use kernel 2.6.x than you shouldn't use fdisk to create the parition as 
it writes the wrong CHS values into the MBR. This will cause the Recovery 
Installer to wipe out the whole disk (or at least ask you if it should 
correct some CHS values). fdisk -l should report you the right CHS values 
when you parted your disk with fdisk running kernel 2.4.x.
You can use these values to start cfdisk (cfdisk -c xxxxx -h xxxxx -s xxxxx)
that should write the right CHS values to the MBR.

I don't know if 'fdisk -l' reports the right CHS values if you parted your 
disk with fdisk running kernel 2.6.x. 

Search for 'Dual Boot Problem' in the mailing list to get more Information.

Regards 


Ruben


Am Thursday, 20. January 2005 12:47 schrieb \root:
> Hello!!!
>
> I have an IBM R50 thinkpad with windows xp pro. I
> installed linux in dual boot with windows. I want to
> restore my system to factory contents using the access
> IBM button(it is functional) as windows got corrupt.
> If i do that will the linux partitions be wiped out ?
> or any side effects ?
>
> Thanking you in advance
> Karthik
>
>
>
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