What files/drivers to backup before using Vista recovery disk??

[phkhgh]

I want to partition & reinstall Vista on new laptop. Have the "recovery" disk from Toshiba, which says it is a "Recovery and Apps / Drivers" disk.

I'd back it up, but only have Ghost 9 - won't work w/ Vista. Is there anything specific I might need to back up just in case, that wouldn't be on the recovery disk?

Besides Vista, don't think there's any software of real value. Bunch of bloatware.

Thanks.

[phkhgh]

EDIT: Just saw in the Readme.txt file on the Toshiba recovery dvd that "if in the Install.ini file on the DVD, the value of "CustomSystemInstall" = 0 (which it is), then a custom install of the Toshiba software, is NOT supported." DO NOT KNOW if this means the custom (advanced) option when installing Vista would not be available???

I can't change the install.ini file on the DVD of course. I could copy the DVD to my HDD, edit the file & replace the orig (I guess). Then burn a new DVD w/ the edited install.ini. Maybe / surely there's an easier way???

[Paul Komski]

You could back up the partition(s) with BiNG or ImageForDOS. www.bootitng.com

[phkhgh]

Thanks Paul,
I'll look into that. Another question along same line.
Thank you all for the excellent tips & replies.

The Vista hm prem I have is on a Toshiba (new) laptop recovery disk. They have lots of other software that installs by default, I assume.

Anyone w/ experience using recent computer mfg (like Toshiba) recovery disks for Vista, and what I can expect as far as having ANY control over process? I haven't (yet) gone through the re-install process, but the initial setup screen (Toshiba branded) only gives 2 choices:

INSTALL APPLICATIONS & DRIVERS - this is to select one or more apps or drivers to install.

Restore the Original Default System Install - descrip says: "Restores all default software, drivers & settings. The had disk is partitioned & formatted & the orig default preinstall is restored. ALL FILES WILL BE DELETED!"
[NOTE: it says, "disk IS partitioned", not that you'll be ABLE to partition it. As in, the setup controls the partitioning???]

The 2nd option sounds like I won't have the choice to pick a partition size, and no control over the Vista or other "default" apps that install. Toshiba's support couldn't tell me much. Finally asked (nicely) to speak to Level II tech. Got transferred, put on hold ~ 15 min, then disconnected. Hellooo, Bombay!

Only branded recovery disks I used in past was Dell - XP, and it installed JUST XP. Once the installation process started w/ it, options were much the same as a retail copy of XP.

BTW, thought about just shrinking the partition Vista's on, but least amt is 58 GB, even w/o paging file. Like to get it to 35 or 40GB for Vista. Maybe if I turned off System Restore? Also, there's a partition shown BEFORE C:, that's called Healthy(EISA Config.) of 1.46GB size.

[mjc]

Little or no control whatsoever...

Recovery/restore disks ARE NOT install disks, they are basically just disk images of the factory fresh install/configuration.

The first option is generally just the drivers required by the particular machine, in a separate folder burned to the same disk, so that you can install/reinstall a driver if need be.

That 'other' partition is probably a hidden restore partition that has the same info that your recovery disk has...or it could be a separate 'hibernation' partition, since this is a laptop...

[phkhgh]

OK, thanks mjc,
So what are best options for decreasing size of boot partition (C for Vista, given my "recovery disk" from Toshiba?

From your comment, sounds like since the current partition on the laptop for Vista basically left no unallocated space on that HDD (have 2), when I use the restore disk, I'll wind up w/ the same partition size as now? If I understood.

Although, the Toshiba super-tech "thought I'd be able to specify a partition size," but didn't sound confident.

Thanks!

[mjc]

Pretty much the size of the partition is 'preset'...so, yes it probably will end up the same as it is now.

About the only way to 'shrink' it is to use a third party tool from a boot disk and do it outside of Windows. Also, going the route that Paul suggested earlier, you should be able to image the current partition, minus the unused space to make a smaller image, over all, and then partition the drive how you want it and restore the newly made partition to the smaller space.

What is the ultimate goal?

[Paul Komski]

What model is the computer?

Couple of other things:

The EISA partition is commonly a restore partition. Perhaps the CD/DVD you have is either a backup image file or a way of adding programs etc after restoring the OS.

If you just want to resize partitions you should be able to do this from Vista's own Disk Management.

[phkhgh]

Thanks mjc,
The goal is to reduce the C: partition from current 111GB down to 35 - 40GB & create other partitions.

It's a Toshiba Satellite P200-ST6061

As mentioned, Windows' disk mgmt tool would let me "shrink" the current C: partition - but only down to 58GB. Since the non-hidden data on C: is only 15 GB, that's a lot of hidden space!

After spending a looong time w/ a Level II tech today, he couldn't tell me (w/o starting the actual recovery process) if it would allow custom partition size on the restore. Turns out it will - at least it's a selectable option, to size it from 20 - 110 GB. Didn't proceed past that screen yet.

I DO have Partition Magic v8, but don't believe it'd run under Vista. It's possible PM could run from DOS, w/ some functions limited. If it'd run under either, I'd just resize w/ it, rather than restoring.

Not going to pay full price for latest PM / Partition Comm just for this.

[phkhgh]

Got a Toshiba recovery disk w/ Vista, which will boot my Satellite P200-ST6061. This isn't a Vista installation disk, but a recovery disk (image).

Burned a copy of the bootable disk, verified the burn w/ Nero.

The burned copy won't boot the laptop. Is there a common reason(s) why it wouldn't? Remember, this isn't a MS Vista installation disk.

Before burning, copied the files to my HDD and modified one line in the Install.ini file. The Readme file from Toshiba says if the value for "CustomSystemInstallation=1," then "creating & installing a custom install is supported," using the recovery disk. The orig line was "CustomSystemInstallation=0".

Doubt changing that one value in the Install.ini file causes it not to boot from burned copy - could be wrong.
I didn't choose the option to "finalize" the disk (or make single session) before burning.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[mjc]

You haven't actually copied the BOOTABLE disk, at all. You've just copied the data from it.

If you use the info here (paying close attention on the section on how to make the disk bootable) you may be able to do what you are wanting...but you still haven't answered the burning question from your other thread...WHY?

If you want to shrink the Vista partition to make room on the drive, Paul has posted a couple of links on how it can be down from within Vista...or you can do it from outside of Vista. If you are not wanting all the 'extras', then the easiest way would probably be to uninstall/remove all the stuff you don't want, then create your own disk image...

If all of this sounds hard or nearly impossible...remember that it was done this way by design. MS wants it to be particularly difficult to disassociate the package bundle on a computer that is sold with a preinstalled OS and software package from that computer and, most especially, the OS from the package...

Remember, if you buy a computer with a MS OS on it, you may own the hardware, but you are really just 'renting' the OS. MS has the final say in how things are done.

[Paul Komski]

PM 8 should do it from its two boot floppies but personally I would never initiate a resize from within windows - particularly since it would have to reboot to an unsupported system to do its business. BiNG (in my sig and a functional free trial) would non-destructively resize from a boot floppy or CD as should GParted (free open source) as a stand-alone live CD or from within a Knoppix CD.

Had somehow missed that you had already looked at resizing from Disk Management. The EISA is definitely the recovery partition and the CD/DVD in your possession is for reinstalling drivers an applications but not the OS. Strongly suggest that you make your own recovery CD/DVD so that if you lose the EISA partition for whatever reason that you can still get back to a factory install.

The options for a hard drive recovery (that uses the EISA partition) are:

• Create Hard Drive Recovery CDs or DVDs using a writable drive.
• Recover your hard disk drive to the factory-set default.
• Recover just your C: drive, leaving any other partitions you may have created intact, for example a D: drive.
• Recover to a custom sized partition, leaving extra space to create an additional partition later.
• Erase the hard disk completely.
• Reinstall drivers and applications which were bundled with your computer.

PS
According to the MS website... Vista Ultimate minimum requirements are:
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space

Plus, obviously, whatever you need for applications not installed elsewhere.

[NOTE: it says, "disk IS partitioned", not that you'll be ABLE to partition it. As in, the setup controls the partitioning???]

I'm pretty sure that the only drive it will mess with is the current C: partition. In other words it looks for the only existing primary partition (other than the EISA partition) or just for the active partition and leaves other partitions alone - unless of course you decide to erase the hard disk completely. It then copies its image file inside EISA partition to whatever space the current C: drive occupies. If there were no available primary partition it would almost certainly then proceed to create one in any unallocated space. It probably does this in effect anyway by deleting the current C: as part of the process and then copies the image into the vacated space; that is what most image (or sector by sector) recovery does.

In recent times Dell has usually done things differently, nearly always giving you its own OEM installation CDs, which allows you greater customisation of the "factory settings" but which takes longer.

When you do make any additional partitions suggest they are all logicals in an extended.

[Paul Komski]

I don't think this disk is a recovery disk in any case. I think it is one for reinstalling drivers and applications. You need to burn your own restore disk from the EISA partition utility if you want a copy of the factory restore on your own independent optical media (which is recommended).

To replicate a bootable CD/DVD first make an iso and then burn the iso to another blank disk otherwise it gets complicated and depends on whether or not floppy or hard drive emulation is used to make the disk bootable.

These points are related to your other thread so I am merging both threads to keep the pertinent stuff together in one thread.

[phkhgh]

Oooo-Taaay, ebbi boddy,
(ala Buckwheat)

Thanks to the hard work of everyone giving advice on how to make a bootable copy of the Vista recovery disk (yes, it has Vista), it does work. I was able to modify the install.ini file as planned. The bad news is, it didn't seem to change my options on restoring (it calls it installing). That's because I haven't gone thru the entire restore/installation process - yet.

Used Nero 7 Ultra, but its instructions would have been totally insufficient. W/O the help of others here & another forum & all the links to info on making bootable CD, I'd still be making coasters!!!

For anyone still interested, Nero 7 will indeed make bootable copies from a recovery disk, and I assume any Windows or other app's bootable disk. BUT, it seems you must use another utility to extract the boot info off orig disk. I say "seems" because haven't tried it 7 ways from Sunday.

The way I did it was copied the data from orig DVD to HDD, because wanted to experiment modifying a file. You can do the same after creating an ISO (and other) file w/ various burning prgms, by using UltraISO or maybe IsoBuster?, but w/ U_ISO (free ver), there may be some limit on size of file you can save.

Copying the files to HDD like I did (then extracting the boot record, which you later tell Nero, etc., where to find the "bootable image file"), you could delete files from Vista to heart's content, but not recommending it. BTW, I couldn't get vLite to work w/ this recovery disk, assume because it's not actually Vista install disk.

I finally used UltraISO to extract the boot info off orig DVD, mainly because could never get IsoBuster to run. It installed fine, but hung when launched. Downloaded / installed / reinstalled it twice from different sites incl their own - no go. Was a little unclear on what UltraISO was doing w/ extracting the boot info, and it put it in a file w/ extension ".bif", but Nero seemed to accept it fine.

Still not clear why Nero needs you to use another utility to "make a bootable CD / DVD" work in Nero.

[Paul Komski]

Still not clear why Nero needs you to use another utility to "make a bootable CD / DVD" work in Nero.

If you do a direct disk to disk copy or a disk to iso to disk copy then every relevant sector is copied and you should have a cloned and thus a bootable CD.

If you modify the content and copy just modified data back you are making a new and different data CD and by default any such CD does not have its hidden boot image file copied across. It takes utilities such as isobuster to reveal the hidden image file. Such CDs are not bootable till you turn them back into boot CDs by adding an appropriate image file. Nero and other apps can do this - sometimes from an image file and sometimes by providing the appropriate boot floppy diskette or whatever as appropriate. My own simple DIY utility can also do this using the open source mkisofs utility.