lewiso
asked on
ibm thinkcentre recovery disks HOW SPECIFIC.
i'VE GOT A THINKCENTRE 8199 desktop WITh a blank hard drive and no recovery disks. It has the win xp sticker on the side. Question is, if i can't get the exact recovery disk for this machine, will recovery disks for other thinkcentre machines of similar vintage likely work? Please answer only if you have some experience with this issue - it its only one or two machines, i'd like to hear about that. thanks, Lewis.
PUNKY
It will work without any issue but the problem is not legal to do so.
Recover disks from a different thinkcenter machine may not work if it is hardware dependent. If your hard drives are blank, then it is definitely worth the shot to try it. But usually the recovery cd's check the hardware and see if it is the same model etc. Butttt if they are VERY SIMILAR, some recovery disks cover a range of machines. What thinkcenter model is your other machine or the recovery disks for?
You may also try contacting IBM to see if the recovery disks are purchaseable etc. If those ones for the other thinkcenter dont work.
If that doesnt work or you cant acquire recovery disks, since you do have the License key on the side, which means you own a legitimate license to install windows XP. [Now that License is an OEM product key. Microsoft will not support that particular key in a sense of helping you with recovery disks, or reinstall or installation cd's. However IBM may.]
The other option is you can use an OEM windows XP install disk, if you have one...The downfall of this is that you will not have any driver support for any devices that XP does not know how to detect. Usual devices windows may or may not see on your 8199, would be video card, sound card, network card and chipset. Also if you have other cards in there.....they may not be seen by xp properly either till drivers are installed (IE: tv tuner, usb cards, firewire cards, scsi etc etc etc...)
Now you may be able to go to your local PC supply store...and purchase a copy of the OEM cd...(the CD itself if your supplier should have one....w/out license [since you have one...] may cost around $10? depending on your supplier. Or if they do not you may have to buy a copy w/ the license. OEM copies generally run around the $89-120 range for home, and pro runs 130-175 for oem....again depending on your supplier!
I hope this answers your question. I do alot of OS reinstalls on IBM/DELL/SONY/GATEWAY/HP etc etc etc, and of which some come with recovery partitions, or cd's etc...and some dont....but if the cd's are not available and no recovery partions are available, you could again, use the OEM license key etc to do that.
You may also try contacting IBM to see if the recovery disks are purchaseable etc. If those ones for the other thinkcenter dont work.
If that doesnt work or you cant acquire recovery disks, since you do have the License key on the side, which means you own a legitimate license to install windows XP. [Now that License is an OEM product key. Microsoft will not support that particular key in a sense of helping you with recovery disks, or reinstall or installation cd's. However IBM may.]
The other option is you can use an OEM windows XP install disk, if you have one...The downfall of this is that you will not have any driver support for any devices that XP does not know how to detect. Usual devices windows may or may not see on your 8199, would be video card, sound card, network card and chipset. Also if you have other cards in there.....they may not be seen by xp properly either till drivers are installed (IE: tv tuner, usb cards, firewire cards, scsi etc etc etc...)
Now you may be able to go to your local PC supply store...and purchase a copy of the OEM cd...(the CD itself if your supplier should have one....w/out license [since you have one...] may cost around $10? depending on your supplier. Or if they do not you may have to buy a copy w/ the license. OEM copies generally run around the $89-120 range for home, and pro runs 130-175 for oem....again depending on your supplier!
I hope this answers your question. I do alot of OS reinstalls on IBM/DELL/SONY/GATEWAY/HP etc etc etc, and of which some come with recovery partitions, or cd's etc...and some dont....but if the cd's are not available and no recovery partions are available, you could again, use the OEM license key etc to do that.
why would it be illegal? and how do you know it will work? hehe...just curious....cuz he didnt say which versions of the thinkcenter models they are. Anyway not trying to downplay your answer, you just didnt give much detail.
He has a legitimate key, so it doesnt make it illegal. He has the appropriate licensing.
Anyway....just asking.
He has a legitimate key, so it doesnt make it illegal. He has the appropriate licensing.
Anyway....just asking.
err didnt give the model of the other think center....i mean.
ASKER
Wakeup - Thanks. Where would that type of thing be available for $10?? Do you know of a store that I could contact?
If ibm has the cd i need, it will be around $45 from what i've heard.
There aren't many of these cds floating around because the original 8199 didn't come with them; you were supposed to make your own from a special partition that they installed on the original hd.
If ibm has the cd i need, it will be around $45 from what i've heard.
There aren't many of these cds floating around because the original 8199 didn't come with them; you were supposed to make your own from a special partition that they installed on the original hd.
ya....I know PC Club used to have OEM cd's that you could purchase but they would only sell them to people had had purchased the "ENPOWER" computer systems or their inhouse build. You may try your local ma and pa computer store....Where are you located? city? state? if in the USA?
ASKER
Wakeup : I'm in ny city.
Hmmm.....ok I dont know of any computer stores there...never been there.....let me see if I can hunt a bit for you...maybe even online etc....
Was it WinXP PRo? or home? or.....
Was it WinXP PRo? or home? or.....
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if you already have the XP sticker, you don't need to buy the OEM CD for $100. you only need a CD media. Just ask around and see who has an OEM CD media. Another Recover CD will work fine, but a little trick. give it shot.
why not use Linux?
why not use Linux?
Papertiger, ya I mentioned that to him already that all he needs is the CD. I also gave him links that hopefully some of these stores will hoepfully just sell him or give him a cd.
ASKER
The problem is that there are _very_ many models and each cd covers just a few of them. The links wakeup provided didn't seem to be to anyone sellilng the disks for the 8199. I ended up buying them from ibm; $52 shipped.
Sigh....Lewiso, again if you read my comment in 27189315, I mentioned the OEM CD's...and mentioned in the comment 21786544, in paragraph 3 and 4 that if you could not acquire the IBM Restore disks, you could try contacting those stores for the OEM installation Cd's....not the IBM/Lenovo 8199 restore CD's....
Which if those places carried OEM CD's....they may make one for you or sell you one. Thats what I meant. The only downfall is that you would not have any of the IBM specific drivers or any special software that is on the restore disks.
And also in the 21786544 second paragraph I noted that you could contact IBM for replacement restore Cd's, which it sounds like you have done.
Which if those places carried OEM CD's....they may make one for you or sell you one. Thats what I meant. The only downfall is that you would not have any of the IBM specific drivers or any special software that is on the restore disks.
And also in the 21786544 second paragraph I noted that you could contact IBM for replacement restore Cd's, which it sounds like you have done.
ASKER
Wakeup - (or anyone)
I guess I have confusion concerning the difference between an IBM Restore cd, and an OEM cd, where IBM is the OEM. What would the difference be?
Ae you sayilng that you've seen xp cd disks that are priced less than regular retail (like $100 or more) and will work in any IBM-lenovo machine? The ones i've seen are specific for a few models only - like the set i've got is specific for about four models of IBM. I've also seen these for Dell, Compaq, etc., are those more generic?
And aren't all of these at least the $52 shipped that IBM charges?
Thanks.
I guess I have confusion concerning the difference between an IBM Restore cd, and an OEM cd, where IBM is the OEM. What would the difference be?
Ae you sayilng that you've seen xp cd disks that are priced less than regular retail (like $100 or more) and will work in any IBM-lenovo machine? The ones i've seen are specific for a few models only - like the set i've got is specific for about four models of IBM. I've also seen these for Dell, Compaq, etc., are those more generic?
And aren't all of these at least the $52 shipped that IBM charges?
Thanks.
The IBM ones would usually contain drivers for the SPECIFIC Machine....so if it is a RESTORE ore RECOVERY cd from the manufacturer it again may contain a driver cd, and may include also an application cd etc.
A generic OEM cd is just a generic OS install cd. It will install windows and may not have drivers specific to your machine. In which case you would need to have some of those drivers downloaded from IBM/Lenovo's website in order to install them. Usual drivers that you may need to install after windows has been installed are video card drivers, sound card drivers, Wireless card drivers, ethernet/network card drivers, webcam drivers, fingerprint scanners, tv tuner card drivers, mass storage controller dricers, and possibly other drivers as well(all depends on the make and model of your computer/laptop/desktop etc).
A generic OEM cd is just a generic OS install cd. It will install windows and may not have drivers specific to your machine. In which case you would need to have some of those drivers downloaded from IBM/Lenovo's website in order to install them. Usual drivers that you may need to install after windows has been installed are video card drivers, sound card drivers, Wireless card drivers, ethernet/network card drivers, webcam drivers, fingerprint scanners, tv tuner card drivers, mass storage controller dricers, and possibly other drivers as well(all depends on the make and model of your computer/laptop/desktop etc).