Hidden partition WITH win xp ON

  • Thread starter Thread starter chris
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chris

I have bought a Time computer and it has a hidden
partition with i believe a copy of XP that i cant get at
they wanted to charge me £55 to be able to re-install it
using some sort of CD that has access to this partition.
How do i get access to it so in future i can re-install
windows without having to pay the robbing dogs at TIME (
I BELIEVE I HAVE PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE ONCE SO WHY SHOULD
I PAY FOR IT AGAIN !!!
 
chris said:
I have bought a Time computer and it has a hidden
partition with i believe a copy of XP that i cant get at
they wanted to charge me £55 to be able to re-install it
using some sort of CD that has access to this partition.
How do i get access to it so in future i can re-install
windows without having to pay the robbing dogs at TIME (
I BELIEVE I HAVE PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE ONCE SO WHY SHOULD
I PAY FOR IT AGAIN !!!
Click to expand...

Their OEM licensing agreement from Microsoft requires them to provide
a method of restoring the operating system to the "as shipped" state.

Many companies are now using the "hidden partition" method of doing
this, rather than providing a separate CD.

However they should have included a method by which you can restore
the computer to the 'as shipped" condition. Note that doing this will
almost certainly wipe out everything on the hard drive, including all
installed apps, your user data files, and configuration settings.

There may be a BIOS setup item that launches this restore. My
daughter has an IBM ThinkPad with XP Pro and a hidden restore
partition. It uses the F11 key at startup to start the restore
process

If you do not have this type of capability with your new computer then
you need to contact Microsoft, possibly by sending an email to
(e-mail address removed)

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
get on the phone and insist they send you the restore cd,
think they are acting illegal by not supplying it
 
No, providing a CD is not essential.
As has already been stated, Time has to provide a way to restore the
computer.
There is nothing illegal about not providing a CD as long as some way
to restore is provided
A CD is only one acceptable way.
A hidden partition is another.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/setup.asp
Please respond to newsgroup only for everyone's benefit.


get on the phone and insist they send you the restore cd,
think they are acting illegal by not supplying it
 
Is there an easy way to access the hidden partition?
Can you use the ATTRIB command, or do you have to use a 3rd party partition
manager?

--
Good Luck,
Jerry
 
chris said:
I have bought a Time computer and it has a hidden
partition with i believe a copy of XP that i cant get at
they wanted to charge me 55 to be able to re-install it
using some sort of CD that has access to this partition.
How do i get access to it so in future i can re-install
windows without having to pay the robbing dogs at TIME (
I BELIEVE I HAVE PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE ONCE SO WHY SHOULD
I PAY FOR IT AGAIN !!!
Click to expand...

Simple answer is you cannot. Or at least not easily
1) The partition is hidden by the firmware of the drive - this
imposes a false MBR on the drive, hiding the partition. The reload CD
temporarily sets up a replacement MBR
2) The data is encrypted anyway. You need a password
3) You're not paying for the software again. You are paying for a
recovery CD. If you want to restore the machine without using the disk
then you have two methods - either use system restore, or reinstall by
running c:\windows\i386\winnt32.exe (in windows) or
c:\windows\i386\winnt.exe (if you boot from a dos disk)
OldDemike
 
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