ThinkWiki - User contributions [en]

User:Slowthinker

2007-07-23T21:20:08Z

Slowthinker: create user page

Slowthinker has some experience with these Thinkpad models, starting around 1997:

755CD
760C
760LD
770
570
770Z
A30p
R50p

Talk:Hidden Protected Area

2007-07-23T21:15:35Z

Slowthinker: Migrating the HPA to a new hard drive (Windows)

There is conflicting information on this page. In the introductory paragraph it says "The HPA was introduced with the R/T/X 40 series of ThinkPads." But on the bottom the X3x models are also linked as having this technology. What is right? --[[User:Rolf|Rolf]] 12:30, 19 October 2006 (CEST)

Also I know an R50e machine, that has Rescue and Recovery on a Compaq Diagnostics partition. So it shouldn't be listed either on the bottom of the page. I'm just not too sure, if I understand those technologies correctly, so I hesitate to remove it.

==Removing item "Accessing the HPA from Linux"==
I've checked the fwdir code (http://colimit.googlepages.com/fwdir.zip). This code works on a Hidden Partition (is that the same as a R and R or yet another Predesktop variant?). This code can not work with real HPAs.

I suggest we remove this section in an week or so (or move it to the discussion section) unless further info regarding those Hidden Partition is provided.

[[User:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] 01:08, 4 January 2007 (CET)

The fwdir page is quite clear that it does '''not''' access HPAs, but rather hidden partitions. I don't know if an HPA and a phoenix HP partition have the same internal layout (they could, and it would make sense; a partition does not have to contain a filesystem, it could contain an HPA image just as easily). Also, I have no idea if IBM ships the HPA as unpartitioned area, or as a hidden partition...

If you know the answer to the two implied questions above, you know what to do.

--[[User:Hmh|hmh]] 03:22, 5 January 2007 (CET)

==FirstWare Image Backup span file format==
FWBACKUP creates an image set (a set of span files) of a Phoenix FirstWare HPA. FWRESTOR uses these span files to restore an HPA beckup image. (See the Predesktop Area white paper for usage information for FWBACKUP and FWRESTOR.) The format of a span file is straightforward.

Each span file consists of a plain (not compressed, not encrypted) copy of a number of (512 byte) sectors of the HPA. It is preceded by a 512 byte header.

The format of this 512 byte header is:
bytes description
0- 7 magic ("fwbackup")
8- 9 1 (LSB first) # version number?
10- 11 span file number, one based (LSB first)
12- 13 number of span files in image set (LSB first)
14- 17 number of sectors in span file (LSB first)
18- 21 number of sectors in image set (LSB first)
22- 25 last sector of HPA on the original hard drive, zero based (LSB first)
26- 29 first sector of HPA on the original hard drive, zero based (LSB first)
30- 37 unused
38- 53 checksum # MD5? checksum of what exactly?
54-511 unused

Only bytes 10-11, 14-17 and 38-53 are unique for each span file. All other bytes of the header should be equal for all span files in an image set.

This magic entry for {{cmdresult|file(1)}} can be used to identify the files part of an Phoenix FirstWare HPA backup image file set:
# File magic for Phoenix FirstWare HPA backup image
0 string fwbackup FirstWare HPA backup image
# >8 leshort # x , version %d ???
>26 lelong x (first disk sector of HPA: %d,
>22 lelong x last disk sector of HPA: %d)
>14 lelong x %d of
>18 lelong x %d image sectors
>10 leshort x (span file %d
>12 leshort x of %d)

[[User:Pebolle|Paul Bolle]] 11:27, 7 January 2007 (CET)

== Migrating the HPA to a new hard drive (Windows) ==

The white paper referred to in the article describes a procedure for moving the HPA when upgrading the hard drive. The HPA partition can't be simply cloned because critical jump instructions used by the BIOS directly address sectors on the HDD, and thus depend on the drive geometry. (Therefore, migration to an identical replacement drive should be possible by cloning, but not to a larger drive).

The procedure involves running the system restore program residing on the HPA, interrupting it by using the (otherwise undocumented) F3 key, and copying FWBACKUP and FWRESTOR programs to a floppy disk. This may work on A series systems with internal floppy drives (with UltraBay 2000 or UltraBay Plus), but it doesn't seem to work for USB floppy drives, which are the only kind available for the R series (which has the UltraBay Enhanced internal drive, for which no FDD devices have been made available). The BIOS does recognize USB devices, and they are visible while running the system restore program, but any attempt to write to these devices fails (I've tried this with a USB floppy and a USB flash drive).

Does anyone have any suggestions for a work around? If not, I see no way to save the backup of the original system configuration when upgrading the hard drive on the R50p or similar machines. [[User:Slowthinker|Slowthinker]] 21:15, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Category:R Series

2007-07-23T20:52:48Z

Slowthinker: fix grammar and add link

* '''ThinkPad R''': Traditionally the budget laptop line, they are 'mobile workstation' configurations to replace the discontinued [[:Category:A_Series|A series]].

{{stub}}
[[Category:Models]]

Category:A Series

2007-07-23T20:51:07Z

Slowthinker: /* ThinkPad A series */ fix links to other TP series

=ThinkPad A series=
The A series was developed as an all around productivity machine, equipped with hardware powerful enough to make it a desktop replacement. Hence it was the biggest and heaviest ThinkPad series at its time, but also had features not even found in a [[:Category:T_Series|T series]] of the same age. The A series was dropped in favor of the [[:Category:G_Series|G series]] and [[:Category:R_Series|R series]].

[[Category:Models]]

Ultrabay Enhanced DVD Multi-Burner II

2007-07-23T20:41:36Z

Slowthinker: /* IBM Partnumbers */ add FRU part number

__NOTOC__
{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;">
=== Ultrabay Enhanced Super Multi-Burner Drive===
This is an DVD Writer for the Ultrabay Enhanced

=== Features ===
* Read capabilities
** CD-ROM (24x)
** CD-R (24x)
** CD-RW (24x)
** DVD-ROM single layer (8x)
** DVD-ROM dual layer (8x)
** DVD-R (8x)
** DVD+R (8x)
** DVD-RW (8x)
** DVD+RW (8x)
** DVD-RAM (5x)
** DVD+R double layer (4x)
** DVD-R dual layer (4x)

* Write capabilities
** CD-R (24x)
** CD-RW (4x)
** High-speed CD-RW (10x)
** Ultra-speed CD-RW (16x)
** DVD-R (8x)
** DVD+R (8x)
** DVD-RW (6x)
** DVD+RW (8x)
** DVD-RAM (5x)
** DVD+R double layer (4x)
** DVD-R dual layer (4x)

</div>
|style="vertical-align:top" |
|}

=== IBM Partnumbers ===
Order PN: 40Y8624

FRU PN: 39T2723

=== Linux Support ===
If connected at boot time, the drive is /dev/hdc, or /dev/sr0 with ide turned off.

=== Supported with ===
* ThinkPad {{R50}}, {{R50p}}, {{R51}}, {{R52}}
* ThinkPad {{Z60m}}

[[Category:Components]]

Category:Windows

2007-07-13T15:54:40Z

Slowthinker: fix logo so boxed text is visible

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:middle;padding-right:20px;width:10px;" | [[Image:Smallwindowslogo.jpg|175px|right|Official Microsoft Windows Logo]]
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;">
=== Windows ===
This page gives an introduction to Windows and an overview of related articles.
</div>
|}
{| style="vertical-align:top;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px"
|
__NOTOC__
=== What is Windows ===

Microsoft Windows is a range of operating systems for both home PCs and servers. The first public release of Windows was introduced by Microsoft in 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS. Microsoft Windows eventually came to dominate the world personal computer market with a market share of approximately 90% for desktop PCs in both home and business environments. All recent versions of Windows are full-fledged operating systems, which do not run on top of DOS.

Windows was developed for IBM PC-compatible computers (these were based on Intel x86 architecture), and today, almost all versions of Windows are made for this hardware-platform (although Windows NT was written as a cross-platform system for Intel and MIPS processors, and later appeared on the PowerPC and DEC Alpha architectures).

===OS Homepage===
* [http://www.microsoft.com www.microsoft.com]
|}

[[Category:Distributions]]
[[Category:Operating System]]

Category:OSX

2007-07-13T15:45:41Z

Slowthinker: fix logo so boxed text is not obscured

{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:middle;padding-right:20px;width:10px;" | [[Image:Macosx logo.png|213px|right|Official Mac OS X Logo]]
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;">
=== Mac OS X ===
This page gives an introduction to Mac OS X and an overview of related articles.
</div>
|}
{| style="vertical-align:top;margin-left:20px;margin-right:20px"
|
__NOTOC__
=== What is OSX ===

{{Stub}}
<br /><br /><br /><br />

===OS Homepage===
* [http://www.apple.com/macosx/ www.apple.com/macosx]
|}

[[Category:Distributions]]
[[Category:Operating System]]