Restore an IBM T30 with Linux installed

Box · 03-04-2005, 01:39 PM

Hi guys,

i've an ibm T30 and installed suse linux on it... now i'd like to restore the factory configuration but the when booting the system the option (generally F11) is not aviable... in the bios configuration the option is gray and I can't change it (enable or disable)

I have searched for the past days and found this:

When you install GRUB on the MBR you loose the F11 option at boot that allows you to boot into the IBM rescue partition. If you want it back add the following lines in the grub.conf file in the /boot/grub/ directory

title IBM Rescue
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

But I haven't this file, so I changed another file with the drive configuration, wrote exactly what it says but it does nothing....

anyone has an idea on how I could fix it?

thanks

d0odman · 03-04-2005, 02:07 PM

I suggest you look at the partitions you have on your drive. It may be that you acidentally deleted your recovery partition when you installed your linux distribution on to it.

Box · 03-04-2005, 02:10 PM

the partition is fine and still there

thanks anyway

pld · 03-23-2005, 11:41 AM

Quote:

But I haven't this file, so I changed another file with the drive configuration, wrote exactly what it says but it does nothing....

you don't have a grub.conf? are you using LILO by chance? if you are, the configuration will look a little different, but the general idea is still the same, to have your bootloader become aware of the rescue partition as being bootable.

Box · 03-23-2005, 11:50 AM

well, actually I have grub...

michaelk · 03-23-2005, 02:13 PM

Was the file you modified /boot/grub/menu.lst?

pc131 · 06-02-2005, 10:09 AM

And when the change is made to grub.lst so let's assume that this hidden partition runs with recovery program but will be F11 option visible after BIOS? HELP! Thanks - anyone coped with it?

Tom

Glas · 06-02-2005, 03:29 PM

One of the problems is that you will be able to see the partition with fdisk or whichever program you are using, but within the BIOS that partition is blocked from being accessed. You need to go into the BIOS and go to Security and then disable the security on the recovery partition. Once you do that you should then be able to access it and list it as one of your Grub entries.

pc131 · 06-03-2005, 07:37 AM

If You Look for Solution!!!! If You miss F11 option after linux install or other crash

check this: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...repairdiskette

You need to have access to IBMTOOLS directory

Greets it works for me

pc131 · 06-03-2005, 08:33 AM

Strange!

F11 option available and unavailable... just switching visible and unvisilble. I'm still fighting with it!

Tom

Xolo · 06-20-2005, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Hello

I installed suse 9.2 on my T30 and grub went on MBR. Now i do not have F11 option to recover my Win XP. Have you coped with it?

I have, but not like in your case after installing Linux. I see that you have found the solution though, the Repair Diskette from IBM will solve it perfectly. Note that the F11 prompt is only brielfly visible during a cold boot only.

pc131 · 06-20-2005, 03:26 AM

Hello

Now my recovery partition is gone - stupid hardware service (some guys in IT department) has "cleaned" HDD after they said: "The recovery partiotion was deleted" - because no F11 option was available, seen. Sad but true. Now i wait for my friend, until he deceides to recover his system with F11 option, to get fresh HDD content. Then I have to / we have to think how to transfer whole T30 HDD image (this one made after F11 recovery). I need GHOST to transfer image while making it to network share, or ftp. Is it possible?

Greets
Tom