From: Jim Biggerstaff (duh2000_at_verizon.net)
Date: Thu Jan 31 2002 - 12:17:45 EST
I seem to recall having difficulties removing some non-DOS partitions using
DOS FDISK, which is somewhat limited. If you have similar troubles, boot a
Linux install floppy or floppies and use the Linux FDISK (which is
industrial strength) to remove them. You may have to go through the first
steps of a Linux install to get to the partitioning stage and then be sure
to select manual partitioning. Be sure to write the new partition table
(which will be empty, of course) before you exit the FDISK program.
jim
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Geary" <Mike_at_Geary.com>
To: "Tom Rockwell" <rockwell_at_pa.msu.edu>; <thinkpad_at_cs.utk.edu>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 11:17 AM
Subject: RE: 380d won't boot
> > A friend and I put a new HD (4GB) in his 380d last night. We had a few
> > hitches and then a big one :-( The HD had a Linux install on it and
> > when first installed the machine booted ok. Then I installed DOS on the
> > first partition and after restarting, we couldn't get it to boot from
> > any drive. When powered up, the machine shows the size of the installed
> > memory (passes memory check) and then spins up the harddrive and CD and
> > hits the floppy, but doesn't advance past the splash screen that shows
> > "IBM" and "Thinkpad". The drive access light stays on. We tried any
> > number of different boot orders of the HD, FD, CD. We also ran self
> > checks in the BIOS. (Haven't tried the advanced self checks that you
> > get with cntr-A).
> >
> > Any ideas on how to proceed?
>
> You don't care about preserving anything on the drive, right?
>
> Maybe you need to delete all the old Linux partitions, and possibly
refresh
> the Master Boot Record as well, and then create a new partition.
>
> If it's an IBM drive, you could use the Erase Boot Sector function in
IBM's
> Drive Fitness Test:
>
> http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/support/download.htm
>
> Or else you could use FDISK to remove all partitions, then do an FDISK
/MBR
> to refresh the MBR, then use FDISK again to create a new partition.
>
> -Mike
>
>
>
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