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[mnemonicj Profile]

Ah! Those partitions are usually made for no other reason than to be able to restore your computer (drivers, crapware, and all) to its original factory status. Instead of sending you 2 DVDs to restore your computer to factory, they send you a restore disc (sometimes with Windows and sometimes not) and that disc restores all of your factory installed files and settings from the separate partition on the hard drive.

I never use it and always delete the partitions if they gave me a Windows restore disc that will allow me to reinstall Windows.

Odd though, the partitions are empty. The System Restore and the Recycle Bin take up space on your C: drive, so you shouldn't need those extra partitions for that.

[phileysmiley]

There wasn't any disc included. I went through all the documentation and it didn't mention anything about a disc (or that partition). It is an empty partition and there is no restore disc.

You did answer my question, though, about space being taken up for System Restore and the Recycle Bin.

So the shortage of HDD space I am seeing is due to the empty mystery partition.

[mnemonicj Profile]

Before you go deleting those partitions, see if there is any way you can create a restore disc from your operating system. When I had a friend order an HP with Vista on it, he wanted me to install XP for him, so I found a way to create a restore disc of the Vista installation before I removed Vista and installed XP. Now, whenever he wants to put Vista back on his computer, I have the restore disc I created.

This may be the way for you to get a restore disc if they didn't ship you one with your computer.

[phileysmiley]

Okay, now this is REALLY screwy. I did a search online and found this:

I am having trouble with my Satellite A355D-S6887 laptop and I wanted to retore it to it's factory default the way it was when I bought it but I can't find my Restore Disks. I was looking online for it but I can't seem to find a way to order it or download it. Can anyone help me with this problem of mine?

He was directed to see the A350 Series User Guide where there is info beginning on page 61 about how to create a restore disc using the Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator.
http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com//conten ... 9Feb26.pdf

Here's where it gets weird. The electronic User Guide that came with my laptop looks the same -- it is titled A350 Series User Guide -- but it does NOT include that section. That's why I couldn't find the info. However, there IS a Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator program on the laptop. It is just not mentioned anywhere in any of the documentation -- not even in the User Guide.

This is a brand new laptop from NewEgg.

The Guide on my laptop is dated 08/08. The one online I linked to is dated 02/09. It looks like the laptop came with an incorrect, outdated version of the User Guide. I never even would have discovered this if i hadn't started searching for what the mystery missing space was.

So...from what I can see, that partition is supposed to have the original OS on it from which I can create a recovery disc. However, it is empty.

No documentation, no disc, no files from which to create a disc.

------------------------------
EDIT: Well apparently there is supposed to be a way to recover the OS from the hidden partition without using a disc at all. Of course, this does no good if the hard drive breaks. But supposedly it can be accessed by holding the 0 key while powering up and there is supposed to be a wizard that lets you to restore it to factory defaults.

[mnemonicj Profile]

There are a few possibilities that I can think of:

1. Toshiba no longer does that type of restore, but the discs made to install Vista on your PC make those partitions any way.

2. The data on those partitions is actually hidden and Windows does not recognize the partitions as containing data.

3. Vista may not require separate partitions to create a recovery disc and may just take Windows files and drivers from your current installation of Windows.

I would say, try and run the Recovery Disc Creator and see if it works.

[phileysmiley]

See my edit.

It looks like they changed the procedure but never included the updated User Guide with it. I bet that when that old User Guide was in effect they included a disc with it. They no longer include a disc but did not give me the new User Guide.

It looks like your #2 above is the case. I'm going to call and complain, though, since the outdated User Guide mentions nothing at all about System Recovery, Restore, or anything close to it.

So I guess the hidden partition contains the factory default which I can either access by pressing 0 on startup and follow the wizard or I can create a disc with it.

[JabbaPapa Profile]

I personally would obtain a Vista DVD with SP2 slipstreamed, pop it in, reboot, and use it to format the drive, partition according to my own personal taste not Toshiba's, and clean install from scratch, with no crapware.

[phileysmiley]

I personally would obtain a Vista DVD with SP2 slipstreamed, pop it in, reboot, and use it to format the drive, partition according to my own personal taste not Toshiba's, and clean install from scratch, with no crapware.

I'm way beyond that point now. I spent the last 72 hours doing nothing but installing programs (and uninstalling lol), setting up preferences, copying files, etc. It took me about 6 hours yesterday just to set up iTunes and copy all my music.

Thanks, though.

[road1314 Profile]

You can extend your hard drive instead of buying an external hard drive.
Then, extend hard drive can be realized by an article--Guidelines on <snipped by adminhow to partition a hard drive by Creating, Deleting, Formatting and Resizing Partition, it can give you useful information about the question you confused.

[augie]

Thanks but nothing to do with the issue at hand.