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IBM (Lenovo) ThinkPad Recovery CD / DVD / USB Drive

Home»Computer & Hardware»IBM (Lenovo) ThinkPad Recovery CD / DVD / USB Drive
Most IBM (now Lenovo) ThinkPad laptops no longer come with recovery CDs, DVDs or even operating system installation CD-ROMs. Replacing the CDs and DVDs, on the expense of ThinkPad users, is a hidden service partition that contains all the recovery images and files, and provides interactive rescue and recovery predesktop workspace, which is an operating environment specifically designed for rescue and recovery operations independent of the Windows operating system.

The problems with the ThinkPad’s service partition are that it’s easily taking out some 4 to 5 GB of precious hard disk space. Beside, since it’s residing on the harddisk itself, when the harddisk is spoilt, the recovery partition will be gone too. If you change the hard drive, the Rescue and Recovery partition will not be available on the new harddisk too, so there is no way to restore the ThinkPad to the original factory default state pre-loading only apps just as when it was manufactured.

So it’s wise to create the ThinkPad product recovery CD or DVD. To get hold on the recovery CD or DVD, there are several ways:

1. Create Rescue Media or Product Recovery CD and DVD

Go to All Programs > ThinkVantage > Create Rescue and Recovery Media. Then select your desirable type of rescue media. To create recovery CD, check the Create a set of Product Recovery Discs now and then click OK to start the creation process.

You will need about 7 CDs or 1 CD and 1 DVD for the product recovery disc. And you also need to have CD-RW or DVD-RW drive. An external USB drive will do the job too as alternative.

2. Order Product Recovery CD from IBM

You can get a ThinkPad product recovery disc from IBM/Lenovo. However, you may not be able to do so if you’re out of warranty, and even if you’re in-warranty, you may need to pay for the discs.

To order, contact IBM/Lenovo support centre. You can find contact number of support centre here.

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By | 2016-12-09T08:43:29+00:00 December 9th, 2016|Categories: Computer & Hardware|Tags: |54 Comments

About the Author:

LK is a technology writer for Tech Journey with background of system and network administrator. He has be documenting his experiences in digital and technology world for over 15 years.Connect with LK through Tech Journey on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
  • the number of CDs

    How come it created only 6 CDs from

    my Thinkpad T60?

  • admin

    I think it may depends on your model of laptop. As long as it can work it should be fine.

  • Yann

    Les cd de restauration sont-ils multilingues?

    Merci

  • Bill Nelson

    Je ne crois pas. Mais je suis pas certain.

    J'espere que vous compreney mon francais

  • trung

    Thank for your help

  • IBM/Lenovo is crap for customer service. Who would think of not giving you CDs with the operating system that you paid for with their crap computers. Only a company who doesn't care at all about customer satisfaction. I would never buy a computer that didn't supply CDs with it. And you shouldn't either. Say no to IBM/Lenovo.

    Rocky Shepheard

    Very dissatified customer!

  • MG

    I just bought X60 and burn the product recovery cd. But i make a mistake, i wanted to burn 1 dvd and 1 cd. but i insert the dvd as disk 1. now i have total of 7 disks, including the dvd. i do not know if this is ok. But i want to keep just 1 dvd and 1 cd.

    But as thinkpad now dont allow me to create again, can i restore the x60 to factory state using the F11/hidden partition, then go to the program to create again?

  • Sam

    Can Recovery disks created from one lenovo notebook work for other notebook (of same model).

    Actually i got 2 lenovo 3000 n 100 series laptops and one's hard disk is crashed can i create recovery discs from other laptop and use it to rescue the damaged one…. reply will be appreciated thanks

  • Sam

    Reply to MG

    "I just bought X60 and burn the product recovery cd. But i make a mistake, i wanted to burn 1 dvd and 1 cd. but i insert the dvd as disk 1. now i have total of 7 disks, including the dvd. i do not know if this is ok. But i want to keep just 1 dvd and 1 cd.

    But as thinkpad now dont allow me to create again, can i restore the x60 to factory state using the F11/hidden partition, then go to the program to create again?"

    Yes of course once u restore back to factory state thinkpad will allow you to create the rescue disks…. 🙂

  • Ken

    Does anyone know how to re-create the cds again? There must be a configuration setting/flag that can be updated to allow the recovery cd to be re-created again.

  • dann koun

    Why is it not allowed to make a recovery at anytime, as many as we like? for exemple after installing a new software. Does the recovery not taking into account the installed applications?

  • Larry

    Dann –

    The recovery set is NOT a form of backup – it only recovers you to the state the machine was at when you opened the box. You need to use something like ibm's Recscue + Recovery (free if u own any Thinkpad) or Acronis for that purpose.

    OEM's buy Windows in bulk and have numerous restrictions on what they can do with it. I'm guessing that's why u can only make 1 recovery set, though since home burned cds/dvds can easily be bad I think 1 set in not enough.

    Thinkpads were originally meant to be bought/supported by corporate IT deptarments who have their own company sw images; support for individual users is spotty. I got my thinkpad because… the people who get nagged when company laptops go bad buy thinkpads exclusively.

  • shane

    i need to download the recovry information onto another computer and transfer it to my T60. Is this possible?

    My system won't boot up beyond the welcome screen and when i sign in to the dos set up (F1 or F12) changing any of those setting doesn't seem to help.

    I simply can't logon and need to restore and/or recover EVERYTHING.

  • I ran the recovry CD on my old thinkpad, hoever I cant pass the registry key cod cause i lost my MS window CD.How can pass the required key # to enable windows to operate again.

    Regards, Andy Kovac

  • thinkcraptastic

    why don't they just ship the discs with laptops like any normal business would do?

    why aren't the recovery discs widely available for download on the lenovo site? why don't they have the most current and updated recovery media specified by model so we don't sit through hours of downloading and installing bullshit updates when restoring the o/s, only to find out that half the updates didn't take?

    why does system update not fucking update everything.

    why does system migration assistant not want to fully install?

    why has access connections been screwed up for the past 3 updates?

    why are all the thinkvantage software products so damn overly integrated and rely so heavily on each other. what if i only want to make use of the fingerprint software and the password manager. why do i have to have client security solutions installed?

    all of this shit could be solved if lenovo would take their heads out of their collective ass and provide their clients with the latest fucking versions of factory state recovery media. or at the very least, send me a copy of MY windows (that I PURCHASED from you assholes) and let me do a fresh installation of your 2GB's worth of thinkvantage crap from your website, at my choosing. your update software is a piece of shit.

  • I re-installed WindowsXP on my Thinkpad T42! No luck downloading the drivers from IBM website. No luck with IBM/Lenovo support after 45 mins. So I do not want to wait 4-6 weeks for them to order the CD.

    Does anyone have a T42 that I can use to create a Recovery CD? I'm desperate and will drive to where you are in Gauteng…Call me on 082940917.

  • Lior

    I can't even access the rescue boot. It claims I didn't configure my password…and I've got no idea what's he talking about.

    For the windows login password, I got one that I remember better then I remember my name, other then that, I've got no clue as to what password I can give when that damn prompt asks for my "windows password"

  • Charlie

    Sam

    > Yes of course once u restore back to factory state thinkpad will allow you to create the rescue disks…

    If only – the disks messed up on creation and I can't make new ones, unfortunately restoring factory config only restores the main partition, the flag for how many disc sets you can make is in the recovery partition which is not altered!

    Very annoying!

  • Globule

    Download the latest version of dban and nuke the entire hard drive. That will destroy the hidden partition and you can start from scratch. Lenovo will send you recovery disks for free within 30 days of purchase.

    dban beta can be found here:

    http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=61951&package_id=72235&release_id=504756

  • peter

    Ahem.

    There exist alternatives to "rescue CDs" and "recovery partitions". Not that I would admit to doing this, but I understand (wink, nudge), that there is something called "bittorrent", where one could, if one was of that persuasion, locate copies of volume license install disks (which I understand don't require activation) for certain popular operating systems, and key generators for same. To download these would be wrong, of course, and I would never suggest that you do it. However, if you're not getting the support you require from your hardware or OS vendor, you might feel justified in exploring alternative ways of restoring the operating system that you paid for…

  • Josh

    Based on my experience with my T61, I will never be buying a Lenovo product again. (Significant since I've purchased about $500,000 in computing hardware over the past four years.)

    Custom OS with no recovery media is unacceptable. The recovery disks that I burned for myself do not work now. Downloading the ThinkVantage software from IBM is a major pain. The updater doesn't work correctly. It is nearly impossible to find a way to leave customer feedback to Lenovo.

    This is no way for a company to do business, unless their plan is to not build loyal customers.

  • Nederlander

    Kan iemand mij vertellen wat hier staat?

    Dit is volkomen onbegrijpelijk… ja wat eigenlijk??? Er staan nederlandse woorden, maar voor de rest kan ik er geen verhaal uit destilleren…

  • admin

    Nederlander, please read the English article here: https://techjourney.net/ibm-lenovo-thinkpad-recovery-cd-dvd-usb-drive/

  • Nederlander

    Thanks admin, the english article makes much more sense than the dutch version…

  • Steve

    I created the Recovery & Backup discs for my R51 laptop and tried to use them for a new hard drive. The process seemed to go fine thru the first Rescue & Recovery disc. It then asked for the "last" disc of 6 product recovery discs to be inserted but it didn't recognize that one. I then inserted the first disc. Same thing. I couldn't get the install to work.

    Has anyone actually completed the recovery process successfully with these discs?

  • I think it's funny how many people are ticked off that Lenovo doesn't include rescue discs, and say they will never purchase from them again.

    Fair enough, but in the past two years, I have purchased two Apples, a Sony Vaio, a Gateway, and a Toshiba, and now the Lenovo X61 Tablet, and only the Apples came with restore discs.

  • Chris

    Question for Lior, response #20 — I had the same problem w. my Lenovo 3000 N100. I downloaded some "updates" from the Lenovo site. Now it won't boot up because of a corrupt XP windows file, which I didn't have before the download. I had never created a password for the recovery prompt. So I'm stuck in this loop where I can't get into recovery because it's asking for a password I don't have.

    Is there a work-around to this problem, short of paying Lenovo $99 for their past warranty service?

  • BCM

    I have the same problem as chris on an x40 and i do not have any bios passwd set.

    how can I reset that recovery password?

  • Anbu

    Loir, Chris & BCM,

    I am having the same problem with my 3000N100. I haven't set my windows assword before. My OS got corrupt and I am not able to restore my system.

    Is there any way of resolving this problem

  • Nick

    I have a T61. I have created the Startup plus 6 Product Recovery CDs. I rebooted from the Startup CD which erased the C: partition (fine) but the only option I have from the Rescue and Recovery 4 is to Restore from Backup (which I do not have and dont want). How do I get the system to go to a Restore to Factory Default setting with the Product Recovery CDs?

  • dhrumil

    i had created a password for my resuce recovery long bak..now the problem is i cant recall my password and i want to restore my laptop to its factory settings…so is there any way to do it???

    please help..urgent

  • hint

    For creating multiple factory recovery sets just dont confirm the last box, where the Program states, that the recovery was sucessfull and start a second instance of the program.

  • Sofie

    I have the same problem–I want to do the restore and recovery but have a passowrd which I have forgotten stopping me. How can I bypass it?

  • Ray

    When u lost the R'n'R password, simply uninstall R'n'R and reinstall it. Or even change to the most recent version.

    Greetings

    Ray

  • John

    I've partitioned & formatted my hard drive on a T61 so the hidden partition is gone. I've been trying to restore the system to it's original factory state using the recovery cd(s), however I am getting "An internal error has caused this process to stop." after the licensing agreement. Any thoughts out there? I've scoured the internet but can't find this error anywhere. Couldn't even find it on Lenovo's website.

  • FUCK IBM THINKVANTAGE SYSTEM UPDATE!!!!

    ERROR!!! ERROR!!! ERROR!!! EVALUATING….

  • magic

    i got lenovo 3000 y500 my rescue partition has got corrupt.it did not have a thinkvintage to make a backup now i cant restore my laptop to factory default.can anyone have solution for it is few months old

  • Pingback: Make a bootable O/S from your hard drive. - Tech Support Forums - TechIMO.com()

  • Patrickinof

    Hallo brauch Hilfe

    Habe einen z61p habe Xp drauf gemacht alles geht auser Audio woher bekomme ich audio treiber das ich mal wieder einen Ton habe.

  • Nirmal Guha

    I have lost my operating system C.D send by you and I need it now for repair my audio line is not working. How can I get that C.D . Please give me the proper way.

  • You will need to contact Lenovo and request for a copy of your backup disc. You will need to supply the model and information on the bottom of your laptop or on the back of your machine.

    http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=YAST-3P2QYL#PCD

    This would be the numbers to call for Lenovo systems.

  • KJ

    Is there a possibilty where i can restore files that have been 'wiped' by the recovery process. my last backup was 02/02/09 and all my new files since that date have been deleted. i've tried recovery software but have had no joy. any ideas would be appreciated

  • sam need help nao pl

    i tried to make the rescue and recovery discs… it seems to burn, but when it says "verifying" it only gets to 77% then stops and displays the following error message: "An error was detected during verification.

    Data was not successfully stored on the disc currently in your drive. This disc may no longer be usable.

    Click ok; then insert a new disc when prompted."

    i have tried this several times and got the same result. it wont even tell me what the error is, so idk how to fix it. i have a T60p btw.

  • small b

    如何可以使用IBM Rescue and Recovery﹖它要我輸入「確認密碼」﹐但如何飛了它﹐因為使用了開機密碼都無法登入﹗有誰可救我﹖

  • Wendy

    IBM helped Nazis catalog people sent to Nazi death camps, and their computers FUCKING suck, this thing is slow and noisy to shit, I'll have to find my winslop disc i burned off a friend and re-install all this fucking shit.

  • darkpro

    IBM – THE BEST OF THE BEST! NO QUESTIONS!

  • Mike

    When making recovery discs on the Lenovo T500, the "Create Product Recovery Discs" tool asks you to insert at least two discs (CDs or DVDs). The first disc it creates is the 'Start Recovery Disc'. This is the bootup disc for the ThinkVantage tools and is used when reinstalling the PC – during the laptop's initial boot up process.

    The next disc or set of discs is the actual laptop software and includes the Windows operating system, Thinkpad drivers, Thinkpad applications, and any other software installed by default from the factory.

    In my research, you have to use at least two discs, one for the bootup disc and one for the data, but you will have to use as many as needed in order for the backup utility to save all the laptop software sitting in the Lenovo Q: partition. I hate having a lot of discs laying around so I created the boot up disc on a single CD and put all of the Lenovo software on one dual-layer DVD.

    Unfortunately during the recovery disc creation process, it doesn't tell you whether you need a CD or DVD or even how much space will be required. The first disc or startup disc can always usually fit on a CD though, and if you look at the Q: partition on your hard drive, you can usually tell how many other discs you'll need. I'm running Windows 64-bit Vista Business and my Q: partition was 7.73 GB.

    After creating the recovery discs and making sure they worked, I went ahead and deleted the Lenovo recovery partition so my Windows could use the extra 10 GB reserved for it. Just remember to put your recovery discs in a SAFE place! If you lose them, IBM will charge you around $45 to replace them.

    Thanks,

    Mike

  • x61 user

    I can't seem to restore my system to its original factory state. I use to be able to click on Thinkvantage and store, but now, it just gives me 3 options: F1 -BOS utility, F2 temporary startup, and Esc exit. How do I manually restore the system?

    Thanks.

    • SA

      Try booting through Partition Magic to hidden partition

  • gian

    I 've an IBM thinkpad r51e , it's driving me crazy !!! it's impossible to recover the system , it's impossible to install a new copy of Windows xp , It's impossible to change HD . I want to destroy it ! This recovery system is a bullshit ! I want my money back!!!!

    • lenovo sucks

      fuck man, the same happend to me too. shitty lenovo onekey recovery is a hoax to earn money

  • Julio

    it's better to create your own installation cd/dvd with windows and use the provided serial number to activate. i have win XP (trial) / win 7 (licensed – i created OEM installation DVD) and Ubuntu 9.1. Lenovo's system restoring methods are for dummies that don't even know what's a partition! It's an insult to our intelligence!

  • LenovoSucksMyAss

    Lenovo sucks my ass.

  • curt

    Ya I used to be a ThinkPad fan but ever since ibm sold out to lenovo their laptops have become shitty. They had a good thing going but now its all the same cheap crap. I want to buy a usb modem for internet but they guy at the cell phone place say it wont run on linux.
    I have to make a partition but cant with ubuntu already installed. Now i have to back up all my files and then install windows and then install ubuntu again because windows doesnt like to be installed after ubuntu.

    Please some one – anyone sniper bill gates for us all and end this bullshit. At liest mother nature took care of Jobs. I had a G4 and the hard drive burnt out – loosing everything. Sleep well Jobs.

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