Creating my own recovery CDs

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jx3000 · #1 Post by **jx3000** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:39 am

How do I go about doing this?

I have a T41 2373-1FM.

I called IBM Australia and requested the recovery CDs. The person on the phone said I could create them myself using the Access IBM software. But I don't see how to do this.

The person from IBM also said I would have to 82 Australian dollars for the CDs if I wish to order them. I only just bought my notebook, I thought these discs were free?!

So how can I create the CDs myself?

I am having difficulty searching for such information on the web.

All I found was http://pmw.org/~gardnerj/Thinkpad/Install.html but that is very vague and not focused on creating these CDs.

Leon · #2 Post by **Leon** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:42 am

They are free in the US for the first 30 Days. Other countries may differ.

jx3000 · #3 Post by **jx3000** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:55 am

Thanks I will keep that in mind next time I call them.

But can anyone help with creating these CDs?

benz · #4 Post by **benz** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:05 am

It's pretty easy man. Go to the access IBM menu from within windows, and click on "Protect and Recover", then "Create Product Recovery Disks", and from there just follow the instructions on the screen. Oh and btw, have about 7 blank CDR's ready...

n3il · #5 Post by **n3il** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:13 am

Benz,

That option is only avail on the X40s and T42(p)s - on a T41 Rapid Restore has to be used to do that.

If I were the OP, I would call back IBM and state that I was unable to launch a Recovery due to a Linux install (for instance) and I need a means to be able to reinstall Windows. They should be free under those circumstances... (Do NOT mention that you just "WANT" the cds!!!)

HTH

benz · #6 Post by **benz** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 9:18 am

OK my bad, I figured they were the same. But yeah, about calling for the recovery CDs - its good to have a reason other than you just 'need' them or something...mention Linux and that will get it

jx3000 · #7 Post by **jx3000** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 5:31 pm

I did mention linux, but I guess I wasn't creative enough.

The tech guy said to download the latest version of Access IBM. Where from?

I am currently using Access IBM v4.1.0. I right clicked on "Access IBM" in the taskbar and selected "About Access IBM" to get this info.

Should I download the version for the X40, that is version 4.5.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-54340

Look at install instructions step 5 and 6, I think that is a typo or something

jx3000 · #8 Post by **jx3000** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 5:55 pm

Well I now have the option "Create Product Recovery Disks"

But then it prompts me that "the files required for the rescue media could not be found".

That sucks.

csarrasin · #9 Post by **csarrasin** » Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:15 pm

benz wrote:It's pretty easy man. Go to the access IBM menu from within windows, and click on "Protect and Recover", then "Create Product Recovery Disks", and from there just follow the instructions on the screen. Oh and btw, have about 7 blank CDR's ready...

Hmm, just tried this on my new T42p (which comes with a DVD-rewriter). I read a few lines of the online help and thought "this looks great, I can probably burn a single DVD that will hold all the recovery discs".

So off I go and purchase 5 quite expensive DVD-RWs discs (I don't like the waste that non.rewriteable medias always end up engedering). The program prompts me for the media, I insert it and it burns for a few minutes, then stops and starts verifying. I was already thinking that this was a bit too quick and sure enough, it prompts me for a second disc, which I feed it and it went away and burnt it for a much longer period.

So I now understand that the recovery program requires at least two discs. But the small amount of data it burns on the first one (less than 280Mb) would fit on a good old CD-R(W) just fine. I guess if you read the help file really carefully, you could kind of infer that...

Alright I thought, so I'll just restart this dumb thing I get it to re-burn the first disc onto a CD-RW (thereby freeing up one of these expensive DVD-RWs)...

This was without counting on Micro$haft and IBM's tricks to make your life hard

. After you have burnt one set of recovery discs, you cannot use this function ever again. The error message reads: "The Microsoft(R) Windows(R) license permits you to create only one set of Product Recovery discs. If your Recovery discs have been lost, stolen, or damaged, contact IBM for assistance".

I tried a few things (hacking the registry) to work myself out of this [censored] situation to no avail... I also tried to create an image of the 280Mb DVD-RW and tried to resotre it on a CD-RW but IBM RecordNow keeps telling me to insert a writeable DVD (ie: it doesn't accept to write the image onto a CD-RW, despite the fact that it would fit about three times...

Obviously, if anybody has a tip on how to circumvent this [censored] annoyance, then I (and presumably others) would certainly appreciate to know...

Leon · #10 Post by **Leon** » Sun Jul 11, 2004 12:35 pm

of course, if you reloaded "factory image" again you could make them again (I think?)

csarrasin · #11 Post by **csarrasin** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 4:34 am

Yeah, I thought as much. But I don't really have the time to spare... And then I figured that it would be very easy for IBM to set a noddy little flag somewhere

upon restoring the image to mean that this was a restored image and that therefore obviously your set of "authorized backups" has already been created...

Thanks for the tip anyway but I'll wait for somebody else to try it out

In the meantime, I think I'll just call IBM and request my good ol'fashioned recovery CDs...

gosha16 · #12 Post by **gosha16** » Mon Jul 12, 2004 8:09 am

use something like like ISOrecorder to create an image of the dvd (go here for instructions) then pop in a cdrw and use isorecorder to burn the image. this should work flawlessly

csarrasin · #13 Post by **csarrasin** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:17 pm

Ta for the tip gosha16, I did exactly what you suggested and it worked flawlessly! Just why IBM's supplied "record now!" application couldn't achieve the same will of course remain a mystery to me (or maybe I couldn't find the right option - doh!) but anyway I'm happy now

GZheng12 · #14 Post by **GZheng12** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:08 pm

I called IBM today and they told me it will cost $45 plus shipping for my T42 2378 FVU Recovery Discs.

Though I can create them via "Access IBM", it will use 7 CD-Rs.

Zeitgeist · #15 Post by **Zeitgeist** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:41 pm

Leon wrote:of course, if you reloaded "factory image" again you could make them again (I think?)

Did anybody tried it to make a second set of recovery CDs after reloading to "factory image"?

skanky · #16 Post by **skanky** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:47 pm

anybody able to make DVD recovery discs instead of CDs without having a multiburner? i have a dvd writer in my desktop and dont see the need to have one on my laptop too.

we dont all want to shell out for your expensive dvd burner, YOU HEAR ME IBM!?

ziggetty · #17 Post by **ziggetty** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 1:28 pm

So I now understand that the recovery program requires at least two discs. But the small amount of data it burns on the first one (less than 280Mb) would fit on a good old CD-R(W) just fine.

yesterday made my 2 disc recovery set. with the quoted statement read, i thought what the heck. and first popped in a CD-R and when the program asked for the second a DVD-R.

Expecting it to burp, and ask for a CD-R. But it did not, it continued and after my dinner i noticed it had gracefully ended.

I probably will never need them, but .....

aleung · #18 Post by **aleung** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:21 pm

Leon wrote:They are free in the US for the first 30 Days. Other countries may differ.

some people said they are no longer free.. When I got my T30 2 yrs ago. I got it for free within 30 days

Leon · #19 Post by **Leon** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:26 pm

yeah, but as stated earlier, if your drive becomes "mysteriously" erased (and you are still under warranty), odds have it that if you call, it's cheaper for them to send you out the disks than to have to send in the machine for re-imaging

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