How to Create Rescue and Recovery Media with Z60m?

[gcbartlett]

I have a Z60m. It has the multi-function DVD/CD rewritable drive which identifies itself as a DVD-RAM drive, but no floppy drive. Before attempting to install Linux and/or Vista on my laptop I'd like to create Rescue Media and/or Recovery Discs (I don't trust that I'll be able to protect the protected/hidden Recovery area of the disc). I'd also like to switch in a new drive at some point.

But it appears that I can't create either Rescue Media or Recovery Discs using the ThinkPad Create Rescue Media program because I have no supported drives (the list of drives is empty). The dialog specifies that DVD-RAM is not supported, or not supported for disk 1. I even tried inserting a blank CD-R to see if I could create the first disc as a CD-ROM but the list of drives remains empty.

Am I to understand that I cannot make rescue/recovery media at all on my system, or am I overlooking something? Is my only recourse to purchase recovery media from Lenovo? This doesn't seem fair.

Thanks for any advice.

Gary

[wayrad]

I don't have access to my z60m to double check this at the moment, but after a recent update, I saw the same thing when I started R&R from the ThinkAccess button. It WOULD let me make backups on the hard drive and copy them to the CD drive, and IIRC the discs I ended up with were just like the ones I had made directly in the past (I was instructed to label them the same way, anyway). I figured it must be just a change in how it worked.

JoAnn R.

[wayrad]

I just checked my Thinkpad, and it appears rescue CDs and product recovery disks can be made directly through All Programs/ThinkVantage/Create Recovery Media, but not through Rescue & Recovery. I am finding this whole thing rather confusing.

JoAnn R.

[gcbartlett]

I hadn't thought to check whether I could create Rescue Media or Recovery Disks through the 'recovery partition' (i.e. press ThinkVantage button during boot followed by F11). But I just tried it, and I don't see any option to do that either (only the ability to create Diagnostic Disks, but this isn't the same thing).

When I try to create disks from within Windows, the 'select drive' drop-down box is just empty. I don't see a choice for saving to the hard drive either.

Definitely confusing.

Is this normal, or do I have a problem with my system?

Thanks,
Gary

[gcbartlett]

That's strange. After installing the most recent update to Rescue & Recovery, my DVD-RAM drive now shows up in the list of available drives and I am now able to make both rescue and recovery discs (on CD-ROM or CD-ROM/DVD-ROM discs). Maybe the problem was fixed by the latest update or perhaps installing it repaired something that was broken. Now I feel much more comfortable about making changes to my drives.

It appears that the first disc of the recovery media is the same as the rescue media disc - can anyone confirm this?

Thanks,
Gary