Recovery Disk Set

[Toadywot]

Some time back, I was issued a new Lenovo Thinkpad T61 that was pre-installed with Windows Vista Business. A downgrade to Windows XP Professional was necessary and Lenovo sent me a recovery DVD/CD set in order to perform the downgrade to XP. The set consisted of eleven disks, part numbers as follows:

1. START RECOVERY DISC: 43E1238
2. OPERATING SYSTEM RECOVERY DISC: 46R6445
3. APPLICATIONS AND DRIVERS RECOVERY DISC: 44Y4204

4. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8187 (Disc 1of 6)
5. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 2 of 6)
6. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 3 of 6)
7. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8268 (Disc 4 of 6)
8. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8295 (Disc 5 of 6)
9. PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8322 (Disc 6 of 6)

10. RESCUE AND RECOVERY CD: 43E0987
11. SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8617

I recently reset the laptop to factory condition using the blue Thinkvantage key, but instead of restoring XP Pro, it restored Vista Business. I would very much like to use these disks to downgrade back to XP Pro as was done previously, but while I have the full disk set, I haven't a clue as to which disk to start the downgrade with, and I cannot locate the instructions Lenovo provided with them.

Can someone supply me with the step-by-step instructions? I would be most thankful!!

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the forum.

Check/change BIOS Boot-priority that your CD-drive (IDE CD) is the first boot-drive.
Insert the only bootable CD, your #1.
Save (F10) and exit BIOS to restart.

See here for more: https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/migr-70803

[theterminator93]

You should also be able to use F12 during POST to get a boot device selection menu, which will allow you to boot from any specific boot device in the boot order (if you don't see it listed, you may need to enter BIOS and enable it).

[Thinkpad Maniac]

1. RESCUE AND RECOVERY CD: 43E0987 (boot disc) -> restore to factory condition, then let it reboot...

Do you have the supplemental disc (SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8617) (choose yes) then insert and remove...
Then insert and remove the remaining discs as it asks for them onscreen...

PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8187 (Disc 1of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 2 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 3 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8268 (Disc 4 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8295 (Disc 5 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8322 (Disc 6 of 6)

Then insert and remove:
SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8617

Then wait for a few hours for it to restore it to XP...

[rkawakami]

If you are going re-install the entire operating systems using a restore/recovery disk set on a hard drive which already has a Windows installation on it, I would first erase the drive before booting the Rescue and Recovery disk. This can be done in a number of ways: using the factory-supplied PC Doctor for DOS (if you already have it or can find it online), DBAN (Darik's Boot And Nuke), a HD diagnostic will contains an option to erase the drive (on a boot floppy or CDROM). Complete erasure is not required; only the first 1% or 2% is needed, just enough to affect the partitioning information for the drive.

[Tecchie]

1. RESCUE AND RECOVERY CD: 43E0987 (boot disc) -> restore to factory condition, then let it reboot...

Do you have the supplemental disc (SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8617) (choose yes) then insert and remove...
Then insert and remove the remaining discs as it asks for them onscreen...

PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8187 (Disc 1of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 2 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8214 (Disc 3 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8268 (Disc 4 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8295 (Disc 5 of 6)
PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8322 (Disc 6 of 6)

Then insert and remove:
SUPPLEMENTAL PRODUCT RECOVERY CD: 43T8617

Then wait for a few hours for it to restore it to XP...

Not to revive an old dead thread, but could you image the discs and upload them to Archive.org for the rest of us"? All your recovery discs please!! They're not specific to your machine but these are getting harder to fine..

THANK YOU!