How do I make a recovery DVD without the original OS?

[Jason404]

I reinstalled over the original OS installation that came with my X220, but I did not delete the recovery partition. It is still intact.

I didn't make the recovery DVD at the time and I didn't have a USB DVD burner available and there didn't seem to be any way for it to make an .iso image instead.

Now that I do not have the original OS with the tool to make the recovery DVD any more, is there any way that I can still make it using the recovery partition, which is still intact?

[RealBlackStuff]

All you can do is try to re-install Windows from the recovery partition (press F11 or Thinkvantage key) if that still works.
Then you are given one chance again to create those disks.
If not, you may as well delete that R&R partition and find a set of recovery CDs.
Try placing a Wanted ad in the Market forum.

[Jason404]

Yeah, I tried the F11/ThinkVantage key option, but it no longer comes up after the new OS was installed. R&R evidently installs on the OS partition.

I guess I'll have to try asking if anybody has the images available to download/upload through FTP. I only want to reinstall Windows 7 to do some application testing.

Cheers.

[Utwig]

You can try if there is a wim file to hack a bootable usb and replace the wim file on the usb with the one on recovery partition.

Also you can download iso of OS you had (i guess 7 pro) and extract xrm-ms and enter master OEM key during installation.

Then you can do a system update.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1545984

[farmall]

This worked for me on a T61:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=97992

[Jason404]

@Utwig

Thanks, but that looks like too much effort for something that isn't that important to me.

@farmall

R&R does not work on Windows 8, which I have installed, but I suppose when I reinstall (which I plan to do soon), I could always temporarily install Windows 7 or XP. Cheers.

[twistero]

I don't have a ThinkPad with recovery partition to test on, but you could probably boot with some boot disc that has GRUB, go into the GRUB command line, and chainload the recovery partition to boot into R&R.