Create Recovery Media: Can it bring back to factory setting?

[ethkim]

Hi,

I just purchased a x61s, and I wanted to create a recovery media set. The R&R says I can back it up to CDs, DVDs, or even USB drives. I currently do not own an external DVD writer, and creating 10+ CDs might be hard to do, I'd like to make backup to my USB drive.

Here is the question: After creating the recovery media to USB, can I restore the HDD back to its factory setting? (i.e. the OS together with the hidden recovery partition) If I can do this, I'll just create the recovery media to USB for now, and create DVD set when I purchase an external DVD drive.

Many thanks in advance.

[killer]

When I used 'Create Recovery Media' the first thing it produced was a DOS disk, which easily fits on a CD, and then it asked for the next disk so I loaded a DVD and it all fitted on that.
So, two disks; one CD, one DVD. Job done.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

[ethkim]

....?

I said I don't have a dvd writer.

[andyP]

ethkim, welcome to the forum,

you will need a dvd writer in order to create recovery media, this cannot be done to an usb drive.

Using R&R to create an image to an usb drive works, but it will not take the service partition. This means that when you recover using this image you will no longer have the service partition, you therefore need to create the media before you do this.

Another option would be to use Acronis and create a complete drive image including the service partition. The most effective way, IMO, of doing this is booting from the Acronis rescue cd which you can create. !! !! oops. It may be possible to make your usb drive bootable with Acronis, I've never looked for or tried it, in which case this would be a possibility. You will need to backup the usb drive before making it bootable as it may very likely delete all files.

[hausman]

I just purchased a x61s, and I wanted to create a recovery media set... I currently do not own an external DVD writer...

Call Lenovo Tech Support, tell them you have a new X61s but no DVD burner and ask them to send you a recovery media set. They may resist (e.g. "if you don't have a DVD drive how will you restore from DVD media should you need to?") but if you're persistent they'll agree to send you a set. Mine arrived the next day after I called, shipped from IBM's warehouse in Markham, ON.

After creating the recovery media to USB, can I restore the HDD back to its factory setting? (i.e. the OS together with the hidden recovery partition)

That's the theory, however, I haven't tried it. The restore should bring your HDD to the state it was in when you first got the system.