ThinkPad Recovery
The IBM Lenovo ThinkPad has a partition hidden away on the hard drive, protected for the day you desire to back up or recover your ThinkPad laptop. This area contains a complete image of your computer’s software as it appeared when your ThinkPad left the factory.
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Back Up Data
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Back up all of your important files before starting the Recovery process. The Recovery procedure is designed to erase all files on your computer. You can use several methods for backing up your data: burning the files to optical disc, transferring them to a flash or external drive or uploading them to a network storage site.
Another backup method you can use is the Rapid Restore software included with the ThinkPad. This will store a backup of the files to a hidden partition on the computer. After the Recovery, you can restore these files.
Connections
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Connect the optical drive and the AC electrical adapter to your ThinkPad before beginning the Recovery procedure. If the optical drive is not connected, the Recovery process will not install drivers and software for the device.
If the ThinkPad is running on battery power during the Recovery process and the battery runs down, your computer could be damaged. Ensure that the ThinkPad is plugged into a live electrical outlet.
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Disconnections
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Disconnect any third-party devices like network cables, telephone cables, printers, flash drives, cameras, PDAs, docking stations and other related devices. These devices may cause the Recovery procedure to hang and force you to restart the process.
Recovery Process
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Press the power button on the ThinkPad. Immediately press the blue Access button when the following message appears on the screen: “To interrupt normal startup, press the blue Access IBM button." Double-click "Restore to factory contents." Follow any instructions that appear on the screen during the process and press the "Enter" key when the laptop informs you that the process is completed to instruct the computer to restart. The laptop will restart using the newly recovered factory software.
Restore files
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Restore all of your backed-up files to the ThinkPad. Reinstall any third-party devices that you previously used one at a time following the installation instructions that came with the devices. Restart the computer after every installation for best results.
Reinstall any third-party software programs that you previously used on the ThinkPad by following the instructions that came with the software.
Updates
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Connect your ThinkPad to the Internet and download any and all updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The ThinkPad will be vulnerable to viruses and other issues until it is fully updated. You may have to visit the Microsoft Windows Update site numerous times depending upon how many updates are available for your computer and how many times it restarts. After each restart, return to the Update site until Microsoft shows that no more updates are needed for your computer.
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