Introduction to Lenovo OneKey Recovery 8.

0 for Notebooks Statement Description This article is an introduction to Lenovo OneKey Recovery 8.0 for Notebooks.

Affected configurations All Idea Laptops installed with Microsoft Windows 8 and Lenovo OneKey Recovery 8.0.

Solution Section I: Introduction and operation guide The Lenovo OneKey Recovery system is software designed to back up and restore your computer. You can use it to restore the system partition to its original status in case of a system failure. You can also create user backups for easy restoration as required. Note: To utilize the features of the OneKey Recovery system, your hard disk already includes a hidden partition by default to store the system image file and the OneKey Recovery system program files. This default partition is hidden for security reasons, which explains why the available disk space is less than the stated capacity.

Backing up the system partition

You can back up the system partition to an image file. To back up the system partition: 1. Press the Novo button to start the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system. 2. Click System Backup. 3. Select a back-up location and click Next to start the backup.

Restoring

You can choose to restore the system partition to its original status or to a previously created back-up point. To restore the system partition: 1 Press the Novo button to start the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system. 2 Click System Recovery. The computer will restart to the recovery environment. 3 Follow the on-screen instructions to restore the system partition to its original status or to a previously created back-up point. Note:

The recovery process is irreversible. Make sure to back up any data you wish to save on the system partition before starting the recovery process.

The recovery process may take a while. So be sure to connect the AC adapter to your computer during the recovery process. The above instructions should be followed when Windows can be started normally.

If Windows cannot be started, then follow the steps below to start the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system: 1. Shut down the computer. 2. Press the Novo button. From the Novo button menu, select the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system and press Enter.

Section II: FAQs 1. Q: Where are the recovery discs? A: Your computer did not come with any recovery discs. Use the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system if you need to restore the system to its original factory status. 2. Q: What can I do if the back-up process fails? A: If you can start the backup but it fails during the back-up process, try the following steps: 1. Close all open programs, and then restart the back-up process. 2. Check to see if the destination media is damaged. If it is, replace the damaged media. Otherwise, select another destination path and try again. 3. Q: When do I need to restore the system to its original factory status? A: Use this feature when the operating system fails to start. If you have any critical data on the computer that you want to save, back it up before starting the recovery process.

Section III: Troubleshooting Symptom: System cannot start up- The Microsoft Windows operating system does not start. Workaround: Use the OneKey Recovery system to restore the system partition to its original status or a previously created backup point.

Methodology to create Recovery Media and reload a Lenovo Think system with Microsoft Windows 8 preload

Symptom Recovery Media creation and usage. NOTE: Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro operating system preloads, from Lenovo, do not have the option to create Recovery Media through a Thinkvantage Technology utility (DVD recovery media) as was available in Microsoft Windows 7 preloads from Lenovo. With the release of Microsoft Windows 8, the new preload recovery process is outlined below. This process only utilizes the use of USB media. This process does not support the use of DVD recovery media. Affected configurations The above symptom is associated with, but not limited to, the following systems:

ThinkCentre ThinkPad ThinkStation

Applies to:

Microsoft Windows 8 Solution

Below are the instructions for creating the Lenovo Microsoft Windows 8 preload Recovery Media for Lenovo Think branded systems. A minimum 16GB USB flash drive is required to make a complete backup. 1. Open Recovery applet by pressing the Microsoft Windows key and X. Select "Control Panel" from the menu and then select "Recovery" from the Control Panel pane as shown below.

2. Select "Advanced recovery tools" and then select "Create a recovery drive" as shown below.

3. Click "Yes" at the User Account Control prompt (if prompted 4. Make sure that "Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive." is checked as shown below.

5. Select the appropriate USB Flash Drive. 6. The selected drive will be reformatted during the recovery creation process as shown below.

7. USB format and file copy will begin. This process may take up to hour and will display as shown below.

8. Once the Recovery Media creation has completed, there is the option to delete the recovery partition. On most systems, this partition is about 10G in size. Lenovo strongly recommends that this recovery partition remain intact as shown below.

9. Recovery Media Process is complete and Control Panel can be closed. Below are instructions on reloading the ThinkPad from the USB Recovery Media. 1. Insert the USB Recovery media into an available USB port. 2. Restart or turn on the ThinkPad and select F12 (interactive Boot menu) at the Lenovo Logo. 3. Select the appropriate USB HDD. The actual name of the device will vary.

4. Allow the system to boot. This booting process could take up to several minutes depending on USB 2.0 versus 3.0 system memory. The screen will be blank during the boot process. 5. Select "Language". 6. Select "Keyboard". 7. Select the "Troubleshoot" option as shown below.

8. Select "Reset your PC" as shown below.

9. Click "Next" to continue as shown below.

NOTE: From this point forward in the recovery process, the choices for actual operating system recovery depend on the existing state of the computer hard drive. Below are the instructions if there is an existing Microsoft Windows 8 install on the hard drive. 1. Select the target operating system of Microsoft Windows 8 to reload over existing Lenovo preload. 2. Select "Yes" to repartition the drives or "No" to keep existing partitions. For a clean install, the drives should be repartitioned. 3. Select "Fully Clean the drive". 4. Click Reset to begin the process. 5. The reset/recovery process takes approximately 90 minutes. 6. Once the reset/recovery is complete, the system will reboot into Microsoft Windows 8. Below are the instructions if the hard drive is blank. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Select "Yes" to repartition the HDD or "No" to keep the existing partitions. Click either choice, but these instructions follow the repartition scenario. Select "Fully Clean the drive" as this will take several minutes to complete. Click Reset to begin the process. The reset/recovery process takes approximately 90 minutes. Once the reset/recovery is complete, the system will reboot into Microsoft Windows 8.

If you are unable to find what you are looking for, please do try the following options: 1. Lenovo Assisted Search 2. Product usage and general troubleshooting tips 3. Lenovo Support Forum 4. Technical Support Call Centre Country Availability Available Worldwide Alias ID : SF12-D0247 Document ID : HT076024 Legacy Document ID : SF12-D0247 Last Updated : 30 Aug 2013 Copyright Lenovo 2013, all rights reserved