Problem with t420 Recovery discs

[RUFO]

HI! I am hoping to get some help here, i have a t420 with (had) windows 7 professional 64 bit. For a time now i had veen wanting to install ubuntu alongside windows as a dual boot but i had no dvd burner to make the recovery discs from lenovo. FInally i got an external dvd burner an created the recovery discs (1 boot cd and 2 data dvd's). So i used them to recover the system to it' s factory sate and PROBLEM! it won' t compete the recovery as it says, at about 99% of the progress that the dvd lacks of resources, then the process finishes and asks me to remove the recovery media fomr the dvd rom, initailizes windows but it doesn' t complete and it restars and the same history continues....

SO my quesitons are :

1, How can i get some recovery discs for my lenovo??? D:

2. I red somewhere that i ca get a windows 7 " generic"  installer and use the serial number of my t420 to get myu system back, is it really an option?

THank you all for reading!!

[RUFO]

UPDATE: i' am using ubuntu form a usb bootable stick and as i browse my documents i cansee the win7 partition and also the lenovo recoveyr partition, can i still use that partition??

[zoltanthegypsy]

---

RUFO wrote:
...

2. I red somewhere that i ca get a windows 7 " generic"  installer and use the serial number of my t420 to get myu system back, is it really an option?

---

Yes.  You can download and instal a "vanilla" Microsoft windows 7 and activate with your existing key.  You may need to use the phone option to complete the activation.  Also, the version you download must match the version you already have/had: HP, Pro, or Ultimate.  32 or 64 bits doesn't matter.

Legal Resources for Downloading Windows 7

Z

[nibs Guru]

The Vanilla Win 7 may not include many of the system specific drivers. After you have finished installing, you may need to initially use a wired connection to visit: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=TVSU-UPDATE and download ThinkVantage System Update. You may need to install drivers, reboot, and run system update a few times. Once you are fully updated, you should be able to safely switch to wireless.

[tripplec]

---

RUFO wrote:

1, How can i get some recovery discs for my lenovo??? D:

......

THank you all for reading!!

---

Have you called Lenovo? They can send you a factory set.

[RUFO]

HI, first of all thank you all very much for your rapid response.

Second, in regards to calling lenovo i want it to be my last option as i' am a student and live in mexico and had a loot of trouble buying my pc as it is from outlet.lenovo.com and an unkle of mine helped me with the credit card to buy. THis menas i don' t have a physical adress in the us and i know it is necesary for them to ship me anything...so it' s my last option., or mya e i' am missing something??

ON the other hand i was able to download the win 7 retail dvd's but i have a question, where do i find my win7 key????

[zoltanthegypsy]

I think the key is in the main battery compartment on your machine.  Remove the battery and have a look.

Z.

[RUFO]

Thanks a lot!!! I' ll hopelly will declare tomorrow that my problem it' s solve, thank you all!

[RUFO]

Hi! So i finished the insallation of the vanilla win7, now i can't connect to internet because the device manager can't detect the network card (?). The thing is i need to connect to internet to download drivers and updates, if i download thinkvantage will it come with the t420 drivers???

[JDay]

That last disc the recovery was asking for was an optional disc that contains MS Office if I am not mistaken. You can skip it and the installation will complete.