New laptop - system disc?

[Proto]

Bought a new laptop, Lenovo Z650, from ebuyer, which arrived today. Looks very good, great spec but was a bit cheaper as 'ex-display'.

However, there's no Windows 7 disc in the box. Should there be one?

Or do I have to create one from:

Maintenance > Backup and Restore > Create System Disc > Create System Image


Thanks.

 

[numbnuts]

Most new computer these day don’t come with the disk so do a backup and restore, I’m waiting for a new computer myself

 

[iAmiAdam]

I think some manufacturers send them out when you contact them. You can get windows 7 discs cheap, it's the license key you need.

 

[MossCommuter]

Is it one of the Lenovo models with the "One Key Recovery" system? Could be but I cannot find mention of that model when Googling. If so, there is a button on the machine that will restore to factory defaults. Systems with this feature usually have a "D" partition that is not erased during the restore, the system partition (where Windows and your programs live) is the only one affected.

The "Create System Image" is useful to backup to a known state (other than factory defaults).

Look here to see if you have something like it.

 

[Proto]

Thanks for the replies. It's a Z series and has 'one touch recovery', but I'm thinking longer term and potential hard disc failure. If I had to put a new drive in, how would I get Windows up and running? The answer I think is creating Recovery CDs/DVDs. I'll investigate further.

 

[twowheelsgood]

Use Clonezilla (free) booted from the CD or a memory stick.

Take a complete disk image to a usb hard drive.

To restore is simply the opposite process.

I do this for all my PCs and those I build or recondition for family.

Best do this after

a) you remove whatever crapware was installed on the PC
b) all the updates are done
c) run a disk clean up using the MS utility and/or ccleaner
d) before you load it up with data which of course you'll back-up yourself.

It's also great for hard drive updates, clone one drive to another.

The user interface is clunky but the instructions are pretty complete as you go. Works for all Windows and Linux filesystems. Handles boot sectors and boot loaders well.

 

[mark barker]

Slightly OT, but I purchased some netbooks for the kids and they came with recovery discs... Shame the netbooks don't have CD/DVD drives! Why didn't they supply it on a memory stick!?

 

[woohoo]

I echo twowheelsgood's advice and I take monthly system image backups just in case anything such as a bad update screws my system, but I would also add that it's quite difficult to get rid of the crapware from Lenovo (and other) machines because a lot of it ends up in Windows directories and much of that stuff is left behind on an uninstall.

I recently used a (borrowed) W7 disk to reinstall the OS on my Lenovo and then manually added the correct W7 number (on the bottom of the machine) and downloaded all the latest drivers and utilities that I needed from the Lenovo site. The size of the compressed system image file reduced from 12GB to 7.5GB after this! (all other software was as before).

 

[HJ]

Thanks for the replies. It's a Z series and has 'one touch recovery', but I'm thinking longer term and potential hard disc failure. If I had to put a new drive in, how would I get Windows up and running? The answer I think is creating Recovery CDs/DVDs. I'll investigate further.

I hate this habit of not supplying system discs in the box! Make a backup of the hidden partition now. I bought Samsung with this stupid 'one touch recovery', the MBR got corrupted on the Window partition, I could see data on the partition from Linux but could get Windows 7 to boot, then the hidden recovery partition when tits up. Fortunately I had used the Linux access to backup all of my data, but it means that I have no way of re-installing Windows 7 with out paying for it again!! A DVD in the box would only cost a couple of pence and would have saved me a whole lot of hassle, it makes me think twice about ever buying from Samsung again and I am damned if I am going to pay Microsoft twice.

 

[ian turner]

It costs more to supply windows on media with the PC than the cost of the dvds due to microsoft licencing.

 

[Bird Brain]

I tend to back up my files on an external and have managed to install windows 7 using one flash drive and that's it.