Uninstalling windows vista, making backup on lenovo thinkpad r61.

Hey,
I bought a lenovo thinkpad r61 with windows vista pre-installed.
Now i want to format my laptop and install windows XP instead of windows vista.
But how can i backup windows vista? (didnt get a dvd with vista on it when i bought this laptop).

I got this thinkvantage program listed in my start menu: "create recovery media". When i open it i get the "Rescue and recovery" program which looks like this:
http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/5760/recoverytt9.jpg
What i'd like to know is of what this programs makes a backup?
Of just windows vista? of all files on the harddisk? or something else?
Can i let it make a backup on my external harddisk? (by selecting usb in the dropdown box). And how would i be able to install it from that external harddisk if i want to change back to windows vista again?

Does it also backup the thinkvantage programs? And will the webcame still work if i install windows XP?
What im looking for is a way to make a vista installation disk with just the thinkvantage programs, not other software that i installed.

I hope you can clear some things up for me

Thanks in advance.

 

Please follow the guide in my signature to properly backup and install Windows XP.

You will be able to use your webcam in XP, yes.

 

Ah, yeah i forgot to mention that i looked at the topic but i wasnt sure if the program you mention in that topic was the same program that i am showing on the screenshot.
But i suppose it is then?

And also i didnt know if i could just choose to save it on a usb external harddisk?

Just need to know these minor things, then ill proceed with the topic.
Since it seems pretty detailed.

thanks

 

It seems you can output the factory image to an external USB drive. Once you do that and want to revert back to the factory Vista then you'd have to set BIOS to boot from external USB.

 

aaah ok thanks.
But hmm, does this mean that i can not move the backup files on the usb external harddisk into a sub folder of that harddisk?
So move them from: g:\ to g:\backup_files ?
Because i use this usb harddrive for much more then just this backup. (its 500 GB).

It matters if i move the files to a different folder?

 

It's difficult for me to read because I do not understand the language in the screenshot.

This is what you can try:

Choose the option to export the factory image to an external HDD. I assume it also asks for a destination, so just choose one on the external HDD. I'm sure it will let you know how to perform a restore or it'll be easy to figure out.

If it doesn't end up working. You can always perform a factory restore from the hidden partition and burn the DVD's or CD's instead. But I'm sure the external HDD will work.

 

Ah ok.

It doesnt ask for a destination on my external harddisk. It just lets me select the disk (g:\) which is my usb harddisk.
But oh well ill try to do that. And with the hidden partition i can always recover windows vista. Very nice instructions btw in that topic.

 

Hi Ark!!!

I really like your avitar