Vista System backup or Lenovo Rescue and Recovery?

I just got my T61 (five days from online order to receipt). Not bad compared to what I've been reading here.

Having been the victim at diverse times of viri, malware, badly-compiled-applications, and waaaaay before MTBF hard drive crashes I though it would be smart to do a clean image backup before I went much farther.

I have a lot of reasons to do this besides being latently A/R about my data, some which circulate around Vista not liking a crucial DB app that I have to use and maybe having to "upgrade" (really) to XP. I'm still testing.

Built into Vista Biz (which I have) is Complete PC Backup but it appears that although I CAN make system backup DVD's they're useless without a bonafide Vista Installation DVD to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment (being a long time Windows/DOS user since DOS 2.0, I could make a joke here re: "recovery" ... but I won't). I'm assuming a bullet has gone through the hidden partition on my drive, worst case scenario.

Lenovo offers a ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery app that appears to make a stand alone, getcha back from the dead backup that would save my tookus should I need to replace a hard drive or reformat for some obtuse reason (like maybe my DB app vendor finally decides to get on the Vista bus) and I want to go back to Vista

So Im askin':
1. Am I correct in what I believe about Vista's "complete" backup needing a genuine, Billy Gates autographed copy of Vista to restore my system image using the Vista generated backup DVD's?
2. Do I have it all on one shower shoe that the Lenovo R 'n' R app makes a satisfactory backup that saves me in the event ...?
3. What'chall be doing yer ownselves?

Thanks.

 

Hmm... I'm not sure if either backup would work without your Vista license, but they might prevent you from needing the actual CD/DVD...

As far as which backup application to use... I would go with Rescue and Recovery if I were you. I have had to restore my notebook to factory defaults before and the entire process was a breeze (using R&R).

- Matt

 

Thanks Matt but let me be sure I understand, you're saying that if I make the R 'n' R disks, using the Lenovo internal program those're all I need to rebuild a dead system?

The Vista backup method of a system restore requires an "install" disk which I did not get from Lenovo with my laptop ( I actually got very little of anything)

I din't sweat the licensing thing feeling that info would've been locked away inside the backups themselves. Maybe I'm wrong.

So, again, the ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery deal makes a stand alone, don't need nuthin' else, media stored backup that I allows me to get back among the living after a heart attack (HD crash)?

Thanks again for hovering nearby.

Mike

 

To be honest, I can't be 100% sure if you'll need your Vista disc or not. I know for a fact that you can restore your notebook to the factory defaults without the disc. (By the way, by "factory defaults", I am referring to the backup that Lenovo puts on your hard drive by default.)

I assume that a disc is unnecessary, but I have not had to try this yet. I know for sure that R&R will backup everything, though. This includes the OS settings, programs, files, application settings, etc.

Matt

 

Sooooo your just using what's created by R&R and that by itself gets you back?

BTW, I think I mentioned in a couple of places that I "have" no disk, OEM or otherwise, nuthin' ,nada, zip, zilch. That's why I was asking.

To chose the "Vista way" would mean acquiring (of course legally) some sort of install disk somplace if I hoped to use that systrem recovery method.

If good ol' R&R does it blindfolded, with one hand behind the back, then I'd be fine with that. It's just that nowhere in the instructions does it just come out and SAY that. I'm larnin' that I can assume NOTHING in whatever instructions are forthcoming from MS or IBM, or whoever.

Call me fickle but ah've been burned on a few "well of COURSE that's what they mean" moments. So I strain at the gnats so-to-speak.

Thanks

 

For Vista 'complete' restore, you just need a Vista Anytime Upgrade disc, which would cost around $5 + shipping, to boot into the restore environment.

R&R can create a bootable rescue media disc during backup. So no Vista disc is needed for 'complete' restore.

When I did 'complete' hard drive backup onto CD/DVDs, R&R would ask for new blank disc for each partition on my hard drive. For my case, each 'complete' backup of my hard drive by R&R would require four discs. But with Vista backup, only two DVDs are needed. So I still use Vista backup.

There are third party solutions, like Acronis and Ghost. They cost money though.

 

I just used Vista Complete PC Backup yesterday to restore my system.

I created the recovery image of my system about a week ago (onto my second internal hard drive using the ultrabay SATA adapter). It was about 30GB worth of applications, Vista, drivers, and so on. So over the past week I was tinkering around tweaking the OS and doing stuff I shouldn't. So I decided I wanted to revert back to my restore.

I used the $5 anytime upgrade disk to start the restore process. This walk-through will show you how it is done: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial144.html

It was a little tricky because I started off using my DVD drive with the anytime upgrade disk. When I got to the screen that you are suppose to click "repair your computer" I swapped out the DVD drive for my ultrabay adapter with my other HDD. (This is very simple by the way. See the video links in my sig to see how to removed the DVD drive. The ultraby adapter is identicle size to the DVD drive so it just slides right in.)

The restore worked great. I restored 30GB in about 15 minutes! Everything just like it was 1 week ago.

I'm very pleased with Complete PC Backup.

Post #1000!!!!!

 

Get a copy of Ghost 12 the next time you spot a rebate or sale. It's easier to use than Complete PC and more flexible on the restore process. I use Ghost to take weekly or every other week snapshots.

 

Thanks to (in order):
Matt, for being the first to jump into the water with an answer.
Toucan, for telling me how easy it really is.
Stallen, for writin' all that good stuff 'bout where I could snag a $5 dollar Vista disk. CompUSA is sending it (they say) free shipping so a grand total of $5.37 allows me to use the Vista backup DVD set ... aaannnd ... I'm a gonna do a R&R set as well. THEN I'll start tweakin' with Vista's innards.

I gotta mess with a Borland BDE thing and a Net Dir redirect and a registry permissions thing ... all to get the stinkin' app I have to use to run. Failing at that Lenovo offers a cheap XP recovery disk to "downgrade" (oh, how WILL I ever survive?) to XP Pro from Vista Biz.

Thanks to all of you.