[brycrip]

How come this system is so different? I have done a "Restore to Factory Settings" on my old Acer and my Asus with just a click of a button. It took several hours to accomplish, but all was set fresh. Easily and without problems.

 

Bry

 

PS: Anything I buy has to be shipped in from the States. Delivery time is about three weeks.

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How come this system is so different? I have done a "Restore to Factory Settings" on my old Acer and my Asus with just a click of a button. It took several hours to accomplish, but all was set fresh. Easily and without problems.

think each manufacturer does things slightly different.

 

what button do you tap as soon as you power on the laptop to get into the reset options and what options does it offer you, or are you trying to do it from inside windows with some lenova software?

 

[terry1966]

 

How come this system is so different? I have done a "Restore to Factory Settings" on my old Acer and my Asus with just a click of a button. It took several hours to accomplish, but all was set fresh. Easily and without problems.

think each manufacturer does things slightly different.

 

what button do you tap as soon as you power on the laptop to get into the reset options and what options does it offer you, or are you trying to do it from inside windows with some lenova software?

 

[brycrip]

Lenovo has a Q Drive. When click on the Computer icon on the desk top, Three things are listed: Window7 OS on C; Lenovo Recovery on Q; and something called REACHit Drive.

 

I assume the Lenovo Recovery Q is the separate partition you talked about earlier on. When I click on it, it gives me an option to save it to a DVD or a memory stick. From what I read, it is 8.6 GB in size. I bought a 12 GB stick and saved Lenovo Recovery to that. Now if I Click on Computer > Lenovo Recovery, I get a box that says I only get one copy of Win7 and I've used it. They want $50 for a disc. That's were I'm at right now. I have not tried the stick yet because I can't find information on how to use it. Win8 is covered, but not Win7.

 

I'm thinking you insert the stick and boot to Win7 while toggling the F12 key, but not sure on this. I'll reboot now, and give you the options listed under F12.

 

Hang on....

[brycrip]

By reset options to you mean the Boot Sequence? I'm sure it was F12. But that just gives me the option of opening Win7 or the choice of selecting Advance Settings by pressing F8 which gives me Safe Mode etc. It wasn't like that when I used Rufus. I tried F11, same result.

 

What if I just stick in the memory stick and boot up? Hope for the best!

 

Either that, or at least tell me how to dump Ubuntu. I think if I go with Leap OS, I'll do a straight install and forget Win7.

 

But I've really had it here. Wish I never heard of an OS!

 

Bry

[terry1966]

ok lets start from the beginning.

 

like everything to do with pc's there is usually always more than 1 way to do the exact same thing, including start the factory restore process.

 

it sounds like you've created a backup lenovo install stick (your only allowed to make 1 backup copy for legal reasons i believe, but there are ways around that if you needed to make it again for some reason.) that can be used to do a clean install of everything onto a new hard drive if the drive failed, keep it handy and safe.

personally i prefer to make that copy onto dvd's because i think they are a better medium for storing data onto that you may not need for years, than using a flash stick that may lose that data over a shorter time period. (won't go into details of why it loses data even when not used, just to say all storage media does and why the data needs to be refreshed/renewed every so often)

 

now what do you want to do?

factory restore windows 7? if yes we'll work on doing that first.

remove ubuntu? i've already told you how to do that but can explain again if needed.

install leap in a dual boot system?

 

choose one to concentrate on and we'll figure it out together.

 

Edited by terry1966, 28 June 2016 - 09:31 AM.

[brycrip]

You are very wise... and patient. Thank you.

 

Main objective is to dump Windows.

I need to replace it with a simple and easy to learn OS. I just don't have a lot of time to learn a complicated OS.

My basic requirements: Excellent word processing with a great spell check and thesaurus. I use both Open Office and Libra. They are okay, but just.

A second thesaurus.

Internet; e-mail.

The ability to download large files of engineering drawings.

Auto Cad Light, design software

 

That's about it. I looked through all the programs bundled with Leap and would delete most of them,

 

I'm not making another move till you respond.

 

Thanks so much for this...

Bry.

[terry1966]

to be honest you can't really dump windows, or i wouldn't suggest it, i'd dual boot the same as you've done with ubuntu, that way you can use windows for autocad (no autocad program for linux as far as i know.) and linux for everything else.

 

ok lets start by doing a factory restore, we'll see if we can start the process from within windows.

how to do this is explained in the video.

 

[brycrip]

The video doesn't work for me.

I get to "Choose an advanced recover method" and my selection is "Reinstall Windows (requires Windows installation disc)" That differs from the video. But the other selection is "Use a system image you created earlier to recover your computer." Could be I need to select that and insert my memory stick?

Standing by...

Bry 

[terry1966]

i'd think the usb stick is what you'd use for the reinstall windows option if it didn't automatically start the process using the hard drives restore partition.

 

the stick is not the same as a system backup image, the stick is more like the old install cd's you used to get with pc's to clean install the os.

 

if you still can't start the factory restore process then power on the laptop (without stick connected.) and try tapping the F11 key and telling me what options it gives, if there's an advanced option, select that and see what options that gives too.

 

on some lenovo laptops sometimes there was a dedicated 1 key button that started the restore options, does yours have anything like that?

 

[brycrip]

Do I start the computer and start tapping F11 right off? Or do I select Win7 (as opposed to Ubuntu), and then start tapping?

[terry1966]

start tapping f11 soon as you power on the laptop, if it gets to the ubuntu, windows 7 menu then try again.

 

[brycrip]

Here we go...

F11 gets me no where. Just opens in the usual manner with the page that gives me a choice between Ubuntu and Win 7. I tried five times.

 

F12 gets me to the Boot Menu; under that: ATA HDDO: ST500LM021-1KJ152

PCI LAN:Realtek PXE S03 D00

 

Then, under a separate tab App Menu

Diagnostic Splash Screen

Lenovo Diagnostics

 

Hope this means more to than me.

 

Waiting word...

Bry

[terry1966]

what's under lenovo diagnostics?

 

try tapping F8 and see what's there including what's shown in the advanced options.

 

 

if you still don't see anything that looks like it might be where the factory restore can be started try tapping all the F keys and see what options if any they show, so power on tap f1 see what that shows, power off, then on tap f2 and see what that shows etc. etc.

 

post all options under each key that offers a menu so i can see.

Edited by terry1966, 02 July 2016 - 03:56 PM.

[brycrip]

Don't know about a a dedicated 1 key. Don't see anything and nothing was mentioned in the literature provided with the machine.

 

Under Lenovo Diagnostics there's a bunch of tests: CUP tests, Memory tests, motherboard test, storage test. And a tools section: Recover bad sectors, Generate configuration file, Execute from configuration file...

 

F8 gets me to the page where I select an OS... sorry. Tried several times.

 

I'll get back to you with info on the other F keys... don't have time to fuss with it right now.

 

But thank you...

Bry

[terry1966]

install the usb stick you made and use f12 then it should show up in the boot options.

boot it and use that to do a clean factory install if you can't find the factory restore option anywhere else.

 

 

have you had any more crashes or blue screens in windows? if not then you could just forget about restoring to factory and just test some linux os that offer a live iso with your smaller usb stick or just download and install leap and see how you get on with that.

Edited by terry1966, 03 July 2016 - 10:55 AM.