How to Restore a Lenovo ThinkPad to Factory Default Settings
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- Опубликовано: 30 май 2012
- In this video we use a ThinkPad E530 to demonstrate how to restore and recover a ThinkPad to its factory default settings. You lose all data, but it's a fast way to quickly get back up and running if you really screw up the OS or the laptop has slowed down a ton after years of use.
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Andrew, after viewing 10 videos, yours is the only one that worked in wiping my computer clean. Thank you.
After looking at many sites for info on how to factory reset, THIS was the only information that actually worked for me.
THANKS!!
Worked perfectly. Used this to restore a Lenovo X220 tablet/laptop that I was preparing to sell. Saved me a call to our IT company. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!
That's great news, and thanks for the feedback!
Dude thank you so much you don’t understand how long I’ve been searching for a video
Dude can you help me? I followed all the steps but it just doesnt give me the option to make a factory reset. It shows every single option that the guy shows in the video except for that one
Thank you so much for sharing this!
For people having issues with F11, it didn't work the first time for me either (I was using L450). It seems like it's really easy to skip over the time point that let's you access the restore menu (my guess is that it is designed to be really hard for you to just accidentally access the menu). Try going through the boot process a couple times and hitting F11 repeatedly really really fast as soon as the reboot begins.
Thanks. I forwarded a link to your video to a friend I was helping in another part of the state. Well done.
Thanks for posting this! I have an E545 and I couldn't remember which key it was, and even searching the Lenovo database, it kept pointing me to the wrong fix (I couldn't remember which Function Key it was!). So thanks for this!
Oh! And thanks for emphasizing that it is going to erase *ALL* of your data. I know the system does that as well, but you know that some folks still miss it. ;)
Thank you so much for this video! We had a terrible finding accurate reset instructions for a Yoga 11E. You were the only one to suggest the F11 key on startup and although the menus are different, it set us on the right path. Thanks again.
That's great to hear, glad the video helped!
Thank you very much, this helped me great. That's the kind of help I like, right to the point. Thanks again
thanks for this video. does the recovery restores the partitions too? also, how can we update the windows version with latest before recovering? thanks.
dear brother,
does any body knows that if i have 2 partitions 1 drive C means OS and other for Data Saving .by doing this factory reset it will delete my partition and make it one or it will effect on c drive only....i have thinkpad T430U..
Thanks for this. Wiping clean my ancient laptop before donating... All the "newer" how-to articles online weren't accurate for my old Lenovo. Helpful, THANKS!
Glad it helped! Yes, the Lenovo reset process has changed over the years so you have to figure out which generation you are using and get the method right.
are you going to do a full review of this?
Hi, its a very useful video and appreciate ur effort.
I've a bit different situation, i want to restore the OS on E330 to factory but just on the C:, i want my data on D: to be left as it is, is that possible?
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rgds
SS
Great video, worked perfectly. Thanks a lot!!
This helped save me a lot of time.
How do I do this if it says " Cannot find the backup files." ? It happens on the last part I would like an answer ASAP thank you.
Thank you very much for this video it was very helpful!
Thank you this helped me so much dude
Thank you very much for the video, I have my lenovo T500 which does not start anymore as before and remains blocked on
the first start page setup, I tried everything to get it to work with no success.
Now I want to flash the eeprom P24s08 memory because it is blocked, but I cannot find the bios
factory other than that offered by Lenovo support.
Can you help me get this copy from another T500 if possible or direct me to a site ....
Thank you in advance.
Very useful. Thanks very much!
Bro you are my savior, i woke up this morning and started doing my regular thing until i turned on my laptop and it said i couldnt use my fingerprint and id have to use my pin i didnt use my pin in about 2 months so i forgot it.
Thank you, this is great.
Thanks this helped so much x
Will that restore the disk partitions? I have all my files stored on an extra disk that I have created from the free space I had on my C drive. I would like to keep them and restore the C drive to have a fresh Windows on it.
Does this work on X131e series of Lenovo ThinkPad?????
Nice video man!
When are putting up a whole review of the HP DV6T Quad Edition I been waiting for it since your last video on that laptop. My reasons are becuase I want to buy it, but first I would like to hear your personals thoughs and opinions. Thanks :)
Thanks a lot man. This really helped!!
If you do a factory reinstall you'll lose all of the programs currently installed. So yes, Office 2010 would be wiped off. You could reinstall it though so long as you have the discs. I'm not sure if Microsoft will let you use the original key again though, you might have to call them to be able to reactivate the key.
Worked excellent! thanks
You have to make sure it's during initial bootup. If it's not working you can try using the Lenovo recovery manager from within Windows to initiate a restore.
Video please
Thanks so much! This really helped me because my dad needs to format a Thinkpad and he doesnt know how xD
Thanks dude. I was about to install from a FD but then I saw a recovery partion and was like "don't mind if I do..."
does this work for the t420?
Super helpful, thank you
It's the same for Lenovo ThinkPad E420. Thanks!
in the system recovery options I dont have that facto reset button please help :(
Excellent. Short, to the point and works perfectly. Thank you. Now I can donate my old Lenovo.
Glad it helped, and good of you to donate!
Really helpful! Thanks
Thanks ! This video helped a lot
Perfect, even works for desktops :D (as long as they have the recovery partition of course)
Dude can you help me? I followed all the steps but it just doesnt give me the option to make a factory reset. It shows every single option that the guy shows in the video except for that one
Cannot find the backup files what I need to do?
Do you know how to bypass the command prompt as well?
Thanks. This video helped a lot
Thanks, it worked with my Thinkcentre..
I found this old thinkpad and tried this . IT WORKED! idk what this for a pad is , I will try it out 😂 maybe I can watch Netflix on it 😂🤷🏼♀️
It says the "Recovery partition has been removed" but somehow I still see the Lenovo_Reco (D:) drive at the desktop. And it has the factory recovery "bdcinfo" "cdrivebackup.swm" and the other files. What do I do to factory restore from there? Could I copy those files to a DVD?
seems work for me. thanks!
for those who failed to recovery process ,u can do the clean install by dowloading windows from third party then u fill up the product key of windows 7 that u can find the s/n under ur baterry pack of ur laptop
u have to install windows version according to the windows that come with ur laptop purchasing...mostly pre installed windows 7 professional
after installing is done then install thinkpad system update then this software will do the rest to find the right driver thats suitable to ur thinkpad.
will i get windows 7 back? i don't have a cd drive so must i make a bootable usb or does factory settings mean that windows 7 is also there?
when i try to restore my computer.it tells me it find my back up files..what shouldi do
What if it dont give you the option of just user when it gets to the system recovery part?
hi, thanks for the video. I've updated my X220 to Windows 10. But after the 10th year update, W10 is just bugging around, giving me BSOD errors ALL THE TIME. My X220 was originally with Windows 7 Professional. My question is: Is this working for me, rebooting with the F11 key and doing these procedures will bring my X220 back to the original OS and settings? Thanks a lot.
so long as you didn't wipe out the restore partition that the manufacturer put on there you should be able to do that. If you're getting a BSOD it could be either an OS issue or maybe even faulty RAM, you might want to run a hardware check on the RAM and if it's not that then move ahead with restoring the OS if you can. Good luck!
Thanks a lot for the feedback, I re-install W10 and now everything is working fine. Thanks!
Can i do a backup, with rescue an recovery, and do restore. I continue with the backup on pc?
Thanks man. It helped alot.
does it work for z580? does the data in c drive only will lose,not the other drive?
hi.were you able to reset the laptop?.I also have an edge e420 ,and i can´t do it.
Thanks man! Big help
Doues it works on E430??
Thanks that was so helpful
Does this work in R500?
I'm pretty sure I've restarted my laptop at least 20 times to get this right *sigh*
hey. it worked for me. I made my partitions using acronis disk director 11, just after I bought my laptop. I made a backup of all my files but when after factory reset, I was amazed that all my partitions and data were in place. I recommend you do a backup or make your partitions with acronis disk director. I wouldn't do a factory reset If i made the partitions with another program, because I am not sure if they will be deleted or not.
So, I recommend a backup, and go on with factory reset.
do i need to reinstall my network drivers?
how much the disk driver for Lenovo and where did I got it
Thanks! Works fine.
finally!! thanks man!
I shared the same issue. Is there a way to restore the deleted the recovery partition?
I will try this out! thanks :)
Great, glad this helped, good luck fixing that.
Hello there, sorry to interrupt. I reached the system recovery options. Unfortunately, i didnt have the lenovo recovery option on the bottom. Mine only have the command prompt option. Is there any other way for me to restore it? Thanks
@@sololam7278 i have the same issue, did you solve it?
I have a Lenovo ThinkPad E520 would this also works?
I tried that, but since I changed my hard drive when the original broke, it says restart failed ): what do I do?
Is there also a way to reset the factory setting on a hp laptop?
I have factory reset my Lenovo ThinkPad. I have 2 . 1 I did without logging into which worked better. The other one I did as instructed. I got a few options as to how I wanted to restore windows etc. I didn't want to save any files on either. They were connected to people I didn't want to have access to. That one just says Lenovo and a dotted dial keeps going around. I think something was unsuccessful. What should I do?
Thanks mate!
Thank you this help alot! :)
does this work for t500??? cuz i didnt see no recovery please help me!!!
Thanks this helped me allot
Thank you!
great , best advice
Thank you so much!!
Thanks for sharing this!
And thanks for watching, I appreciate the feedback!
does E430 uses the same way to restore to factory default settings
I have the same problem, how did u solve it?
I have a T410, when I restart and hold f8, error 0210 : stuck key 42. what does that mean?
I am planning to buy a SSD to add to my thinkpad, and install the OS there.
Does this recovery automatic restore to the default hard drive, or is there a way I can designate the install into my new SSD?
No
Could you tell me this for E420?
Perfect video.
Hello I know less about PC but is it really so Easy? I got a new Think Pad E531.After on day I recognized that my Lenovo Partition is Full. There is only 1,8 Gb Free from 15 Gb. Is this bad? Should I create Factory Recovery Disks? How many would it be? I defragment my Lenovo Partition. Could this be a Problem?
Does it work on a e535?
I am using lenovo thinkpad X220 .. I followed what you said in the vedio but after I choose the lenovo product recovery i get a message says connt find image ?? how can I go around this .. thanks
Thank you so much! My computer was a adware shit field! I tried reading online instructions but I couldn't understand it. Also. Is it important to plug in an AC adapter while doing the process?
Thank you man
For those of you that say the F11 key doesn't work, make sure that your F11 key doesn't require you to hold down the Function (Fn) key while pressing it. It worked for me once I did that. Good luck!
You're a hero
Genius!!! thanks
Did not work for me
Did both wont work
I have the same problem as Alfatih Gessan P. How do I solve that? Is it possible to download the original recovery partition or something? Please help! Thanks
How can i do this if "whole-disk encryption' has been performed on similar laptop.
If you cannot get to the recovery page (WinRe-Windows Recovery) for what ever reason: turn your PC off then boot it up, when the windows logo appears on the black screen turn your PC off right then and there by pushing and holding the on/off switch. Turning off the PC at this exact moment informs the PC of a major Start-up problem. Now when you turn your PC back on it will automatically take you to the Recovery page. Hope this helps.
Thank you sir very much I really needed my computer fixed but nothing worked but what you wrote thank you
Very happy it helped you. cheers
J Zidar 3
Thank you soooo much !! I wanted to sell my Computer but I werent able because I couldnt reset it... Thank you so much !
YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND
I need help i formated my lenovo x240 now its on windows 7 how can i go back on windows 8 pro?
Nothing happens when I press F11 on my X230i. I tried to use the Lenovo button thingy to get the startup interrupt menu, but it doesn't list it there either. Can I get some help please?
Dont forget to hold the FN Button!!
Push it up that everyone can see it
it really doesn't work if the os was upgraded to Window 10. am in the same scenario as Lexi. what can i do now as mine is X220....the blue button no longer working...
What does holding the fn button do? Asking in 2019
We will never know
@@TempestXz why
Idk