Thursday, July 13, 2017

system restore - Would the Windows 8 Pro OEM Recovery Disc for one Lenovo notebook work on another one?

Recently bought a Lenovo X1 Carbon (1st Gen), which has Windows 8 Pro OEM installed on it.


I want to wipe the SSD and put Linux on it, but I'd like to know I can always restore the original Windows 8 operating system just in case I need that.


Given that my Windows 8 Pro is an OEM version, from Lenovo, I understand that my Windows 8 product key will NOT work on a downloaded retail ISO of Windows 8 Pro - such as is offered by the download utilities available on the Microsoft website.


I've read around a fair bit, and it seems that to get reinstallation media, you need to ask Lenovo for the OEM version of Windows 8 - which my OEM key WOULD work on.


However, my last laptop was also a Lenovo - a Lenovo Edge model. It came with Windows 7 preinstalled, but the box included DVD media of Windows 8 Pro OEM in order to give customers the option of upgrading to Windows 8 if they wanted.


I dug the old DVDs up. Two discs - both have "Operating System Recovery Disc - Windows 8 Pro (OEM Activation 3.0 Required)" printed on them. Both also have "For use with a licensed Lenovo PC."


This seems promising to me. What I want to know is, is this recovery disc a generic one for all Lenovo PCs which come with OEM Windows 8 installed, or is there a custom Windows 8 Pro OEM Recovery Disc for each different model?


Will these DVDs - which came with my Thinkpad Edge, also work on my X1?


If, after months using Linux, I decided to install Windows 8 on my X1 using these DVDs, would it work, and would the OEM product key in my present installation of Windows 8 Pro successfully activate that installation of Windows 8 Pro?

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