dual-boot, windows, 8, 7, xp, recovery, backup, downgrade

[barraccuda]

Greetings.

We bought not so long ago a new Lenovo G50 laptop with preinstaled W8/W8.1
There is a separate partition with a System recovery file.

but... I would like to install older windows systems on the laptop but at the same time I would like to have the option in the future to bring the laptop to the default state as it was upon buying with the W8 recovery file.
And this is my question I would like to ask you folks here, as I am unfamiliar with the recovery system, never used it before so I don't know how it works and such... thus I will try to ask below questions I hope you can answer me here.

So, what do I plan to do?

format the /C: partition where the current W8 is installed

install Win XP 32-bit on /C: partition

install Win 7 64-bit on /D: partition

install W8 from the system recovery backup file on E: partition

While I am familiar with the first 3 steps, but I am not sure about the 4th.
Will I be able to run the recovery file for W8 in older windows systems?
If yes, will it be installed on the /C: partition thus overwritting the Win XP?

Also one more question...
when the recovery restores the system/laptop to the state as it was after purchase, does it affects the partitions I have made after purchase? (There was just a single partition /C: , and I created several new partitions so now I have partitions /C: /D: /E: ).
Will the recovery remove the created partitions and destroying the data it contains? or will it just wipe the C: partition and reinstall the W8 on that as it was by default?


Quite several questions, hopefully written in understandable form :s

Anyways... Thanks for answers ahead guys/girls!

 

[USAFRet]

install W8 from the system recovery backup file on E: partition

If you use the factory supplied Factory Recovery, it will wipe the entire disk and return it to how it came from the store.
You'd need to do a Windows 8 install from regular install media, not the Factory Reset thing.

 

[barraccuda]

install W8 from the system recovery backup file on E: partition

If you use the factory supplied Factory Recovery, it will wipe the entire disk and return it to how it came from the store.
You'd need to do a Windows 8 install from regular install media, not the Factory Reset thing.

OK, so I may install different OS, and when I decide I would like to reset to default settings I just run the W8 recovery.
But... Will I be able to launch it from older windows series?

 

[USAFRet]

install W8 from the system recovery backup file on E: partition

If you use the factory supplied Factory Recovery, it will wipe the entire disk and return it to how it came from the store.
You'd need to do a Windows 8 install from regular install media, not the Factory Reset thing.

OK, so I may install different OS, and when I decide I would like to reset to default settings I just run the W8 recovery.
But... Will I be able to launch it from older windows series?

No, you'd need to launch that Factory Reset function from whatever keystroke combination the manufacturer gives you. You don't run it from inside a different running Windows install.

Ideally, you use whatever functionality the manufacturer gives you to create a set of Factory Reset DVDs. Instead of relying on that specific partition on the hard drive.

 

[barraccuda]

So I will not be able to run the recovery file from older OS, and have to run the recovery with prespecified key combo, ok.
Good to know, Thanks so far guys!

Ideally, you use whatever functionality the manufacturer gives you to create a set of Factory Reset DVDs. Instead of relying on that specific partition on the hard drive.

Sounds very helpfull! I will look up on the web how to make those backup DVDs.

Gonna miss the old days when the Win Key could be found at the bottom of the laptop :/
/sigh

 

[joelsivi]

You need to launch that Factory Reset function from whatever keystroke combination the manufacturer gives you.