is Microsoft actually forcing people to only be able to format their computers using the new usb flash dieve method ?

[Amer Mohd]

i have a lenovo z5oo laptop, it neds a fresh installation of windows because now it's running too slow.
the thing is that there is no recovery partition on my hard drive so i can make a recovery from it, and no one ever said a word on making a usb flash drive backup for using the new so called "Refresh" method ... so i bought a new win 8 DVD
the problem is when i insert my win 8 dvd and try to install it gives me a message saying "The product key entered does not match any of windows images available for installation. Enter a different product key"
this seems to be a common issue, and i think the best way of fixing it in my case is formatting my C: Drive from dos

so i the command prompt "Format c: /u" to perform a secure format, and it only formatted a disk that is an unusable 100 mb, even though it says this is the c: Drive that's been formatted.

after all i used an old windows 7 dvd to perform the format process from the GUI, and i actually formatted my actual c: drive.
and here is where the funny part bgins, when i tried again to install windows 8 i am receiving the same message !!!
even though i liked using windows 8 on all of my laptops but i am forced now to revert back to using windows 7 on my lenovo
maybe there is no other way of fixing this issue since windows 8 actually requires having a usb flash drive, and microsoft actually ignores any request regarding my issue here, it's like they are forcing people to use this new method...
i hope i find a way out for this one
is there ?

 

[sincreator]

Umm the manual for your laptop says that there is a recovery partition, and here's how to run it. I copy/pasted this from the manual, Page 22.

Restoring

You can choose to restore the system partition to its original status or to a previously created back-up point. To restore the system partition:

1. Press the Novo button to start the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system.
2. Click System Recovery. The computer will restart to the recovery environment.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to restore the system partition to its original status or to a previously created back-up point.

If Windows cannot be started, then follow the steps below to start the Lenovo OneKey Recovery system:

1. Shut down the computer.
2. Press the Novo button. From the Novo button menu, select the Lenovo OneKey recovery system and press Enter

Here is the link to your manual: http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/z500_ug_en.pdf

 

[USAFRet]

1. You cannot format the C drive from within a running Windows install. It's been that way for years.
That's like asking a person to cut off his own head. It doesn't work

2. The Win 8 install you bought will not work with the original embedded OEM license on the laptop. You have to use the license that came with whatever you bought.
Where did you buy it from?

 

[Amer Mohd]

@sincreator my laptop didn't actually come with a manual, also my laptop doesn't have the NOVO key, unless there is a key combination that i don't know about, plus.. I looked for a hidden partition on my computer using multiple ways, manage>storage, ubuntu boot disk, tune up utilities 2014. there is no master boot record, and that's the reason why Lenovo OneKey Recovery didn't actually work in the first place.
maybe if i use DISKPART it will solve my issue, the only problem is that i am not sure if it would erase all my hard disk because it doesnt seem to be reading my HDD Partitions which have all my valuable data

and yes @USAFRet i know the way to do it, what i am saying is it's always been this way for years and now all of the sudden i can make it happen like it used to be.
I bought my new windows from Microsoft store