Help Needed - Lenovo ThinkCentre M90q Gen5

[BFQS]

Hi -

I am a retired computer consultant. I used to use Spinrite all the time, but it's been a while and have no idea what happened to it. Last time I saw it I had it installed on a Flash Drive, but never mind. That's not the key issue.

I do volunteer work for seniors. My latest "client" had trouble doing backup so I went to his house, got his backup going (showed him how to use built in Windows Backup for Windows 11 as well as Acronis backup) and I left. When the backup completed, he rebooted the computer and it would not boot. I had never seen an instance before where the backup software managed to change something with this result.

I am stuck. I downloaded MS's free tool to reinstall Windows but it failed to work. I get to the screen where it says Repair Your Computer or something similar and it would go no further.

I wouldn't mind purchasing Spinrite again, but I really need someone to please walk me through, step by step, how to create a bootable flash drive that I can use to get Windows 11 to boot. Alternatively, if I have to buy Spinrite again, I will be glad to do that. I am pretty sure that I bought Spinrite under my name and main email, which is [deleted by moderator for security].

Any and all help will be very much appreciated.

Bud

 

[DanR]

Alternatively, if I have to buy Spinrite again, I will be glad to do that. I am pretty sure that I bought Spinrite under my name and main email,

You do not need to re-purchase SpinRite (Although you certainly can! )

Go here: https://www.grc.com/upgrade.htm
Enter your purchase email to receive a copy of your purchase receipt via email.That email will contain your SpinRite Serial Number and Transaction code.

Then go here: https://www.grc.com/cs/customerservice.htm
Enter either your serial number OR transaction code to obtain a download link (at the bottom of the page).

 

[BFQS]

Thanks for that. What a great company to have kept my purchase info all these years (2008). OMG. I am very grateful.

Beyond that, though, the Lenovo won't boot off the Spinrite drive I created. Obviously, I did something wrong, but what? Like I said, I'm retired, and have not had to deal with anything like this for over a decade. More assistance appreciated.

So far, I have gone into the Lenovo's setup and asked it to boot off the USB drive. It was already set to boot off its internal first (of two) SSDs, but that's the problem in the first place - it won't boot off that, and I have no idea how to fix that. Thanks in advance.

 

[DanR]

the Lenovo won't boot off the Spinrite drive I created.

Is the Lenovo a newer UEFI boot machine? If so, SpinRite is incompatible with UEFI booting.

You might go into the BIOS setup and look to see if there is a CSM or legacy boot option. If The Lenovo is new enough, there will likely not be such an option.

 

[BFQS]

Nope, no legacy anything. I know this is now outside the scope of Spinrite, but can anyone let me know of a method that will work to restore the Lenovo to boot correctly. The Lenovo worked absolutely fine for the owner until we did the backup. I am still trying to wrap my head around how a backup could have caused this issue. I've seen a LOT of things in over 30 years as a PC consultant, but this one is definitely a first. I really don't want to give this back to the owner and wish him good luck.

Am I stuck with using one of the MS utilities to try to restore the proper operation? Seems to me the boot process got screwed up somehow.

When I did a search on Google about this, here is the answer AI came up with:

If the hardware is healthy and BIOS settings are correct, your backup tool likely damaged the Windows bootloader. You can repair it using a free Windows11 Installation Media USB created on another computer. [1,2,3,4,5]

1. Insert the Windows installation USB into your ThinkCentre.
   
2. Turn the PC on and tap F12 to open the Boot Menu, then select your USB Drive.
   
3. On the setup screen, click Next, then click Repair your computer in the bottom-left corner.
   
4. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
   
5. Type the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:
   cmd
   bootrec /fixmbr
   bootrec /fixboot
   bootrec /rebuildbcd
   Close the command prompt, unplug the USB, and restart your computer.
   
   
   
   When I get to step 3, I see Repair Your Computer but it won't let me get to Step 4, so probably AI doesn't know what it's talking about.
   
   

 

[PHolder]

When you say it doesn't boot correctly, I guess that begs the question of what exactly it DOES do? Is there any indication at all of an error message or is it just hanging with a blank screen or what. Ideally you might want to get into the Windows Safe Mode or some other form of recovery mode so that you can attempt anything useful.

One bit of advice I found is:
If your Windows 11 PC won't boot correctly, you can access Safe Mode by forcing it into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). Turn on your PC, and as soon as the Windows or manufacturer's logo appears, press and hold the power button to force a shutdown. Repeat this on-off cycle 2 to 3 times, and Windows will automatically boot into repair mode.

 

[BFQS]

No, I can't do any of that. When it starts up, it comes to a screen that indicates that it cannot find an operating system and prompts me to enter the BIOS setup. I can't get anywhere near close to starting Windows in any manner shape or form. Thanks for your suggestions, but I need help before it gets to what you are talking about.

I need to figure out some way to get it to boot off the primary SSD drive the way it used to do, before this happened. The only thing that we did was to perform a backup. One backup using Windows backup, and the other using Acronis backup. I've been using Acronis forever and never had anything close to this happen before.

 

[PHolder]

indicates that it cannot find an operating system

Okay, so you have one of two situations then. Either it can no longer see the device with the OS partition(s) on it (either because it failed or because the configuration has gotten corrupted) or it can see them, and it cannot find anything there it is willing to boot.

Note I was very choosy in my words there. The data MAY all be there just fine, and nothing has physically stopped working, but something has changed the system's willingness to load it. One thing that comes to mind these days is that Windows has been trying to provide updated secure boot certificates, replacing ones that are expiring, and it may be that during the reboot, the system applied some Windows Update that is the actual culprit for whatever has gone wrong.

Since I presume you don't know the details of the BIOS configuration yourself, it's going to be a bit challenging for you to try and guess your way around to figuring out if some setting can be tweaked to help fix things. Never the less, I think you need to try and determine if the SSD that is in there is still functioning at all. One possibility might be to pop in a loaner and see if it is recognized.

Another possibility would be to try and get a diagnostic utility of some kind that can boot off USB enough to let you look around and see if you can see the partition table. A Linux bootable "Live USB" device that doesn't require any installation, for example, might help you poke around.

A lot of people seem to find Linux Mint more comfortable, so maybe that'd be an option. https://linuxmint.com/download.php and https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/burn.html

Basically what you need to know is if the SSD is still visible and if the partitions look intact.

 

[Tazz]

One backup using Windows backup, and the other using Acronis backup.

Maybe try making an Acronis emergency disk to boot from and find out if there was actually a backup completed and saved.

I haven't used Acronis but there *should* be a tool to look at the contents of the backup file. If there is and everything looks like it's there then maybe cross your fingers and restore from that backup?

Before taking a chance and restoring, make another disk image of it now with some other backup program that allows you to boot into their rescue environment. Presumably you'd be able to get back to where you are right now in any event.

 

[peterblaise]

My experience says to go to Lenovo with the serial number and
download reinstallation media, and reinstall from scratch, 3-to-6 days
in my most recent Lenovos that behaved the way you describe yours
behaving.

Confirm your backup contains the desired user data, and reinstall
everything.

Issue: Microsoft broke the recovery partition AND broke the Windows
partition, and offered no resolution except a complete and total
reinstall from scratch.

Then I ran free GRC InControl and locked it from updating beyond the
default Windows installation version.

Let us know what you do.

 

[jlee]

I do volunteer work for seniors. My latest "client" had trouble doing backup so I went to his house, got his backup going (showed him how to use built in Windows Backup for Windows 11 as well as Acronis backup) and I left. When the backup completed, he rebooted the computer and it would not boot. I had never seen an instance before where the backup software managed to change something with this result.

Unfortunately it doesn't sound like you were there during the backups so we don't know if it completed successfully or not. Something could have happened during the backup and your client didn't realize something went wrong.

I agree, it is strange for the laptop to not boot as though the SSD isn't there. If it was a hard drive, I could see the backup (which typically accesses all the sectors on the drive) causing some kind of catastrophic mechanical failure. But that would be very rare with a SSD, even if your client somehow shut down power or interrupted the backup.

Can you remove the SSD from the laptop? If so you could mount it as an external drive on a good PC and take a look at it there. I don't know if the SSD is NVMe or SATA but either way you can buy an external drive enclosure with an USB interface and just plug the SSD into a good PC. In this setup there would be a variety of tools to look at the SSD, including SpinRite. Separating the SSD from the laptop and looking at the SSD will give you a clue as to whether the problem is with the SSD or with the laptop.

With the Acronis backup you can create a Acronis boot image which boots on a good PC and allow you to look at the backup. When you try to do a recovery from the backup image Acronis will tell you if it's good or not (you can tell Acronis to recover to some third drive you don't care about just to be safe). You didn't say what media the client backed up to, but I assume it's some kind of external drive?

 

[peterblaise]

"... it is strange for the laptop to not boot as though the SSD ​

isn't there ..."​

​

I've got a Lenovo ( Yoga ) currently killing it's after-market Leven-brand
SATA SSD chip, it was always running hot, had dropped to ~5 MB/s read
rate, and a few percent into SpinRite 6.1 Level 3, it went off line, never
to come back.

It happens.

 

[Digidoc]

I wouldn't mind purchasing Spinrite again, but I really need someone to please walk me through, step by step, how to create a bootable flash drive that I can use to get Windows 11 to boot. Alternatively, if I have to buy Spinrite again, I will be glad to do that. I am pretty sure that I bought Spinrite under my name and main email, which is [deleted by moderator for security].

Any and all help will be very much appreciated.

Bud

I think I know a solution, (or part of one). You can boot a Windows PE from your flash drive. Two good ones are Stralec and Hirens. You can use Ventoy to copy both ISO images to your flash. Both of these will boot and let you run Windows. Once running, you can examine the non-bootable drive and see if it is partially readable. Unless the drive is bad, you should be able to backup any needed customer files. You can also use these commands (one at a time):
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

to try and repair the boot portion of the drive. I wish you luck.

 

[BFQS]

My experience says to go to Lenovo with the serial number and
download reinstallation media, and reinstall from scratch, 3-to-6 days
in my most recent Lenovos that behaved the way you describe yours
behaving.

Confirm your backup contains the desired user data, and reinstall
everything.

Issue: Microsoft broke the recovery partition AND broke the Windows
partition, and offered no resolution except a complete and total
reinstall from scratch.

Then I ran free GRC InControl and locked it from updating beyond the
default Windows installation version.

Let us know what you do.

I think your experience is right on the money. After trying everything I could think of, and after over 30 years of doing this stuff I could think of a LOT, I gave up. Fortunately, I checked with my customer and the unit is in warranty. Makes me wish I had asked about that BEFORE attempting to fix it. But it's his and Lenovo's problem now. Thanks for your thoughtful and considerate response - Bud.

 

[BFQS]

I think I know a solution, (or part of one). You can boot a Windows PE from your flash drive. Two good ones are Stralec and Hirens. You can use Ventoy to copy both ISO images to your flash. Both of these will boot and let you run Windows. Once running, you can examine the non-bootable drive and see if it is partially readable. Unless the drive is bad, you should be able to backup any needed customer files. You can also use these commands (one at a time):
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd

to try and repair the boot portion of the drive. I wish you luck.

Tried all of that before I saw your response. Nothing came close to working. I downloaded and used a utility called TestDisk which allowed me to look at the drive, partitions and so forth. I could see the huge 900+GB partition but there was NO recognizable data on it. Whatever happened, and my money is on the MS backup or extremely bad luck, it totally effed up the drive. As stated elsewhere, the PC is still under warranty and I have advised my client to get it taken care of by Lenovo. Otherwise, I would have taken the existing SSD out of the PC and put it in an external USB box which I've had for years for just this sort of thing. - Thanks for your suggestions though. = Bud

 

[BFQS]

Okay, so you have one of two situations then. Either it can no longer see the device with the OS partition(s) on it (either because it failed or because the configuration has gotten corrupted) or it can see them, and it cannot find anything there it is willing to boot.

Note I was very choosy in my words there. The data MAY all be there just fine, and nothing has physically stopped working, but something has changed the system's willingness to load it. One thing that comes to mind these days is that Windows has been trying to provide updated secure boot certificates, replacing ones that are expiring, and it may be that during the reboot, the system applied some Windows Update that is the actual culprit for whatever has gone wrong.

Since I presume you don't know the details of the BIOS configuration yourself, it's going to be a bit challenging for you to try and guess your way around to figuring out if some setting can be tweaked to help fix things. Never the less, I think you need to try and determine if the SSD that is in there is still functioning at all. One possibility might be to pop in a loaner and see if it is recognized.

Another possibility would be to try and get a diagnostic utility of some kind that can boot off USB enough to let you look around and see if you can see the partition table. A Linux bootable "Live USB" device that doesn't require any installation, for example, might help you poke around.

A lot of people seem to find Linux Mint more comfortable, so maybe that'd be an option. https://linuxmint.com/download.php and https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/burn.html

Basically what you need to know is if the SSD is still visible and if the partitions look intact.

I did, and they didn't. See some of my other replies.

 

[BFQS]

Is the Lenovo a newer UEFI boot machine? If so, SpinRite is incompatible with UEFI booting.

You might go into the BIOS setup and look to see if there is a CSM or legacy boot option. If The Lenovo is new enough, there will likely not be such an option.

You are correct, it is a UEFI boot machine. No other boot options.

 

[peterblaise]

"... TestDisk ... allowed me to look at the drive, partitions and so ​

forth. I could see the huge 900+GB partition but there was NO ​

recognizable data on it ..."​

Hey folks, could the masking of data be because BitLocker is on?

 

[BFQS]

Well, I am happy to report that the Lenovo in question has been satisfactorily restored much to my surprise and amazement. The customer got in touch with Lenovo as the unit still was in warranty. They wanted him to run a set of procedures and if those failed, they would then receive the unit for service. He passed the info on to me, and I ended up running it.

The link led me to a site expressly designed to restore screwed up drives. First, the necessary files were downloaded to my own HDD. Then I inserted a large flash drive which the procedure converted to a recovery disk. I took that and booted it on the Lenovo, then sat back and watched as it did a whole host of procedures which resulted in Windows 11 being completely restored. I would have sworn that the SSD in question was fried, but it certainly wasn't.

I have recovered many drives in my career, but I have never seen anything like what Lenovo's engineers dreamed up to let even a casual user fix his or her own machine. I was VERY impressed.

At any rate, my client came over, and set up the PC with his MS account, which then prompted him to restore everything from backup. All his critical files were in Dropbox, so no need to restore anything other than the OS and a few other applications which he said he could do himself.

So everyone is living happily ever after. Thanks to all of you for your various suggestions. - Bud.

 

[peterblaise]

"... Lenovo ... wanted [ users ] to run a set of procedures and if those
failed, they would then receive the unit for service ... The link led ... to a
site expressly designed to restore screwed up drives. First, the necessary
files were downloaded to my own HDD. Then I inserted a large flash
drive which the procedure converted to a recovery disk. I took that and
booted it on the Lenovo, then sat back and watched as it did a whole
host of procedures which resulted in Windows 11 being completely
restored. I would have sworn that the SSD in question was fried, but it
certainly wasn't ... I have recovered many drives in my career, but I
have never seen anything like what Lenovo's engineers dreamed up to
let even a casual user fix his or her own machine. I was VERY impressed ..."

And the links that you used?!? ;-)

Copilot summary of Lenovo recovery resources

Lenovo does provide official, Lenovo‑supported utilities and download links for Windows boot‑drive recovery, and they recommend using these rather than third‑party tools. The options fall into two categories: Lenovo‑specific recovery media and standard Windows recovery tools.

Copilot summary of Lenovo recovery resources

Concise takeaway​

Yes — Lenovo offers official recovery utilities and download links for creating or ordering Windows boot‑drive recovery media. The primary Lenovo‑supported site is the Lenovo Digital Download Recovery Service (DDRS) and the LenovoRecovery portal.

Lenovo‑recommended recovery utilities​

. Lenovo Digital Download Recovery Service (DDRS)This is Lenovo’s official tool for creating a USB bootable recovery drive for Windows 10 or 11.

• Downloads the full factory recovery image for your exact Lenovo model.
• Requires entering your device’s serial number.
• Produces a bootable USB key (32 GB+).
• Supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems.
• Works on ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation, IdeaPad, and IdeaCentre systems.

Link: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/lenovorecovery (You must log in with a Lenovo ID.)

2. LenovoRecovery — Recovery Media Ordering Portal​

This site lets you:

• Check eligibility for free digital download recovery media.
• Order physical USB recovery media (fee may apply).
• Access Windows downgrade/upgrade recovery media (e.g., Win11→Win10).

Link: https://support.lenovo.com/solutions/ht118590

3. Lenovo OneKey Recovery (for select IdeaPad/IdeaCentre models)​

Some Lenovo consumer laptops include a dedicated recovery partition and OneKey Recovery utility.This allows:

• Creating recovery DVDs/USBs
• Restoring factory image without external media

Standard Windows recovery drive (Lenovo‑documented)
Lenovo also documents how to create a Windows 10/11 recovery drive using built‑in Windows tools.
This is useful if:

• Your Lenovo recovery partition is intact
• You want a Microsoft‑standard bootable recovery USB

Steps: Control Panel → Recovery → Create a recovery drive → Check “Back up system files”.

Which option should you use?​

Tool	Best for	Requirements
Lenovo DDRS	Full factory restore, replacing a failed boot drive	Serial number, Windows 10/11 PC, 32 GB USB
LenovoRecovery	Ordering official Lenovo recovery media	Serial number, Lenovo ID
OneKey Recovery	IdeaPad/IdeaCentre with OKR partition	Built‑in OKR partition
Windows Recovery Drive	Basic Windows repair/reset	Working Windows install or recovery partition

Want help choosing the right recovery method?
You can tell me your Lenovo model and whether the system still boots, and I’ll guide you to the correct recovery path.Try:

• Identify my Lenovo model
• Choose the right recovery option