I just received my W520. I've logged in, created my password and fingerprints, set the time zone etc, and it tried to start installing Norton which I killed.

Simple question: What program (or ??) do I use to make my recovery discs and how do I start it?

The closest thing I find is in ThinkVantage Toolbox where there is:
"Enhanced Backup and Restore > Backup Solution: ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery > Install Rescue and Recovery" (other option: Purchase Backup Drive)
Is this what I use? I got a little spooked on the "Install Rescue and Recovery" as though it might ask for media to do an R&R.

Related (or maybe not): I was going to hold off on swapping out the one factory stick of 4GB RAM with the new 4 x 4GB @1600 until after I create the recovery media. Is this the recommended sequence?

Thanks!

BTW, I search all over the TP forum and at Lenovo but I couldn't find the answer to this seemingly simple question. Most of the threads were about having lost the media or not having a CD/DVD drive (which I have). And ThinkVantage Help is no help . . . .

Don't have experience with W520, but on some Thinkpads I've had, there should be a start menu item somewhere under Thinkvantage, called "Create Rescue Media" or "Recovery Media" or something like that. Perhaps you need to have R&R installed for that, not sure.

One other thing that came up: after I made this initial post and was getting ready to shut down (hoping for some TP'ers comments) there was a warning "x" on an icon in the lower right footer bar that had a message that Windows wanted to do (setup?) a backup. I clicked on it and it wanted to write to Q: drive and the routine only talked about hard drives, not CDs or DVDs. I'm guessing this is more of a typical backup that Windows is encouraging and not the R & R media.

you can swap out the ram whenever you want. if you just want to get it out of the way, do it now. it doesn't have any effect on the recovery media.

Thanks to dr_st for getting me pointed in the right direction.

Instead of going for the too apparent ThinkVantage Toolbox icon in the bottom bar toward the right, I instead went to the lower left Start button > Programs > Lenovo ThinkVantage Tools. Within that is Factory Recovery Disks. This is what I was looking for. It says it needs a CD for the first disk but a DVD seemed to work fine.

(BTW, there seem to be a lot of junk programs for a new computer that purportedly only had Win7 installed . . . . )