Using ISO to re-install/recover W10 instead of HP recovery app

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  1. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
       #1

    Using ISO to re-install/recover W10 instead of HP recovery app


    I hope I can explain this properly...

    I just bought an HP Envy laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled. There is a recovery partition, but I'd like to erase the data in this partition and use it for personal files. My question is: if I do ever need to re-install or recover Windows 10 on this laptop, can I do it with a DVD I burned using the media creation tool from Microsoft instead of the specific HP recovery app the laptop shipped with?

    Thanks for any info...
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  2. Posts : 56,806
    Multi-boot Windows 10/11 - RTM, RP, Beta, and Insider
       #2

    pjfarr said:
    I hope I can explain this properly...

    I just bought an HP Envy laptop with Windows 10 preinstalled. There is a recovery partition, but I'd like to erase the data in this partition and use it for personal files. My question is: if I do ever need to re-install or recover Windows 10 on this laptop, can I do it with a DVD I burned using the media creation tool from Microsoft instead of the specific HP recovery app the laptop shipped with?

    Thanks for any info...
    Recovery partitions that come on a pre-loaded box will contain the factory image as set by HP, in your case. That would include any pre-bundled bloatware and such. If you want a clean, fresh start without the crap, save the contents of that recovery partition on an external drive, and during clean install from your MCT DVD, delete the partition and extend the OS partition. MS Win 10 will create it's own recovery partition.
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  3. Posts : 18,424
    Windows 11 Pro
       #3

    f14tomcat said:
    delete the partition and extend the OS partition. MS Win 10 will create it's own recovery partition.
    Deleting all partitions on the hard drive and installing to the resulting unallocated space will give a completely 100% vanilla Windows install with none of the factory stuff left over. A lot of the new computers have two or three parts of recovery software in different partitions.
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  4. Posts : 56,806
    Multi-boot Windows 10/11 - RTM, RP, Beta, and Insider
       #4

    NavyLCDR said:
    Deleting all partitions on the hard drive and installing to the resulting unallocated space will give a completely 100% vanilla Windows install with none of the factory stuff left over. A lot of the new computers have two or three parts of recovery software in different partitions.
    That's even cleaner, I didn't want to over-confuse. If during installation, you blow away ALL partitions, you get as clean as clean can get!
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  5. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    f14tomcat said:
    MS Win 10 will create it's own recovery partition.
    Thanks for the info tomcat. Question: if I have the DVD, why would it need to create a new recovery partition? And could I opt out of creating it during re-installation? One of the main reasons I want to get rid of HP's partition is to recover the diskspace and use it for personal files.

    f14tomcat said:
    ...save the contents of that recovery partition on an external drive...
    Is there a particular reason I would need to save the HP recovery files?
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  6. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    NavyLCDR said:
    Deleting all partitions on the hard drive and installing to the resulting unallocated space will give a completely 100% vanilla Windows install with none of the factory stuff left over. A lot of the new computers have two or three parts of recovery software in different partitions.
    Thanks Navy! That's what I kind of thought, but I wasn't sure if the motherboard or firmware or something has some kind of HP branding buried in it that would prevent me from using anything other than its own recovery files to reinstall Win10.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2,799
    Linux Mint 20.1 Win10Prox64
       #7

    I would go with what NavyLCDR suggested above. However, before doing anything, I suggest to:
    1. Just in case things go wrong. First, create a backup image of your current Windows to an external HD using: Macrium Reflect Free . Also create a USB/DVD Macrium Rescue disk from the program so you can use to boot and restore from it.
    2. Download: Driver 4.1 Backup Download and run to backup all the drivers, save them to the external HD so once done with new Windows 10 installation, you can restore the drivers without having to re-download & re-install all the drivers. This will save time.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 56,806
    Multi-boot Windows 10/11 - RTM, RP, Beta, and Insider
       #8

    pjfarr said:
    Thanks for the info tomcat. Question: if I have the DVD, why would it need to create a new recovery partition? And could I opt out of creating it during re-installation? One of the main reasons I want to get rid of HP's partition is to recover the diskspace and use it for personal files.


    Is there a particular reason I would need to save the HP recovery files?
    Typically a recovery partition is about 450 MB, not a huge amount of space. Not sure what yours looks like right now with the HP Recovery Partition. Can you do a screenshot of Disk Management and post it back. Also, when you have time, update your system specs here, the more info the easier to help.

    Do you have any recovery media from HP? How are you doing your backups?
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 89
    Windows 10 Home 64bit
    Thread Starter
       #9

    topgun, those sound like great apps, esp. the driver backer-upper. Thanks! I've done disk images before using the tool that comes with Windows (specifically Win7). Is there an advantage to using a third-party app?
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 56,806
    Multi-boot Windows 10/11 - RTM, RP, Beta, and Insider
       #10

    pjfarr said:
    topgun, those sound like great apps, esp. the driver backer-upper. Thanks! I've done disk images before using the tool that comes with Windows (specifically Win7). Is there an advantage to using a third-party app?
    The reason Macrium Reflect Free is mentioned is it is fast, reliable, and allows multiple backups as opposed to Win supplied backup & recovery, which overwrites the last backup. Very flexible, used by many here on the forum. And it's FREE!
      My Computers


 

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