Great! Thanks a bunch!!!
Ok, so, to get this straight, I install my new HDD, then I boot into this USB drive I did with system files included, then I can get the option to reinstall (refresh-reset) Windows 10 (which will include all the OEM stuff), it will activate and install fully, like if it was a complete retail clean instalation.
Am I right? O_O
You are correct if, your system had been set up correctly to work with the Recovery system. I have a system I got last December and one I got three weeks ago. Only the most recent works correctly.
You can check the recovery drive and see if there are references to the OEM stuff. There should be some additional images in addition to the 3.5 GB Win 10 image. May be identified as Apps.ppkg1 or something similar and 3 to 4 additional GBs.
If it won't do the OEM utilities, it will at least do Win 10. But as mentioned, an image replaces the system exactly or at least the critical partition depending on what you include in the image.
Well... that is something I'm kinda puzzled about, since I bought this laptop, I can only see three partitions: 1 - 100 MB EFI Partition, another 500 MB partition (WinRE I assume, it's the same as MBR partition), and the Acer (C) partition (which I later divided into two, the main C and the D for my dicuments and stuff)... so basically, I have 4 partitions... the funny think is that disk manager doesn't seem to find or see any other partition, and the only reference to OEM stuff is a hidden folder in C called OEM.
It's kinda funny... one would spect an OEM partition or something, but there isn't any, unless I need to check in another app if there is something hidden.
SOURCE: How Windows 10 achieves its compact footprint - Windows Experience BlogWindows Experience Blog
"We are also redesigning Windows’ Refresh and Reset functionalities to no longer use a separate recovery image (often preinstalled by manufacturers today) in order to bring Windows devices back to a pristine state. This reduces Windows’ storage footprint further as the recovery image on typical devices can range in size from 4GB to 12GB, depending on the make and model."
I'll bet your computer came with a Provisioning Package placed there by Acer.
I first learned about the Provisioning Package in this thread. Pay close attention to DavidY posts.
Creating a Recovery Drive . . . Is it Machine Specific?
Check out this guide DavidY made. Part one explains how to check if your computer came with a Provisioning Package. After you run the command, and if it returns a file, DO NOT continue with the tutorial. Acer must have placed it there.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...dows-10-a.html
I just learned about this myself. My friend bought his daughter a Levono computer and asked me to set it up. I noticed the same thing as you, no oem (or factory) recovery partition. I started searching and found the thread above. When I ran the command, it returned a file. I'm guessing yours will too.
Well, with that reading, I'm learning this:
- Including System Files can enable me to reinstall Windows 10 on a new drive in this laptop, which answers my question totally.
- This drive will include a ppkg file, that now includes the OEM preinstalled stuff, instead of having to rely on a OEM partition (thanks Windows 10 for getting rid of that crap), so, using this drive to reinstall Windows 10 on a blank new drive will include all customizations Acer added to this PC, just as if they reinstalled this from factory.
How do I assume this:
- By reading both @Avocado and your posts
- Looking at the location in the tutorial, there exists a usmt.ppkg of 2 GB aprox in my system, which pretty much matches all what I was wondering about this recovery process
So basically, the USB I created (which explains why it needed more than a 8 GB USB flash drive) helps me reinstalling this Windows 10 OEM version into a new clean drive, it will activate and recover the OEM stuff that came with it.
If I'm correct in this assumptions, I have nothing more to say rather than, THANKS A BUNCH for this information!
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