All HP's and Compaqs (as far as I know) come pre-installed with a recovery partition. This replaces the functionality of a recovery CD or DVD, only without the hassle of losing or scratching a recovery CD or DVD. There is one drawback to this method; namely that if the hard drive (or more likely for you) solid state drive gets damaged or erased, you run the risk of also erasing this recovery partition. If this happens, you will need to go to HP's website to order a recovery USB key. Information for ordering a recovery key can be found
here. Keep in mind you can only order one recovery key per system, so if you do have to take this route, be sure to create another using the information at the bottom of this post.
Press the Power button
to start the PC, and then press the f11
key when the standard BIOS prompts are displayed on the black screen.
NOTE:
Pressing the f11
key during startup on a computer with an HP factory image will start
the system recovery process even if the prompt is not displayed.
- If
the HP Recovery Manager can access the recovery partition on the hard
drive, a prompt to backup the user files before beginning the recovery
is displayed. Follow any on-screen instructions.
- If
the HP Recovery Manager cannot access the hard drive to fix any system
errors, you will need to use the personalized recovery disc that you
created to recover the hard drive to its original condition.
-
If
you have not created the personalized recovery disc, or the discs are
corrupted, you can order a replacement recovery disc from HP.
If prompted to use the Microsoft System Restore
program, click No
, and then click Next
.
When prompted, if you want to backup your personal files and settings, select the Back up your files first (recommended)
option, and then click Next
. Follow the on-screen instructions.
When prompted to Recover without backing up your files
, please STOP
before clicking Next
.
WARNING:
This is the final opportunity to change your mind about recovering the
PC and deleting all the files and programs. Once you click Next
, the restore process cannot be stopped.
If you are satisfied that you want to begin the recover process, click Next
. The PC immediately begins formatting the hard drive and destroying all data.
The
recovery process may take up to several hours and will return the PC to
its original condition. Any custom settings, drivers, software
programs and updates, and/or hardware updates are lost and must be
reinstalled.
Once this process is complete, you can create a recovery USB drive using the procedures outlined below:
There are three options for recovering these mini notebook PCs to their original operating system image.
-
Option 1 - Use the Recovery Manager program on the recovery partition on PC.
For Windows 7, turn on the power switch, press Esc key at boot followed by F11 key for the recovery menu.
For
XP, press F6 key for Roxio BackOnTrack utility.
-
Option 2 - Create a personal set of recovery media.
For Windows 7 and XP use the
HP Recovery Manager to create a recovery image on either a DVD or an 8 GB USB flash drive).
For XP, use Roxio BackOn Track to create a recovery image.
-
Option 3 - One-time purchase of the Recovery USB recovery key.
The USB Recovery key can be purchased from the HP web site. The USB key is larger than normal thumb drive.
HP can ship only one USB recovery key per unit.
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