How do I start the recovery process on a HP Imedia 1318 desktop pc?

Which operating system ?????.....
The HP Recovery Partition that comes pre-installed on most new HPs is like built-in insurance if your system becomes unstable or fails.
If the problem is severe enough, you may not be able to start the HP Desktop Recovery Manager from Windows but you can start it manually by following the steps below.

Disconnect all peripheral devices and power on the computer.
Press the F11 key after the computer first powers on to start the HP Recovery Manager.

Follow the on-screen instructions to back up recoverable files on the hard drive to an external drive or media.
Continue following the instructions to recover the hard drive to its original factory condition.
Click "Finish" when the recovery is complete.
Reconnect devices and reboot the computer.
Reinstall software and update Windows and HP to current settings.


Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows Vista)
HP Pavilion Recovery Partition
Accessing the recovery partition on your HP Pavilion laptop allows you to restore your computer to speed it up, eliminate a virus or repair your Windows operating system.
The Recovery Manager program makes it possible to restore your laptop to its settings as of a previous date or restore your computer to its original factory settings, which will erase all of your installed programs and personal data.
Using the recovery partition allows you to bypass the hassle of keeping track of recovery discs, which could be damaged in storage, rendering them useless when you need them.

Turn on or restart your HP Pavilion laptop.
Press "F11" when the "Press <F11> for recovery" message appears during the HP Pavilion boot process.
Select "Recovery Manager" from your list of recovery options and press "Enter."
The Recovery Manger program will open on your screen, and you can begin the recovery process.
Access Recovery Manager Within Windows
Click the "Start" icon or "Start" button in the lower left corner of your Windows home screen.
Click "All Programs" and then "Recovery Manager."
Click "Recovery Manager" again to open the Recovery Manager program on your HP Pavilion laptop.
using the hp recovery manager in windows 7

Which operating system ??..

HP Pavilion Recovery Partition
Accessing the recovery partition on your HP Pavilion laptop allows you to restore your computer to speed it up, eliminate a virus or repair your Windows operating system.
The Recovery Manager program makes it possible to restore your laptop to its settings as of a previous date or restore your computer to its original factory settings, which will erase all of your installed programs and personal data.
Using the recovery partition allows you to bypass the hassle of keeping track of recovery discs, which could be damaged in storage, rendering them useless when you need them.

Turn on or restart your HP Pavilion laptop.
Press "F11" when the "Press <F11> for recovery" message appears during the HP Pavilion boot process.
Select "Recovery Manager" from your list of recovery options and press "Enter."
The Recovery Manger program will open on your screen, and you can begin the recovery process.
Access Recovery Manager Within Windows
Click the "Start" icon or "Start" button in the lower left corner of your Windows home screen.
Click "All Programs" and then "Recovery Manager."
Click "Recovery Manager" again to open the Recovery Manager program on your HP Pavilion laptop.
using the hp recovery manager in windows 7
or
While restarting the computer keep tapping on the F10 key
on the next screen you will find start system recovery , and on the next screen you will find advanced options
in advanced option you will find an option for Destructive Recovery.. click that

If you are not able to run the recovery on the computer as above then you will need no use a set of recovery cds..... if you dont have them you can get it from HP..
or
HP Desktop factory settings
The HP Recovery Partition that comes pre-installed on most new HPs is like built-in insurance if your system becomes unstable or fails.
If the problem is severe enough, you may not be able to start the HP Desktop Recovery Manager from Windows but you can start it manually by following the steps below.

Disconnect all peripheral devices and power on the computer.
Press the F11 key after the computer first powers on to start the HP Recovery Manager.

Follow the on-screen instructions to back up recoverable files on the hard drive to an external drive or media.
Continue following the instructions to recover the hard drive to its original factory condition.
Click "Finish" when the recovery is complete.
Reconnect devices and reboot the computer.
Reinstall software and update Windows and HP to current settings.


Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows Vista)

Your Compaq computer includes a recovery partition that allows you to restore your operating system in the event you get a virus or your hard drive crashes. Use the Compaq Recovery Manager to restore the computer to the factory operating condition. Only use the recovery method as a final step in the troubleshooting process as all the software and personal files stored to the computer's hard drive will be erased.

Click the "Start" icon and type "recovery" into the "Start Search" field. Click the "Recovery Manager" option that appears in the list of results. Click "Advanced Options," and click the "System Recovery" option. Click "Next" and the computer will restart into the recovery mode. Click the "System Recovery" option and click "Next." Click "Next" in the "System Recovery" window to launch the recovery process. The partition will reformat your hard drive and restore your Windows Vista operating system to the original condition
HP Support document System Restores
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c00809678

are you wanting to redo the harddrive or do a restore to from a restore point?

restart it pushing F8 a list will apear select last known good configeration it should sort it

Windows has been corrupted. Since you are no longer able to boot in it to repair it you must reinstall it from scratch - use the recovery cd that came with the pc when you bought it.

Restore the pc to its original condition with HP Recovery Manager if computer can boot to the Windows desktop. Launch the Recovery manager
Note:Before doing recovery try to back up the important data like pictures and documents.
1.Click Start and enter Recovery in the search field. Select Recovery Manager from the list when it becomes available. Allow the action to continue, if prompted. The HP Recovery Manager opens.
Alternately, click Start , All Programs , Recovery Manager , and then Recovery Manager . Allow the action to continue, if prompted. The HP Recovery Manager opens.
1.Click Advanced options , System recovery , and then click Next . The PC will restart and reopen the recovery manager.
Alternately, if Advanced options is disabled, click Next , and then System Recovery . The PC will restart.
1.When the PC restarts, select the System recovery option and click Next .
1.If prompted to use the Microsoft System Restore program, click No , and then click Next .
1.When prompted, select the Back up your files first (recommended) option, and then click Next . Follow the on-screen instructions.
1.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
1.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.
If the PC cannot launch into Windows, it may still be possible to use the HP Recovery Manager on the hard drive to restore the computer to its original operating condition. The Recovery Manager can be launched during the start up process by following the steps below.

1. 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 the 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.
2. When the Recovery Manager starts, follow the instructions.

Put disk 1 and restart Windows. When it restarts, it'll start recovery. At some point it'll ask you to switch to Disk 2.

1 Turn off the PC. If necessary, press and hold the On button until the PC turns off.
2 Disconnect all peripheral devices from the PC except the monitor, the keyboard,
and the mouse.
3 Press the On button to turn the PC on.
4 During the startup, do the following to enter the System Recovery program:
When the blue screen with the HP Invent logo appears, press the F10 key on
the keyboard. (You have only a few seconds to press the F10 key before the
normal startup process continues.)
5 The PC starts the recovery; wait for the onscreen instructions to display, and
then follow those instructions.Please select non destructive recovery which will make all your data safe.
6 Complete the PC startup, and finish the registration process. Then reconnect
all peripheral devices.
starting system recovery if the pc is not responding

Usually, when your computer begins to boot, ther is a screen that may say something like:

For Setup press F10, For Recovery press F11.

It could be any "F" key. You only have a few seconds to see it and make the selection.

Some systems have their recovery program as a regular program from the Start>All Programs menus.