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General discussion

Is it too late for me to make recovery disks?

Jul 6, 2010 8:45AM PDT

I recently purchased a new HP laptop running Windows 7. In my haste to get it up and running, I neglected to make recovery disks. Is it too late for me to do this after I have installed programs?

Discussion is locked

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It varies...
Jul 6, 2010 9:02AM PDT

Most OEM recovery generated discs do a OS type of re-install discs. These won't include any pgms. as such but may include drivers. However, makers can provide the full re-install as day 1 install discs, if you copy the hidden partition that some makers supply. In other words, they all do it slightly different. So, it still makes sense to either use a 3rd party s/w like Norton Ghost or Acronis back-up, etc. to make your discs as another source source of doing this task or make do with the maker's supplied recovery generated discs. It will be prudent regardless to have back-ups of your data and/or pgms. as well if none was provided.

tada -----Willy Happy

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I think it worked!
Jul 6, 2010 11:27AM PDT

I went ahead and made the recovery disks. I didn't receive any messages that it wouldn't work as planned, so I think I was successful. However, I guess I won't really know unless I have to use them.....with luck I won't.

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Just an opinion
Jul 6, 2010 10:54PM PDT

Now is the time to test the recovery discs.

If they work you've lost very little and you'll only have to add a few things back.

If they don't work you've got a new machine and a warranty.

Call HP support and bend their ear.

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You can order them
Jul 7, 2010 1:46AM PDT

If you feel uncomfortable with your recovery discs, then order them from HP. For a small cost(cheap, IMHO) you can get the actual discs they supply. Understand, though you may still need the drivers, so visit the support website and get the whole shebang there(drivers) and d/l them and them burn them to disc. You are now covered and are prepared for future use. As i posted before, this done't save data, so a good back-up pgm. will be needed if you deem it necessary and this also covers returning to a working system if bad things happen and you return to where you left off, recovery discs, don't do this.

tada -----Willy Happy

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That might be a little harder then you think
Jul 9, 2010 11:36AM PDT

Seems they are in limited supply so order soon.

Also they are device specific so see your PC's/laptop's specification page.

I just found mine today, maybe(?), after months of hoping they'd show up. Frankly those should come in the box with the PC. That they do not is foolish.

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Too late
Jul 14, 2010 4:02AM PDT

No it is not. But if you are worried go to CNET downloads and download one of the free imaging programs....Macrium Reflect, Paragon Free, Clonzilla or if you have Norton Ghost or Acronis True Image, etc and make an image of your hard drive. Next make the bootable CD for you to boot from. You now have two choices of recovery. With Macrium Reflect..it had trouble backing up to multi CD's or should I say recovering from multi CD's so I just used my external hard drive but that was with version XX dated May 2009. In fact it makes sense to configure your PC with everything installed and then create your recovery disks/drive image.

I have test Macrium Reflect and Window 7 back-up and both worked from my external hard drive.

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MAKE AN ADDITIONAL COPY IF YOU CAN
Jul 9, 2010 4:18PM PDT

Before you made your recovery disks, did you run scans for virus's or malware? If not, then run those scans and then make a second set of recovery disks if you can, and write "virus free" on the label. It would not be good if your first set of recovery disks had a virus or malware on them and you had to use those disks to recover your system.

I have a HP Vista and everything I read about Vista before purchasing it said you were only allowed to make "ONE" set of recovery disks. I got around this simply by making one set in one administrative account and another set in a different administrative account. Apparantly Microsoft wasn't thinking too clearly when they said we could only make one set... duh.

And for the nay sayers... I LOVE MY VISTA! No problems what so ever since my purchase of it in September 2007.