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Question

Recovery

by Mar 28, 2015 11:18PM PDT

Hi,
I need to completely erase my hard drive to install the preview of windows 10. Therefore removing the recovery drive. If I was to do this, would I still be able to recover my OS using the recovery disk what came with the PC?

Thanks
Dylan

Discussion is locked

8 Posts
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Answer
Re: recovery
by Former Forum moderator Mar 28, 2015 11:49PM PDT

There's no need to erase your hard drive to install the preview of Windows 10. And certainly there is no need to remove the recovery drive. Just shrinking your current c:\drive and installing Windows 10 in a the free space suffices to get a dual boot configuration. See http://www.howtogeek.com/197647/how-to-dual-boot-windows-10-with-windows-7-or-8/

But it could well be that installing Windows 10 changes the boot sector in such a way that you can't reach the recovery partition anymore. Then you would need the recovery disks indeed.

Kees

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Re - Re: Recovery
by dylanevs Mar 29, 2015 2:06AM PDT

I need to erase the hard drive because my hard drive is on the GPT file system and windows 10 does not support it.

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that's wrong
by James Denison Mar 31, 2015 4:46AM PDT

W10 will do MBR, but prefers GPT just like the windows 8 systems before it.

Just spend $50 and get another drive, install W10 to it instead, have 2 drives in your computer.

In your situation, I'd burn the W10 ISO as image to a DVD. I'd then unplug my main drive, after installing the second drive. Boot to the DVD for W10. Run the install to the new drive. Plug the old drive back in. Choose which one I wanted to boot from the BIOS boot switch available from a function key.

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Answer
Doubt?
by Former Forum moderator Mar 29, 2015 2:22AM PDT

Your PC came with the recovery disk so your question is "Does that work?"

No one may know till you try it. Since we only lose what we don't backup, why not backup like you normally do so you know you have a backup recovery method?
Bob

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Answer
Factory recovery disc or user created?
by Mar 31, 2015 9:45AM PDT

If you have factory supplied recovery discs, I see no problem. if you created recovery discs using the factory or OEM one that comes with the system or get it via the support website, then that too should work provided it was completed satisfactory. Otherwise, any other method is open to probable usable recovery, if at all or stumbles in some way.

As for Win10, I find it best to use a separate partition or HD itself, in order to test it alone and not deal with any dual OSes or any other issue that crops-up. I suggest that as Win10 is NOT 100% complete and in effect you are testing for any issues/problems, so why not reduce any but dealing it alone as i stated. Of course, is all up to you and your skillset.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Answer
What OS are you using now ?
by Mar 31, 2015 10:10AM PDT

Windows , Apple ?
Just curious...
Digger

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Answer
The safest thing to do
by Apr 1, 2015 2:57AM PDT

is use a VM either VirtualDrive from Oracle or VMPlayer from VMware. I use VMplayer and it works fine. Infact I just did an update to build 10049 yesterday.

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Answer
Why not use a VM?
by Apr 1, 2015 3:17AM PDT

I used VMplayer and I use it everyday. Actually I had a machine and a spare drive and I did a clean install.Last night I did the upgrade from build 10041 to 10049. It took about an hour on the VM and when I went to bed last night it was 21% done on the physical machine. It was 100% when I woke up in am. A note about build 10049 it contains spartan browserfor the first time.

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