# Will deleting the factory partition render the recovery disk useless?



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

ok got it. thanks who contribute.


----------



## mtosev (Mar 23, 2010)

you can use the recovery disc as it has nothing to do with the recovery partition on your HDD..


----------



## DRDNA (Mar 23, 2010)

Well it differs from vendor to vendor...
Some vendors give you an in house copy of windows and some apps and some vendors use the CD and a hidden partition and some vendors don't use a CD at all just a hidden partition.


----------



## jasper1605 (Mar 23, 2010)

if you were to buy the xp at retail, would there be a reason to need the factory recovery disc?  Most retail pc's come with a bunch of pointless hardware.  I'd rather just use the retail xp copy to get just my OS.  Not my OS w/ 30 other programs that bog down my system resources


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

jasper1605 said:


> if you were to buy the xp at retail, would there be a reason to need the factory recovery disc?  Most retail pc's come with a bunch of pointless hardware.  I'd rather just use the retail xp copy to get just my OS.  Not my OS w/ 30 other programs that bog down my system resources



well pretend i havent use the hp computer for years... and i jus want to install it back to factory setting as if brand new. in the other hand pretend i got retail xp disc and i want to use it..... if i delete current partition... will i be able to still use the recovery disc in the future? 

bottom line i dont want to lose the recovery disc functionality. 

and thanks for quick replies people!


----------



## DRDNA (Mar 23, 2010)

Well you could test on a bare harddrive and see if the disk you have will work...That will tell you if the hidden partition is needed or not.


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

DRDNA said:


> Well it differs from vendor to vendor...
> Some vendors give you an in house copy of windows and some apps and some vendors use the CD and a hidden partition and some vendors don't use a CD at all just a hidden partition.




pretend the vendor is toshiba..... it have windows number sticker on bottom of the machine and comes with a recovery disc. how is that? if i use xp disc at retail.... and delete current partition.... will i be able to use the recovery disc in the future?


----------



## trickson (Mar 23, 2010)

No . 
The partition you have there might not even work at all you should test it first .

Worst yet HP really sucks my son's laptop an HP crashed and we had to reinstall vista but that did not go well so we installed win7 on it instead . 
You recovery disk may do the trick but I have my doubts about that .


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

trickson said:


> No .
> The partition you have there might not even work at all you should test it first .



oh so if i install windows using xp at retail... and delete current partition.... the factory recovery disc will be obsolete and no use?

confirmation.


----------



## trickson (Mar 23, 2010)

HiddenStupid said:


> oh so if i install windows using xp at retail... and delete current partition.... the factory recovery disc will be obsolete and no use?
> 
> confirmation.



More than likely it is of no use NOW . The recovery disk is nothing more than drivers and some BS . You will not get the OS and recovering from a recovery disk only works if the drive partition is fine and has been untouched by any one .
The best thing to do is delete all the partitions and just install windows on the HDD make your own recovery disk and your done not to mention you get all that drive space back .


----------



## trickson (Mar 23, 2010)

HiddenStupid said:


> ok got it. thanks who contribute.



UMM .. You got it ? what ? who helped ?


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

trickson said:


> UMM .. You got it ? what ? who helped ?



you? and hey quick question.... pretend i format new partition and the format speed is slow.... like at 13% to 16% takes 10min on a pentium 3, 256mb ram..... is that normal? and it will likely be total of 45min for it jus to format completely? jus to format?

cause if i remember right when i format my modern machine.... its like instant!

wondering if somethig wrong or it just normal to format slow. this is final question for this thread. tq in advance.


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

trickson said:


> No .
> The partition you have there might not even work at all you should test it first .
> 
> Worst yet HP really sucks my son's laptop an HP crashed and we had to reinstall vista but that did not go well so we installed win7 on it instead .
> You recovery disk may do the trick but I have my doubts about that .



i guess this thread will continue for a bit....

you saying a crashed/messed up/rotten branded desktop, mainly laptop will not likely to work on recovery disc?

ummmm... is that answer why i tried to put recovery disc in my rotten blue screen physical dump memory laptop and it dont read? and sometimes saying not the machine for it? althought it is?


----------



## trickson (Mar 23, 2010)

Yeah it would be normal if you format using the full one not the quick . 
I would not trust the factory carp disk just time you could spend getting the drivers off line for your MB chipset and other things . 
yeah recovery disks are not all that recoverable in a BSOD . 
Just reformat use quick settings have windows do the partition and you are done . just get the drivers for your stuff on line . If it is a laptop from HP you may have to get them from the chipset maker .


----------



## HiddenStupid (Mar 23, 2010)

trickson said:


> Yeah it would be normal if you format using the full one not the quick .
> I would not trust the factory carp disk just time you could spend getting the drivers off line for your MB chipset and other things .
> yeah recovery disks are not all that recoverable in a BSOD .
> Just reformat use quick settings have windows do the partition and you are done . just get the drivers for your stuff on line . If it is a laptop from HP you may have to get them from the chipset maker .




wow for all this time i thought the recovery disc is scratched i mean it is scratch but i thought it is scratche like rrally cant read. so thats why it wont read caus eit is blue screen. wow i i learn something today! and its been like 5,6 years!

so laptop with blue screen will likely to lose recovery disc functionality cause to fix it.. we must install whole new windows. kindda sucks cause i was thinking to see what factory setting have cause its been a long time since i dont use it cause it wont boot.

alright. final question.... whatsthe difference between full format and fast format? what benefit from full format? thanks in advance.


----------



## trickson (Mar 23, 2010)

HiddenStupid said:


> wow for all this time i thought the recovery disc is scratched i mean it is scratch but i thought it is scratche like rrally cant read. so thats why it wont read caus eit is blue screen. wow i i learn something today! and its been like 5,6 years!
> 
> so laptop with blue screen will likely to lose recovery disc functionality cause to fix it.. we must install whole new windows. kindda sucks cause i was thinking to see what factory setting have cause its been a long time since i dont use it cause it wont boot.
> 
> alright. final question.... whatsthe difference between full format and fast format? what benefit from full format? thanks in advance.



Full format takes longer as I think it rewrites over 2 times or more . 

the recovery disk is really nothing more than a start up disk with some drivers and a disk image not sure if the disk will work with out the drive partition in order as that is where they keep the stored image of your HDD . once that stored image on you drive is messed up in any way that is what makes that recovery disk useless . At least that is how I have found things to be . The recovery disk is not the OS with all the software and drivers you need , That would be great , No it is just a start up disk that lets you restore the factory image you have stored . If that is not working on every level you are screwed .


----------

