Reinstalling Windows 7 starter - how do I create a recovery partition

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  1. Posts : 403
    W7 HP 64 bit
       #1

    Reinstalling Windows 7 starter - how do I create a recovery partition


    Hello. I'm new. I have an Asus Eee netbook which came with Windows 7 Starter and a recovery partition. However, I decided to sell it and wiped the drive with dban before selling. Unfortunately, I wiped everything, including the recovery partition! So I decided to sell it with Linux on, then decided to keep it after all (sorry - I'll get there eventually!) so sent of for Windows 7 Starter recovery discs from Asus, which I now have.

    So - here's the point. When installing from the discs, it doesn't give me the option to create partitions or even a recovery partition. It gives me two options - install to primary drive (which seems to be the whole drive plus a 15mb partition) or to install to the whole drive. So I have installed to the whole drive.

    I would like to have the recovery partition back, just in case I decide to sell it again and lose or damage the discs.

    I looked at trying to shrink the drive, once installed, to create a separate partition for the Windows software (although still no idea if this would then be a 'recovery' partition. But it would only allow me to shrink it in half and I though 100gb odd was a bit big for a recovery partition and only left 120gb odd storage then.

    So - is there anyway I can partition the drive and create a recovery partition now I have installed W7 starter on the whole drive. Or, if not, and I have to start the reinstall again - how do I create a recovery partition at the installation stage please? As both options seemed the same except one had a 15mb partition (which surely isn't big enough for a recovery drive!)

    Thanks.
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  2. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #2

    Hello and welcome Hazel mate did you doa job or what LOL!!

    Seriously take a look at this probably the best option if you have an activation code on the sticker on the bottom of the machine.

    Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7
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  3. Posts : 19,383
    Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
       #3

    Lets have a look at the partitions first:

    Disk Management - Post a Screen Capture Image
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  4. Posts : 403
    W7 HP 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Hi. Thanks for your reply. You know what - before I sent for the recovery discs from Asus I tried something like suggested in your link, after reading how to on a microsoft community website. ie downloaded the iso from digital river - did the ef thingy to be able to choose Windows Starter, installed, entered the numbers - phoned the microsoft number for validation (I had my licence key number to hand) and ended up being put through to someone in the US, grilled - my email and phone number taken - wouldn't let me off the phone till I told them the post that had given me the info and the download link etc - and told me I needed to get recovery discs from the manufacturer. I explained this would cost £35 and I already had a licence key - but the guy wasn't having it! Hence getting the recovery discs from Asus.
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  5. Posts : 403
    W7 HP 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Hi Golden. I don't seem to have a snipping tool in my accessories folder - I did a search for it and nothing came up - maybe because I haven't done the Windows updates yet. Anyway, if this helps, what I have is:

    1) Volume - (blank space), Layout - Simple, Type - Basic, Status - Healthy (EFI System Partition), Capacity - 16mb, Free Space - 16mb, % Free - 100%, Fault Tolerance - No, Overhead - 0%
    2) Volume WIN7 (C:), Layout - Simple, Type - Basic, File System - NTFS, Status - Healthy (System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition), Capacity - 232.87GB, Free Space - 218.32GB, % Free - 94%, Fault Tolerance - No, Overhead - 0%

    Then underneath, in the boxes it says to the left "Disk 0 Basic 232.88GB Online". In the next wider box it says "WIN7 (C:) 232.87GB NTFS Healthy (System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition). Then in the smaller right hand box it says "16mb Healthy (EFI System Partition).
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 403
    W7 HP 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Ha ha - colon and close bracket came up as a smiley!
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 11,408
    ME/XP/Vista/Win7
       #7

    hazel123 said:
    Hi Golden. I don't seem to have a snipping tool in my accessories folder - I did a search for it and nothing came up - maybe because I haven't done the Windows updates yet. Anyway, if this helps, what I have is:

    1) Volume - (blank space), Layout - Simple, Type - Basic, Status - Healthy (EFI System Partition), Capacity - 16mb, Free Space - 16mb, % Free - 100%, Fault Tolerance - No, Overhead - 0%
    2) Volume WIN7 (C:), Layout - Simple, Type - Basic, File System - NTFS, Status - Healthy (System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition), Capacity - 232.87GB, Free Space - 218.32GB, % Free - 94%, Fault Tolerance - No, Overhead - 0%

    Then underneath, in the boxes it says to the left "Disk 0 Basic 232.88GB Online". In the next wider box it says "WIN7 (C:) 232.87GB NTFS Healthy (System, Boot, Page File, Active, Crash Dump, Primary Partition). Then in the smaller right hand box it says "16mb Healthy (EFI System Partition).
    Reinstalling Windows 7 starter
    Windows 7 starter is not x64, only x32,
    What Windows 7 have you installed?
      My Computer

  8.    #8

    Are you happy with the install you have? If not I would start over to get a perfect Clean Reinstall - Factory OEM Windows 7. This avoids the Asus bloatware which interferes with better versions built into Win7.

    It shows how to unlock Starter in the ISO to write to flash stick or burn to DVD in Step 1.

    Afterwards when it is all set up and running good, save externally a Win7 backup image which is the modern way to do Recovery of your customized install. It should never be on the same HD.

    It sounds like you were scammed on the phone so avoid that unless you need hardware replacement under warranty. We can help you here get it installed and backed up perfectly.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #9

    Hazel I agree with Greg and as per my original post which was to clean install and you don't get the bloat.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 403
    W7 HP 64 bit
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Hi, and thanks for the replies.

    Windows 7 starter is not x64, only x32,
    What Windows 7 have you installed?
    When registering on here it asked what equipment and software I had. The Windows 7 64 bit is on my laptop. The Windows 7 starter 32 bit is on my netbook (well - trying to be!)

    The software I am trying to reinstall on the netbook is the Asus recovery disc which I ended up having to purchase. Yep, maybe I should have spent a bit more and got the OEM disc, but I thought that was just for people who were building laptops to sell.

    The business on the phone was a nightmare! My first experience of phoning Microsoft!

    As I now have £35 worth of recovery disc I may as well use it - I like the idea of doing a system back up image instead of having a recovery partition. The recovery disc isn't as bad as the original Windows Starter that was on the netbook. Hardly any bloatware - just Asus Hotkeys and the other Hotkey program thingy - and that's it.

    So - it looks like my two options are 1) System back up image (presumably after all Windows updates done) or 2) Using some partitioning software to create a recovery partition (is that possible?) Would gparted work (kind of vaguely known about it from using Linux once or twice)?
      My Computer


 
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