Make use of recovery disc and new 7 install

richc46 said:

That is not the way to go. With windows 7, you are paying for a great feature, system image. After you are set up and everything is just the way you want it. (after activation), make a system image. You can go back to that point at any time. Keep it on an external hard drive or another external device. Update it once a month. If and when you have a problem, just return to that point. If you perefer you can keep it on your hard drive, and you will be protected except in the case of hard drive failure.
That is what I do and feel very secure.

If you agree, just post and I will get you all the information on system image.

I will take the info on making an image, that would be great. I think the computer automatically uses that partition for backup, I was just hoping I could use it to go back to when it was uncluttered.

I agree with the hard drive failure precaution.

Thanks a ton,
Dean

wallyinnc said:

Dean, that system recovery partition was, unless I am wrong, created by HP. With all their bloatware included.
What you need to do is to create an image of your installation in that partition, as I suggested. Then you can recover this image and get back in time.
Do you intend to delete the data that was in that recovery partition? If not, I would place the image somewhere else. I think you still have the Vista recovery data in there, unless you deleted something. Have you looked into it?

I am assuming the bloatware was swiped with the Win7 upgrade, but that is just an assumtion. I have no probblem clearing the partition and installing an image there of my clean Win7 install. I will do the same on an external drive.

BTW I have never created a partition.

Thanks,
Dean

Let me guess that your Laptop does NOT have Two Hard Drives ...
But the Hard Drive is partition into Two Partitions ... One for the System, The other for HP's Vista recovery.

You could have performed a Clean install of W7 ...
And this would have wiped out the HP recovery partition... and HPs Bloatware.
No Dig deal ... You can't use it now anyway, and it's wasted space.

Since your install of W7 has been validated with M$ - with it's new Product code ..
You should be able to perform a clean install of it .. without having to validate it again.
If it isn't .. You'll just have to call M$ and play the numbers game with them.

Once you get W7 setup the way you like it ... Maybe a clean install ???
You can "Image" the system to your external HD ... Just to be safe, I Image my systems to Two different Externals.
(Any data you only have one copy of ... Is data you don't care about)
I'd suggest using the freeware Macrium or the payware Acronis to Image your system to Both your externals ... I use Acronis.

As far as using the Recovery Partition to backup your computer ..
Don't do that .. It's on the same HDD that your backing up .. If the HDD dies, your backup is gone also.

richc46 said:

If you do a clean install, the only thing you have to know about the back up partition is how large you want it. Should be 15% of your HD, but at least 30GB.

I think you're thinking about the Restore back to a previous point ..
That's a different subject .. (Place/File within Windows) .. And Not the HP recovery partition.
A clean install will not have a separate recovery partition.

Win7 Backup Imaging works just like a Recovery Partition except that you trigger it from the booted Win7 DVD Repair console or Repair CD. Choose "Recover Using an Image" and it will reimage your HD in 15 minutes flawlessly from the image you have stored externally.

If you go this route, you can wipe and format your entire HD when clean installing Win7 using Custom>Drive Tools, then never have to reinstall again - just reimage using the image.

I always keep a baseline (first made) as well as the latest image so I have the ability to start fresh without reinstall.