Recovery CD Installation

[Phillip944]

After weeks of trying to resolve issues with my HP, I have ordered recovery
CDs. I have a couple of concerns...

1) Is there anything I need to do to prep the HP before the installation?
2) Will the recovery affect the BIOS?

As always, thanks for all the help!!

 

[Daddy]

1) No. The recovery CD will erase your entire hard disk and reinstall
everything that was on the disk when it was delivered to you.

2) No. The BIOS is about hardware.

Good luck.

Daddy

 

[John]

After weeks of trying to resolve issues with my HP, I have ordered
recovery
CDs. I have a couple of concerns...

1) Is there anything I need to do to prep the HP before the installation?

Backup all of user created documents. Recovery will put your PC back to
factory settings and you will lose all changes made to your PC.

2) Will the recovery affect the BIOS?

No

 

[Phillip944]

Thanks for the info. One odd thing though... I have done two recoveries from
the partition files in the last two weeks with no affect. (That's why I
ordered the CD's.) Do you think the partition files are corrupted?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Using the Recovery CD will leave you with the equivalent of a "new computer"
so see...

Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/before_you_plug_in.html

Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/computer/default.mspx

 

[DL]

That might depend on what the origonal problem was that required you to use
recovery?

 

[Phillip944]

One last thing... if the original system files on my HP are protected by a
so-called partition, how could they become corrupted?

 

[Phillip944]

I didn't have a problem until I installed Norton360 and the XP's SP3. After
that, all hell broke loose!!!!!!!!

 

[Lem]

One last thing... if the original system files on my HP are protected by a
so-called partition, how could they become corrupted?

The "recovery partition" used by many large computer mfrs (like HP) is
simply a part of the computer's hard drive that normally is not visible
via the normal Windows user interface. The only thing it is "protected"
against is operator error through the normal Windows user interface.
Otherwise, files in this partition may be corrupted by any of the other
mechanisms through which hard drive data may be corrupted (e.g., power
supply issues during a disk write; physical damage; manufacturing defects).



--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

You don't and cannot boot to that partition (if it exists) other than to do
a Recovery (re)install: What makes you think it's corrupted?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Believe me, Norton 360's your BadGuy here, not SP3.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Thanks for the info. One odd thing though... I have done two recoveries
from
the partition files in the last two weeks with no affect. (That's why I
ordered the CD's.) Do you think the partition files are corrupted?

If after these reinstalls you did not have to also reinstall all your apps
and all your data - because they were wiped from the disk - then the reason
is that you didn't really restore the system to new. What you did do is
basically a "repair install".

Repair installs don't do much with the registry, which is why installed apps
still work afterwards; and consequently this type of install will frequently
not fix problems that are rooted in the registry.

While XP can be very stable and run fine for years, if you've had things
that damage the registry it can be faster and more reliable to just back up
your data, wipe the drive, and start fresh.

HTH
-pk

 

[Phillip944]

Most message boards I've read say the reason the recovery fails is because of
corruption in the files. I don't know what I should be doing differently. I
bootup, hit F10, click on System Recovery, the HP does the rest. If there's
a different way... please tell me.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Oh, now we know "the rest of the story."

Use the Recovery CD that HP's sending you.

 

[PA20Pilot]

Hi,

......hit F10, click on System Recovery,

As PA Bear wrote, the story now makes sense. System recovery doesn't
reinstall your recovery partition to repair your drive to as new
condidtion, it just takes a quick look around and fixes some of the
normal happenings that make Windows go to hell.

The disks HP sends will actually format your drive and reinstall things
like the day you first bought the computer.

There ahould be a program that came on your computer that allows you to
make recovery disks from the recovery partition. Since you're buying
disks you shouldn't need to make a set too, but.....

---==X={}=X==---

Jim Self

AVIATION ANIMATION, the internet's largest depository.
http://avanimation.avsupport.com

Your only internet source for spiral staircase plans.
http://jself.com/stair/Stair.htm

Experimental Aircraft Association #140897
EAA Technical Counselor #4562

 

[Phillip944]

Well... I finally found & ran a "destructive recovery" last night using the
system partitioned files. I was able to install updates & drivers. This
morning, I tried to bootup. The system started with it's familiar beeping.
There is never a specific code... just a continuous beeping. I was able to
get to the desktop, only to have the computer reboot itself. After that,
beeps.

This may be an issue beyond my computer knowledge level. When I receive the
recovery CD's, I'll try again. If they don't help, I'm done.

Thank you very much for trying to help.