Will the recovery DVDs fix everything?

From what I understand, no. Maybe everything except the recover partition.

It should restore everything except for the recovery parition itself.


It's supposed to put it back to "as shipped" condition... with all the bloatware.. and I'm pretty sure QuickPlay will be recreated. Here's the "QuickPlay v2.0 "thread, somewhere in this thread a poster said it did recreate the QP partition: http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=141817


As a suggestion to ANYONE who's interested in making a backup, or image or their hd, OS, or Apps, check out: http://radified.com/Articles/laptop.htm and the links to the Apricron EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT noted below.
This way you can image the entire hard drive... make your own "restore disc'(s)". You can back up the data to CD, DVD, or to a spare hard drive such as the Apricorn EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT external enclosure noted below. You can make images as needed, restore within minutes.

Really like, (cough, cough) how HP's disc creator for the recovery disc only allows (1) set to be made! (LOL).

I made my disc(s) and when I tried to make a back-up of those disc(s) via NERO keep getting an "uncoverable" read error about 4 minutes into the read.... wonder if those discs will work when I need them???????


Do your self a favor and check out the above link. If you need a GOOD external hard drive enclosure check out the Apricorn EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT - Comes with a nice software package to clone, or ghost a hd: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8


PS: If the above Amazom review helps you, be sure to rate the review!!! Click the little box at the bottom of the review that says: Was this review helpful to you? Yes/No




Several models:http://www.apricorn.com/product_details.php?ID=420
EZ-BUS-DT-KIT - For IDE hd, USB external interface
EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT-For IDE hd, USB /FIREWIRE external interface
EZ-BUS-DTC-KIT-For SATA hd, external interface USB

NOTE that the Apricorn units are a "kit' that you put a 3.5 desktop drive in to make a portable back-up /recovery solution. Apricorn also sells the unit with a hd already installed....and "supports" them, unlike vendors of other external enclosures that just "sell" the enclosure itself... Have NO contact with the end user pertaining to any "problems" that may arise!!!! Keep that in mind when looking for an exteranl enclosure!

This is the best price I found for the USB/ FIREWIRE version: http://www.provantage.com/apricorn-e...t~7APRC3JA.htm

Or
EZ-BUS-DT-KIT (USB only), slightly cheaper. ($46.99)

I posted about in this thread "The official external ENCLOSURE thread":

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/mess...hreadid=496281



I'd advise ANYONE who's concerned with DATA loss to get one ASAP!!!.... If you're a student for example, and your laptop gets stolen, or gets broken you're going to be in a world of hurt over losing your data.

If you're in the "working" world.... and the data would mean the keeping the doors "open' for business you would be well advised to use something like this to backup your data to and store OFF-SITE, in case of fire, or theft.

Ditto for personal use if you have say pictures of your grandmother scanned and are concerned about fire and theft. Stuff that if "lost" could never be replaced.


If you need a unit for a SATA hd, and want USB, and a SATA external interface, check out the AMS Venus DS3 DS-2316SU2SBK. : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817145660
(NOTE: Not "crazy" about the "plastic tray" the hd sits in, the fact the hd does is "isolated" from the external casing.... Apricron's would be my first choice as the hard drive is in DIRECT contact with the aluminum casing, sits in an aluminum tray, plus has a huge 80mm fan to boot!)


If you need RAID, check out the AMS DS-2320DBK : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817332001

Recovery From Discs and Removing the Recovery Partition

The following is cut-and-pasted from HPshopping.com. The originol is much more clear to read and can be accessed from HPshopping.com-->Support & troubleshooting-->Enter a Product Number "Pavilion dv1000t"-->Solve a Problem-->System Recovery-->Using the PC Recovery Solution

I think the bold/italic section below answers your question.

HP Notebook PCs - Using the PC Recovery Solution

Printable version

» HP Customer Care

» HP Pavilion dv1000t CTO Notebook PC » Solve a problem
» Software & Driver downloads
» Setup and install
» How to use
» Product information
» Manuals
» FAQs

Overview
Creating required recovery disks
Installing a driver or application
Reinstalling the operation system
Recovering from the recovery disks
Before reformatting the hard drive, backup your data
Reformatting the hard drive
Reformatting from the recovery disks
Removing the restore partition
Performing the Microsoft System Recovery


Overview
The PC System Recovery is an easy-to-use suite of three utilities that restores individual driver and programs or restores the hard drive on the PC to original factory condition. The PC System Recovery utilities are installed on a special partition of the hard drive, and are available at any time to return a PC to a known good operating condition.
PC Recovery Disc Creator
This application is used when the computer is setup and run for the first time. In the shipping box, a card, shaped like a CD disk, provides a reminder to make a set recovery disks. A message is displayed on the monitor periodically until the recovery disks are created or the reminder function is turned off.
See Creating required recovery disks .
Application and Driver Recovery
This application is used to either install specific drivers or applications that were bundled with the PC, or to reinstall the Windows operating system (OS) without destroying the programs and data. If the OS is corrupted, using this option allows critical data to be copied or backed up to an external storage device.
See Installing a driver or application .
See Reinstalling the operation system .
See Recovering from the recovery disks .
See Performing the Microsoft System Recovery .
PC Recovery
This application is used to reformat the hard drive and return the PC to original factory condition. This option overwrites and destroys all the data on the hard drive. You can then reinstall any programs and updated software, and retrieve any of the backed up data.
See Before reformatting the hard drive .
See Reformatting the hard drive .
See Reformatting from the recovery disks .
Creating required recovery disks
It is strongly recommend that a set of recovery disks be made when the computer is new. A reminder message is displayed every 14 days or until the reminder is turned off. Depending on the type of disk drive, multiple blank CD-R or DVD-R or DVD+R disks are needed.( Use of -RW media will cause process to fail).
Type of Disk Drive Disk Type # of Required Blank Disks
DVD DVD-R

DVD+R 1 - 2 Disks
DVD DVD+R Dual Layer 1 Disk
CD CD-R Up to 7 - 11 Disks
No CD or DVD Contact HP Customer Support

Do the following actions to create the set of recovery disks.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery, and click Create Recovery Disks.
The PC Recovery Disk Creator utility displays a message indicating the type and number of media disks required.
Verify the required number of media disks are available.
Click Next to begin the actual copying process.
Remove written disk and insert additional disks when prompted.
Label each disk, in sequence it was created, as prompted.
Store the newly created set of recovery disks in a safe place.
NOTE: Only one set of recovery disks can be created for a PC.

The set of recovery disks just created can be used to recover the specific computer and cannot be used to recover another computer.
See Disc Inserted is a Rewritable Disc Message when Creating Recovery Media .
See Remind Me Later Option for Recovery Media Creation .
Installing a driver or application
Individual hardware and software drivers, and additional applications can be installed, one-at-a-time, using the PC System Recovery Suite on the hard drive. Several applications are included on the PC from the factory. Consult the manufacturers installation instructions for any third party programs purchased separately.
Do the following actions to select and install an individual driver or application.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery, and click Application & Driver Recovery.
Select an option to either reinstall an Application or reinstall a Driver shipped with the PC, and click Next.
Select the desired Application or Driver from the list, and click Next to begin the installation.
Follow any additional instructions.
Restart the PC if prompted.
Reinstalling the operation system
The Windows operating system (OS) can be reinstalled, using the PC System Recovery Suite on the hard drive, without destroying any existing programs or user data. This action is normally only performed to correct a serious operational problem with the PC. If the PC is not operating in the Windows operating system, see Recovering from the recovery disks .
Do the following actions to reinstall the operating system.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Close all programs.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery and click PC Recovery.
When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform a PC Recovery and click Next.
NOTE: On the first attempt to correct an OS problem, select the option to perform a Microsoft System Recovery and click Next. See Performing the Microsoft System Recovery for information on the Microsoft System Recovery.

The PC will restart and display a Welcome to PC Recovery message. Click OK to continue.
On the System Recovery panel, click Advanced Options to select the desired type of action.
WARNING: If Advanced Options is not selected, the system will perform a complete reformat and will destroy all user data.

On Advanced Options, select the Windows System Restore option and click Next to begin the process.
Follow any additional instructions.
Restart the PC when prompted.
When the OS is reinstalled and the PC re-starts, the programs and data files exist on the hard drive; however, clicking on the menu icons will not start the program. It is necessary to reinstall the programs using the original product disks. To preserve the user data, copy or backup the user data to an external storage device.
See Applications Must be Reinstalled after System Recovery .
Recovering from the recovery disks
The Windows operating system (OS) can be reinstalled, using the recovery disks, without destroying any existing programs or user data. This action is normally only performed if the PC does not start properly or does not boot into the Windows operating system.
To preserve the user data, copy or backup the user data to an external storage device before performing this task.
Do the following actions to reinstall the operating system from the set of recovery disks.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Open the disk drive, insert the first disk in the set of recovery disks, and close the disk drive.
Turn off the PC.
Press the Power button to start the PC and immediately press the F11 key.
The PC begins operation from the disk and performs tests on the hard drive. After a short delay, a black screen, with a message, is displayed. If the C:\ drive and the special recovery partition are intact, three options are available:
Press 'R' for standard System Recovery options .
Press 'F' to format the hard drive and reinstall the original factory settings. All data will be lost!
Press 'Q' to Quit this menu.
WARNING: If the disk tests indicate that the operating system is not installed or the drive is corrupted, the only option presented is 'R' perform a full system recovery. This option will reformat the drive and destroy all the user data. See Before reformatting the hard drive for more information.

Select the standard System Recovery option by pressing R.
The recovery process will check for the presence of the recovery partition on the hard drive. See Recovery CD Only Needs One CD to Recover for more information.
If the partition and the recovery files exist, the rest of the recovery process is performed from the hard drive, and none of the recovery disks is requested.
If the partition or the recovery files do not exist, prompts are displayed to insert or exchange disks as needed from the set of recovery disks.
When the OS is reinstalled and the PC re-starts, the programs and data files exist on the hard drive; however, clicking on the menu icons will not start the program. It is necessary to reinstall the programs using the original product disks.
Before reformatting the hard drive, backup your data
Reformatting the hard drive will overwrite all the data on the drive, reinstall the Windows operating system, and return the computer to the original factory condition. All user data like; letters, spreadsheets, graphics, and e-mails will be destroyed. It is possible to preserve the user data by copying or backing up the user data to an external storage device; such as a network drive, or the writeable CD or DVD drive.
Do the following actions to backup user data to a start a backup to a writeable disk.
Click Start, click All Programs, select Accessories, select System Tools, and click Backup.
Click the Next or Back buttons to move through the Window's Backup and Restore Wizard.
Move through the Wizard and select the option to let me choose what to back up.
Move through the Wizard and select the directories and files to back up.
Move through the Wizard and select a back up location, such as E:\ CD drive.
Click Finish to begin the backup process.
NOTE: A backup may require multiple CD or DVD disks. For convenience; label each disk with a name, date, and sequence number so data can be restored in the proper sequence.

After the computer has been returned to operating condition, the user data can be retrieved from the external storage device by using the Window's Backup and Restore Wizard.
Reformatting the hard drive
Reformatting a hard drive should be considered as the last resort in resolving a problem with a computer system. The hard drive can be reformatted and the operating system reinstalled, using the PC System Recovery Suite on the hard drive. Reformatting the hard drive will overwrite all the data on the drive. To preserve the data, backup all user data like; letters, spreadsheets, graphics, and e-mails to an external storage device before reformatting the drive. If the PC is not operating in the Windows operating system, see Reformatting from the recovery disks .
Do the following actions to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating system.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Close all programs.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery, and click PC Recovery.
When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform the PC Recovery and click Next.
The PC will restart.
When the Welcome to PC Recovery message displays, click OK to continue.
On the System Recovery panel, select System Recovery. By default, the system will perform a complete reformat and will destroy all user data.
Restart the PC when prompted.
As an alternate method to the steps above, click Advanced Options, and select the Destructive Recovery option, and click Next to begin the reformatting process.
The PC is in the original factory condition and all system data, such as location and date must be reconfigured.
See Registration Process Repeats after System Recovery .


Reformatting from the recovery disks
Reformatting a hard drive should be considered as the last resort in resolving a problem with a computer system. The hard drive can be reformatted and the operating system reinstalled, using the set of recovery disks. Reformatting the hard drive will overwrite all the data on the drive. To preserve the data, backup all user data like; letters, spreadsheets, graphics, and e-mails to an external storage device before reformatting the drive.
Do the following actions to reformat the hard drive and reinstall the operating system from the set of recovery disks.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Open the disk drive, insert the first disk in the set of recovery disks, and close the disk drive.
Turn off the PC.
Press the Power button to start the PC and immediately press the F11 key.
The PC begins operation from the disk and performs tests on the hard drive. After a short delay, a black screen, with a message, is displayed. If the C:\ drive and the special recovery partition are intact, three options are available:
Press 'R' for standard System Recovery options .
Press 'F' to format the hard drive and reinstall the original factory settings. All data will be lost!
Press 'Q' to Quit this menu.
WARNING: If the disk tests indicate that the operating system is not installed or the drive is corrupted, the only option presented is to perform a full system recovery. This option will reformat the drive and destroy all the user data.

Select the format option by pressing F.
NOTE: Reformatting the hard drive may take 30 minutes or more to complete.

When the disk is reformatted and the operating system is reinstalled, the PC is in the original factory condition and all system data, such as location and date must be reconfigured.

Removing the restore partition
One recovery option available, but not recommended, is removing the restore partition from the hard drive. While this action will free up storage space, the only restore or recovery option available is a compete, destructive reformatting of the hard drive using the set of recovery disks. The options to recover individual drivers or applications, and to reinstall the operating system no longer exist.
Do the following actions to remove the restore partition from the hard drive.
WARNING: The drive will be reformatted and all user data erased. This action is not recommended. Be sure to create a set of recovery disks BEFORE performing this action.

Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Close all programs.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery, and click PC Recovery.
When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform the PC Recovery and click Next.
The PC will restart.
When the Welcome to PC Recovery message displays, click OK to continue.
On the System Recovery panel, click Advanced Options.
On the Advanced Options panel, select the option to Delete Recovery Partition, and click Next.
The partition is removed to provide additional disk space and disk is formatted. An operating system and programs must now be installed on the hard drive.


Performing the Microsoft System Recovery
To correct some types of problems with the operating system or programs, Microsoft provides a system recovery utility that resets system data, stored in the Windows Registry, to an earlier point in time. See the Microsoft article on How to restore the operating system to a previous state in Windows XP .
Do the following actions to perform the Microsoft System Recovery from within the recovery utility.
Connect PC to the AC power adapter.
Close all programs.
Click Start, click All Programs, select System Recovery, and click PC Recovery.
When the recovery options are presented, select the option to perform the Microsoft System Recovery and click Next.
Select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option, and click Next.
A list of Windows Restore Points, created by the Windows operating system on a predetermined basis, is presented.
Click on a bold date on the calendar, and click on a listed restore point to select a Microsoft System Restore Point.
Click Next and follow the instructions to restore the PC registry settings to an earlier time.
If these actions do not correct the problem, repeat steps 4 through 8 with an earlier, different restore point.