Removing HP recovery partition and reinstalling os?

[roonie]

Guys a little help..
I just bought a new laptop HP Probook 4530 ...It has windows 7 home premium preinstalled 64 bit os..But a problem is der are three partitions
1- C: (275gb)-primary partition
2- DHp recovery-16gb)-primary partition
3- EHp tools-5gb)-primary parition
4-System drive-300mb-primary partition

Now i need the c drive to have only 60 gb and want to split it up into another drive with 200gb or so..but since it already has 4 primary partitions , the next drive becomes a dynamic drive..i want it as a primary parition incase i wanna install xp..

So i am planning to reformat all with the original key of windows os given at the back side of laptop and i dont want any hp recovery parititions..Is the reovery paritition really necessary ?..and also the hp tools?..can i install all the required drivers from the hp site?...
and also is the key given at the backside is only for 64bit os of windows 7 home premium or i can change it to 32bit os,?..
also i dont have any required disk of windows 7 cd to install , can i download it from net and install with the original key given?..

Please someone help me

I wanna make a fresh install with
c drive only 60 gb and remaining other drive

Waiting for reply

[aniket.cain]

Yes, what you want, can be done. I have done so on my HP 6121TX.
You will have to make the recovery discs using HP Assistant. Otherwise you won't be able to do a system recovery later on if you need it. However, please note that removing the recovery partition will cause the One-touch Recovery Button on your laptop to stop working. Your only way of recovery would be the recovery disks. I personally don't think it is of any importance. I will always do a clean reinstall instead of the recovery option to avoid getting all that crap bloatware back.

Now follow these steps:
1. First, make the recovery disks. It will require 3 DVDs I think.
2. Backup the contents of HP Tools in some external storage medium.
3. You can then go to Disk Management and delete those two partitions.
4. If you want, you can now shrink your C: to the size you want, and then make new drives from all that free space you have gained from shrinking C:, and deleting D: and E: drives.
5. Now, If you want to format your computer, download an ISO of Windows 7 Home Premium from the internet. You can use the same key for 32bit as well as 64bit. Btw, why do you want 32bit?
6. Now just install Windows as usual and enter the key given on the back of your laptop to activate your Windows.
7. You can install the required software and drivers from the HP Tools directory from the backup you took earlier.

I hope this helps.

[roonie]

thanks aniket...Ok do i really need to do the recovery disc setup to 3 discs?..because nothin is inside i havent installed anthin or downloaded any..

then after deleting the partitions , can i shrink the c drive to any limit because now der is restriction tat i can shrink only to limit of 135 gb..


and also the hp tools drive has no executable files?..how do i install the drivers if i want?..the file types have extensions which are unknown ?..how do i install if i need to?

[aniket.cain]

You should make a copy of the recovery discs as it could be needed in the future to restore the laptop to the factory state, with the same settings and software with which it came brand new. It is advised to keep a copy of that, even if you might never need it.

You can shrink C: to 135GB because you have data in that area of the physical drive. Do a disk-defrag to move all the data to the beginning of the drive, and then you will be able to shrink it to your desire. It can only shrink it upto the last cluster in the drive where you have data stored.

HP Tools folder will have subfolders and inside them you will have setup files for all the drivers as well as the stuff that came pre-installed with the laptop. Please check again.

[roonie]

ok again thanks for the repy

i checked again..it has subfolders such as bios,biosupdate,hpdaystarter, quickweb,system diags...
tats all...and inside it all files are in format of .bin,.efi and unknown formats..wat are alll dese ?..

[aniket.cain]

Then your Drivers and other software will be in C:\SWSetup. Just Create the recovery discs and make a backup of the SWSetup folder, and you are good to go.
Btw, what is the size of 'HP Tools' folder?

[roonie]

wow thanks it is der...so after i backup it is safe to delete the d and e drives and split the c drive rite?..
I heard 64 bit is not compatible for many applications(bec i play a lot of old games) so only i was plannin to install 32bit nways i dropped it now...will try in 64bit itself

thanks a lot for your help..

[aniket.cain]

Yes. Create the recovery discs, make a backup of SWSetup, and you can then tear your software environment apart without any worries.

[s18000rpm]

There is no need of downloading windows 7.
Just uninstall the bloat wares, run tune up utility maintenance, instal latest updates/drivers, THEN make recovery disks.
Or you can use software like Acronis / Norton ghost to take a image copy of the drives you want. This is much better than HP method.

[Sarath]

I posted a similar query a couple of months back and this is exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks a lot for the info. I think I can finally do something about my zombifying C2D laptop of yesteryears

Originally Posted by aniket.cain

Yes, what you want, can be done. I have done so on my HP 6121TX.
You will have to make the recovery discs using HP Assistant. Otherwise you won't be able to do a system recovery later on if you need it. However, please note that removing the recovery partition will cause the One-touch Recovery Button on your laptop to stop working. Your only way of recovery would be the recovery disks. I personally don't think it is of any importance. I will always do a clean reinstall instead of the recovery option to avoid getting all that crap bloatware back.

Now follow these steps:
1. First, make the recovery disks. It will require 3 DVDs I think.
2. Backup the contents of HP Tools in some external storage medium.
3. You can then go to Disk Management and delete those two partitions.
4. If you want, you can now shrink your C: to the size you want, and then make new drives from all that free space you have gained from shrinking C:, and deleting D: and E: drives.
5. Now, If you want to format your computer, download an ISO of Windows 7 Home Premium from the internet. You can use the same key for 32bit as well as 64bit. Btw, why do you want 32bit?
6. Now just install Windows as usual and enter the key given on the back of your laptop to activate your Windows.
7. You can install the required software and drivers from the HP Tools directory from the backup you took earlier.

I hope this helps.

Oh now I remember, my main problem with formatting and a fresh install were the drivers.
How to install the various drivers after a fresh OS reinstall? Unlike a desktop PC the HP laptop does not come with any of the Driver CDs (or does it )

[aniket.cain]

^^ Right. It does not come with driver CDs, but there is a folder in the C: drive, called SWSetup. It has all the drivers needed for setting up the pc properly after a clean re-install of Windows.

[Sarath]

I am burning the SWSetup contents onto a DVD. Is that all I would need after a fresh OS install?

Will the fresh OS install delete the entire contents of my HDD?

I will back up the contents anyways.

[s18000rpm]

why do you want to reinstall win7?

Just use this - Complete hard disk recovery solution, backup, drive copy, clone and image computer software

[Sarath]

This is the config: HP dv6 laptop [Config core2duo 2.0Ghz, 3GB, Win Vista SP2, 1GB Ati]
It runs on Win Vista which is really bad in comparison to Win7. Hence I want to upgrade.

Plus my primary PC is now my new desktop so I will be transferring all of the PCs contents to it. So I can do a format and vanilla install.

Been suffering since long, see my previous thread. If I knew about the "SWsetup" file back then, then I would have done this months ago. What to do about this slowing LAPTOP?

[aniket.cain]

Originally Posted by Sarath

I am burning the SWSetup contents onto a DVD. Is that all I would need after a fresh OS install?

Will the fresh OS install delete the entire contents of my HDD?

I will back up the contents anyways.

Yes. SWSetup is all that you need to install all the pre-loaded software and drivers after a fresh install.
And about your OS install query: If you have Vista installed by default, you can choose to use the 'Update' method instead of clean install. It will keep all your data safe, including user accounts, most of the settings and programs. However, I won't advise doing so, coz it will take up a lot of space, and will leave useless files on your system. In my opinion, you should do a clean reinstall of Windows and all of your apps by formatting your C: drive. It is the best solution (although a bit lengthy) to speed up a system which has become slow due to too much junk accumulation. After you format and install everything you require, make a clone of your drive using Acronis TrueImage or any similar software so that this process can become a piece of cake in the future. Oh, and make a backup of all your data before you perform a clean install.

[Sarath]

So here are the steps:
1. Backup all data
2. Backup SWsetup
3. Format PC
4. Install Win7
5. Install Drivers

Ok now what is this

make a clone of your drive using Acronis TrueImage or any similar software so that this process can become a piece of cake in the future

Thanks for all the help. You really are a saviour.

[s18000rpm]

Oh, vista Yo win 7, I thought you were installing win 7 only.
Anyways, with win 7 you don't need to worry about drivers, the only thing you need is motherboard driver - Intel config utility or something. That driver informs windows everything about motherboard, Ports, video hw present...

Rest drivers will get auto installed by windows.

[Sarath]

^Since it is a HP laptop I don't even know what parts are in there. Hence I was a little apprehensive about the drivers and never tried getting a new OS.

[Ishu Gupta]

Originally Posted by s18000rpm

the only thing you need is motherboard driver - Intel config utility or something. That driver informs windows everything about motherboard, Ports, video hw present...

I didn't need this when I installed W7 on a Vista laptop. Only the touchpad driver for extra features and card reader driver.

[s18000rpm]

Goto HP website, search your model, there you'll get all the info regarding the hw present in the laptop , also look for new motherboard drivers under your model.

Originally Posted by Ishu Gupta

I didn't need this when I installed W7 on a Vista laptop. Only the touchpad driver for extra features and card reader driver.

Most of the time, it'll automatically download and instal it. But just after a fresh instal, the first thing I do is instal that motherboard driver, only after this I proceed with other driver installation.

[aniket.cain]

Originally Posted by Sarath

So here are the steps:
1. Backup all data
2. Backup SWsetup
3. Format PC
4. Install Win7
5. Install Drivers

Ok now what is this


Thanks for all the help. You really are a saviour.

Acronis TrueImage is a disk cloning software. You can run it off a cd, or a pen-drive. It will create an exact image of the disk, including the MBR. So next time when you want to format your computer, i.e., reinstall Windows, all you need to do is boot from the Acronis CD, and select the image and restore. It will restore the hard disk to the exact state when you made the image. And it will take only 5-6 minutes to do so. Basically it wipes all the data from the hard-disk, and copies the data from the image. In this way, you can avoid the hassle of installing Windows, then the required drivers, and the apps you install by default like Office, Photoshop, etc. So, just a couple of clicks, and you will save a lot of headache and time.
See here:
Complete hard disk recovery solution, backup, drive copy, clone and image computer software

Originally Posted by s18000rpm

Oh, vista Yo win 7, I thought you were installing win 7 only.
Anyways, with win 7 you don't need to worry about drivers, the only thing you need is motherboard driver - Intel config utility or something. That driver informs windows everything about motherboard, Ports, video hw present...

Rest drivers will get auto installed by windows.

Well, there are a couple of software provided by HP (or any other vendor) which Windows won't install by default or by an update, but are needed. Like the HP Support Assistant, or HP Simple Pass which manages fingerprint passwords, etc. So, one should have a backup of the software provided.

[s18000rpm]

I think those software are available at HP website. Btw why would you need HP assistant after installing win 7?

[aniket.cain]

I know that they are available on HP's site, but what is the point of downloading it from there, when you already have a copy on the hard disk? Well, unless there is an updated version available there. But still, I like to keep whatever is supplied with the laptop.

[Sarath]

^ But isn't that like bloatware? Does HP Assist really help? Never used it

[aniket.cain]

I was just giving an example. It is not installed in my laptop. Apart from HP SimplePass, I have none of the rest.

[Sarath]

^I don't have a finger print scanner so I can do without any of the HP SWs. Right?

Also since its a c2d I was wondering if I should get Win 7 32bit. Is it fine or should I go 64bit. At 4GB of RAM I don't see the RAM advantage of 64bit and hence want to know if there are any more benifits and/or is it compatible with such older systems?

Umm 32bit or 64 for old PC? Bumpy!

[s18000rpm]

If you use tata Docomo 3g data card, then go for 32 bit.
just running that dialer causes BSOD.
because of that stupid dialer sw, I have stopped using 64 bit Win7.

[techking_dinesh]

Why dont you consider installing Vmware and installing XP in virtual mode. Moreover u can even have xp mode from microsfot itself , dat too a genuine one

[Sarath]

My main computer got screwed [WINDOWS PROBLEM] No programs are opening

So I have put this on hold for a while

Kindly help me come out of it if possible.