Pavilion dm4-1140sa upgrade to Windows 10

[Woodwood]

well, it's running Windows 10 now...

Two questions:

When the computer was upgraded to W10 what version of this O/S should have been expected  ? e.g., Home xxx, Home aaa, Professional, etc., etc.

Although the computer is now running Windows 10, all the (applications) software that came with the original system have disappeared, and  there is no evidence of a recovery partition (no last resort fall-back).  I must have missed the warning (if there was one) about the consequences of a "free" upgrade to Windows 10.  Do I have to buy  recovery media and software to replace what was lost when the computer was "upgraded" to Windows 10 ?

Woodwood

21.April.2016

[WAWood]

Woodwood

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

I read your post about problems since upgrading to Win10 and wanted to help.

If you do an in-place upgrade to Win10, meaning from INSIDE Win7, the installer will automatically choose the matching version of Win10 to install.

Unfortunately, the Win10 Upgrade is know, in some cases, to corrupt the Recovery partition stored there by the OEM that built the original machine.  This pretty much guarantees that no HP Recovery is going to work.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the problem you're up against is that Microsoft only supplies drivers with the most basic functionality, and what you really need for FULL functionality in laptops is the specialized drivers written for the specific hardware found in laptops -- and unfortunately, there are no HP Win10 drivers for your laptop.  HP only guarantees Win10 compatibility for machines made after August, 2013. HP does not have any schedule indicating when, or IF, they will be producing drivers for the older machines.

This means that your PC is most likely NEVER going to be fully functional under Win10 because the drivers is needs for full functionality simply do not exist!

That said, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try: How to Resolve Post-Win10 Upgrade Issues on HP Laptops ... - HP Support Forum - 5209825

Regarding reverting back to Win7 ... While Microsoft tells you that there is no risk in the Win10 Upgrade, because they let you believe that you can always revert back to your original OS and setup within 30 days, the ugly faction of the matter is that the Win10 GoBack function has proven to be unreliable -- and when it fails, it can leave machines in a corrupted state -- which doesn't always happen, but it does happen often enough to be a problem and you won't get any warning in advance that it is going to trash your PC!

What will work is restoring your machine to its original factory condition using HP Recovery Media. This is a set of DVDs and a CD, or USB stick, that will erase the hard drive (removing all data, settings, and applications, reinstall the original OS, drivers, and some HP Utilities. In some cases, you may be able to order a USB stick instead of disks.  You have to order these from HP; they can not be downloaded.

You can look online for Recovery Media starting with the linked paged: http://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers

Once there, input your Product name or number. On your Software and Drivers Download page, select your Operating System and and Version. Click "Update".  If HP Recovery Media is available for your machine, down near the bottom of the page, you will see an entry for Order Recovery Media-CD/DVD/USB. Click the "+" symbol to expand that entty and click on Order Media for details.

Or, if you prefer, you can do the same by contacting HP Customer Service:

If you live in the US or Canada, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/phone-assist.html#section1

If you live elsewhere, contact information is on this page: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-contact-us.html

NOTE: After you get through, stay on the line until you are finally able to talk to some one -- it can take a while!

Note that if HP no longer provides Recovery Media for your model, a couple of other sites you can check are: http://www.computersurgeons.com/  and http://www.restoredisks.com/

Be sure to read through the material in the linked thread BEFORE you attempt the recovery:  http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00707939

Good Luck

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[Woodwood]

Thenk you WAWood

I tried a few things in Win10 and they alll seeme to work (30 mins, basic things)  I read HP's suppport on upgrading to windows 10 paying particular attention to pre-2013 section.  I don't remember reading  of any driver issues, but I do remember a minumum &  recommended H/W table.  I accept what you say about driver issues, however.

I will try to get recovery media, I haven't ever had to use it in more than 10 years of using HPs except maybe in one which is awaiting attention.  However the format of HP support pages is mucked up on this PC at present (presents as some kind of plain text, links included though) and I am unable to use the telephone.

Woodwood

21.April.2016 

[WAWood]

Since you're having problems with the HP Forums (I do, from time to time), I checked the HP product page for your PC -- and unfortunately, HP no longer stocks recovery media for your PC.

In that case, you will need to check the other sites I listed to see if they have recovery media for your PC.

Good Luck

========================================================================
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor do I represent, HP.
---------------------------------------------------------------
If my posts helped you, please click the Thumbs-Up symbol on the left of the Reply button to say thanks.
If my posts solved your problem please click "Accept As Solution" -- to help others find the solution.
========================================================================

[Woodwood]

Thank you , WAWood.  I must say I'm surprised that HP no longer stock recovery media for this model - I think it was new in 2013

I must not have made myself clear:  I am not having problems with the forums, and I can see the specification page for this model, it's when when I select any other link for support - like 'drivers and upgrades' which is the other result I get from searching for this model, or when I try linking from a websearch item (this is often a better option for searching the HP website than HP's own search engine as often turns up pages in the website that HP does not)

I think that this issue is temporary and it is at my end, starting the browser again, or rebooting should make the issue go away.

21.April.2016

[Woodwood]

Just looked at the links to try for recovery disks

"Note that if HP no longer provides Recovery Media for your model, a couple of other sites you can check are: http://www.computersurgeons.com/  and http://www.restoredisks.com/ "

The former link is broken, and the latter doesn't have the recovery meddia for this exact model; IDK if recovery  media for similar models e.g., dm4-1060ea, which they do have would work.

Woodwood

21.April.2016

[WAWood]

I just tried the first link, computersurgeons, and it opened right to the HP and Compaq Recovery Kits page.  So, I don't know what the problem is, but since you're running Win10, my suggestion, if you are using Edge, is NOT to use that.

Instead, use Internet Explorer -- it's far better than Edge and has fewer problems.

My guess would be that similar models would NOT work, as I have no idea what the differences are between the models and how that affects the recovery media.

Good Luck

========================================================================
I am a volunteer and I do not work for, nor do I represent, HP.
---------------------------------------------------------------
If my posts helped you, please click the Thumbs-Up symbol on the left of the Reply button to say thanks.
If my posts solved your problem please click "Accept As Solution" -- to help others find the solution.
========================================================================

[Woodwood]

Hmmn, must be something to do state of my computer, not the the one that is the subject of this discussion, but another with Windows 7 Home Premium with IE11

(I use this because it would take me ages to do on the Windows 10 machine).

I have just visited www.computersurgeons.com by typing those letters in the address box and it did take me to the desired webpage ~(I didn''t test the link again).  The recovery kit for the dm41140sa wasn't listed. 

I am also in Europe, not the US

[YOU HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED THIS POINT]

Can you recommend a generic recovery 'kit' or one for another model which is sufficiently similar ?  I plan to upgrade the memory to 8GB anyway, so it strictly be a dm4-1140sa anymore...The models seem to differ by the actual variation of the CPU installed (if they are socketed that may not make make too much difference, as the only other difference in the CPU is the clock speed), the amount of RAM (all run at PC£8500, but higher speed RAM of compatible 'density' will be downclocked),  HDD size (and manufacturer, which should not make any difference ?), and most importantly probably the motherboard (system board) type.  If two models have the same system board (denoted by HP p/n) I think little else matters, but finding system board numbers for given machines is very difficult if not impossible.

Woodwood

22.April.201