Factory Reset Questions

[N-E_Wunda]

-For a couple of months now Windows Update has been unable to update WIndows 10 Home edition.  Since this edition is going to be retired, I bought Windows 10 Pro upgrade.  

-The upgrade keeps failing at the 94% completed mark. I've worked with Microsoft Support for several days and their bottom line is that I should do a factory reset, or get the OEM disks from HP and start with a completely reformatted SSD, as there is something amiss on disk or in the registry that cannot be determined.

-I inherited this system from a late family member's estate and I have little documentation and no original media (if there was even any).

-My questions:

1) If I do the factory reset recovery, will my cousin's PC Owner information be included?  No one seems to know the password and I would like to be the designated PC Owner of this system.

2) The main objectives:

     A.  Reformat the SSD in its entirety, and

     B.  Restore to the OEM original state with all the original OEM partitions as originally configured ( I would really like the Recovery partition to be 64 GB.  Can that be addressed later, or can it be a choice as part of the factory reset?)

     C.  Update all drivers.

     D.  Reinstall printer.

     E.  Reinstall MS Office

     F.  Reinstall other apps.

Thank you for your help!

[WAWood]

@N-E_Wunda 

You're facing several MAJOR issues if you do the factory reset ...

First, that completely reformats the ENTIRE drive -- removing everything in the process.  This includes all account information.  So there will be no history of any prior ownership or activity.

Second, it will reset the PC in time to the date of the Windows media used to do the reset.  In most cases, the HP recovery media would be Win10 version 19.09 because only very new media would be version 20.04.  That means once the PC is connected to the Internet, it will start to download and install Windows Updates and this will lock up the PC for HOURS!

Third, the factory reset will try to recreate the ORIGINAL partition scheme that was present on the ORIGINAL drive.  If the SSD is a lot smaller than the original HDD, that will most likely FAIL because it will have insufficient room.

Fourth, what I would recommend as an alternative is something called a Repair Install.  This is the least destructive of all the Windows recovery functions and rewrites the Windows system files, including the drivers, leaving your data, settings, and applications intact.

To do this, you will need to use the link to download Win10 installation media and either burn a DVD or create a USB stick: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/media-creation-tool-install?ocid=ms_wol_win10

Note that when you go do download and build install media, the tool defaults to matching what is already installed on your PC (as in, Home for Home, 64-bit for 64-bit). Make sure you select the same version as needed for your PC. If you do not, the resulting media will be different and will force you to enter a NEW product code!

Once you have that media, follow the instructions in the link: http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repair-install-windows-10-place-upgrade.html

[N-E_Wunda]

Thank you for your reply, WAWood!

Unfortunately, I worked with Microsoft Support using the Media Creation Tool as the Repair Install and we failed three times (along with other MS Recovery options).  (My OS activation is a digital license linked to my MS Account.)

Thus, their conclusion of resorting to HP Factory Reset.  

All the options in the HP Recovery Manager have been tried, and failed.  The only option not tried is the HP Factory Reset.

Thank you for helping, WAWood!

Wish me luck!

[WAWood]

@N-E_Wunda 

Since all the HP Recovery options are failing, that implies the hard drive is failing, as well.

If your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, to check the drive you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) Press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

[N-E_Wunda]

Well, the factory reset  went about as badly as can be expected after ensuring the SSD had no issues.  Things went swimmingly until the system files restore "cannot find specified drive".

So I tried the HP Recovery USB Media I created yesterday and it started working, even logging in as the Administrator.  So, I began installing the Windows Updates.  It was going great until one of the reboots of the Windows Update process.  All of a sudden I find I'm back at the "cannot find specified drive" failure and I can only end it with Task Manager.  

However, every reboot brings me back to the failed HP Recovery Manager Factory Reset failure above!

My next step is to speak with someone in support to see about getting an OEM image for my HP Pavilion All-in-One-24-r0xx.

Unless, of course, one of the community members has something helpful to offer!

Thanks in advance for your considerations!

[wb2001]

@WAWood,

Sounds like time to purchase a new drive the same size. It will pick-up the original WIN 10 Home product key.  My opinion would be to get a new drive.  BTW, Recovery partition is only 561MB. It is not for file storage.

[N-E_Wunda]

My All-in-One Desktop has a recovery partition of 12GB.  The SSD drive is 2TB.  I've already got the MS licensing through my Microsoft Account as I purchased the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, which has been certified by HP on my All-in-one desktop.

Prior to paying to speak to an HP support engineer, I'll try installing Windows 10 Pro from a bootable USB with the Windows 10 Pro ISO on it.

Thank you again for your input!