What to do with an empty Recovery folder on FACTORY_IMAGE (D:)?

[tpannone]

I installed 64bit Win 7 Pro OS on my A6200N over the 32bit version on the C:. partition.  I also have a smaller partition named FACTORY_IMAGE (D:).  It contains an empty folder named Recovery.

Is Recovery supposed to be empty?  If not, what do I put in it?

[Prométhée]

Hello
the partition, had to contain the system of return to the factory, it had therefore to be practically full!
If you installed another version it became useless anyway, you can only recover it using the hp recovery kit
read this:

https://support.hp.com/ca-en/document/c01867418

Creating Recovery Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive in Windows 7.

[tpannone]

Thank-you Promethee.

Is there anything stopping me from creating the system recovery on the (D:) partition in the Recovery folder?

[Prométhée]

This is not possible without the factory recovery kit, and again, it is not always recreated

you may be able to try with software to create a reinstallation partition of your new installation.

[WAWood]

@tpannone 

As @Prométhée has already indicated, you can not simply recreate the Recovery partition.  If you do a full factory reset, since that reformats the ENTIRE drive, it recreates the partition but it erases everything before it does that,  That is a high price to pay just to get your Recovery partition back.

If you are interested in making recovery media, then reply to this post and I will provide instructions for using a free third-party tool for doing that.

[tpannone]

Hello,

You are correct. Although the drive appeared empty, it wasn't.  The drive properties said that 7.64 of the 8.84GB partition is used.  That should have been a flag that system files were being hidden.  I unchecked in Folder Properties and there they were.

No worries if I can't create a new recovery on this partition.  I'll just use a USB drive per the instructions you provided.

Thanks.

[tpannone]

Thanks WAWood.

I'll give the HP method for creating recovery files a try first.  If that doesn't work, I'll be back in touch.

[Prométhée]

I'm afraid you haven't understood all @tpannone 
The partition, even if it is not completely erased, should no longer be usable!
You say "'ll give the HP method for creating recovery files a try first."
If it works you're in luck
For this you must have the original system, with the recovery system, (or other depending on the date of the computer that is installed)
If you have installed another version, and therefore have erased everything, there is only one unusable partition left!
but we never know !
that said, if this is not possible, I advise you for reasons of understanding, so that it remains readable for all, to validate the subject here, to close it
and open another thread, in order to find a backup method if necessary!
If too much information in a thread, of contradiction, in the end users skip the details, do not read everything, and therefore do not understand everything that is needed
the clearest / simple, a subject, a question an answer, what we have here
"
I installed 64bit Win 7 Pro OS on my A6200N over the 32bit version on the C :. partition. I also have a smaller partition named FACTORY_IMAGE (D :). It contains an empty folder named Recovery.
Is Recovery supposed to be empty? If not, what do I put in it?

"If you installed another version it became useless anyway, you can only recover it using the hp recovery kit
read this: "

[tpannone]

Hi @Prométhée

I thought I understood you perfectly.  I understood you say that ...

1) The (D:) partition was created by HP when the system was build.

2) When I overwrote the (C:) partition with a new operating system, the information on the (D:) partition became unusable.

3) The only way for it to become useful as a recovery partition again is to use the HP factory recovery kit which I do not have.

4) You provided me with links to HP to tell me how to create recovery disks on either a CD/DVD or save a recovery image on a USB Flash drive.

Did I miss something?

[Prométhée]

1 2 3 yes that's it!
4, indeed but, it was more for information, and maybe if you had already made the kit this way, it can "tilt" sometimes, and some are told "yes  I did it, it is exactly that "

In your case, anyway, unless you had a real need to revert to the original system, this partition is of no use to you since you must have installation media.
But now if you want it, you don't have too much of a choice
hp does not provide it, you have to go through paid sites, it is certainly not worth it ..

Here I think I have everything, said, sorry, if it was not very clear, not obvious to me with the automatic translation