Bug in HP Cloud Recovery Tool

[Terri_UT]

The SDD died in this laptop.   I found the exact same SDD on Amazon and installed it.  BIOS HD test passed but Windows install media couldn't see any drives on the laptop.   I burned a Linux Mint install DVD and installed Linux just fine on the laptop.   I was puzzled.  How is it possible for Linux to see the SDD but nobody else can?

Then, I learned about the existence of the HP Cloud Recovery Tool.   Went over to DELL computers and found a nice article about OEM cloud recovery.   Sweet!   Now I am guaranteed to get all the drivers I need for the laptop.   I followed instructions and created the HP Cloud Recovery Image on a USB drive.   Takes a long time but completed just fine.

Ok, took the USB drive over to my laptop.  Mind you ... this is the recovery image for this particular HP product.  Right!   I had high expectations.  YES!    Nope.   Booting off the recovery image USB I get the error .. no HD found.   Doesn't matter if its a UEFI boot or Legacy.  Yeah, secure boot is disabled too.   Seriously?

This is crazy stuff.   I was hoping somebody had seen this bug and could tell me how they got around it.   The SDD is alive and well on this laptop.   Linux and the laptop BIOS think so too.    Gosh ... anybody have a clue?

[banhien]

@Terri_UT 

I've got this problem many times and my work around id to use another machine to initialize new SSD or M.2 SSD. I normally use DOS command but Please use the following way

   https://www.easeus.com/partition-manager-software/initialize-a-hard-drive-ssd.html

Regards.

[Terri_UT]

If I use the Windows install media to get a command prompt ... diskpart list disk returns ... no disks.   I figure this is because it is not an OEM install image and lacks the proper drivers.  However, If I run the driverquery cmd I do see the storage driver for the Intel rapid storage chipset running.  I was thinking ... ok ... I need the HP factory image for this laptop.   However, the HP Cloud Recovery tool also cannot see any physical volumes (disks) and it won't allow me to get a cmd prompt to look around.

There is already logical ext4 volume on the SDD physical volume ... because I installed Linux Mint on the laptop.  Linux runs just fine on the laptop.   However, I bought the laptop specifically to run Windows 10.

Do you think there is a specific logical volume I need to create or a specific partitioning scheme I need to use?  The link clearly shows a GPT + NTFS as the preferred volume management scheme.

Thanks so much for looking at this problem.

I don't have anther Windows PC in my house.   I could remove the SDD and put it in an external closure and access it as a

[Terri_UT]

I can remove the SDD and install it in an SDD enclosure.  Then, partition and format it by plugging it into another Windows 10 PC but am thinking that the 2nd Windows PC won't see the SDD either.

I could try to reinstall Linux ... with the correct Windows required Disk initialization.  ?

[Terri_UT · Accepted solution]

Thought I'd update this thread in case anyone is reading it.

I chatted with HP support and they suggested I call HP level 2 support.   Hmm.  I had no idea I had to make different calls to support levels. Otherwise, I'd have skipped level 2 and called level 3 and opened a defect.

I removed the SDD and put it in an external enclosure.  Plugged it in as a USB drive.  Booted a copy of Windows 10 install on a USB/DVD drive and got a command prompt.  Ran diskpart can it could now see the SDD.   Using diskpart, I demolished the Linux install I had on the SDD, creating a GPT + EFI + NTFS disk.  All was reported as healthy by diskpart.  Then, I dismantled the external SDD enclosure and put the SDD back into the laptop.  Rebooted with the HP Recovery Image USB drive.  Drum roll please ... but the HP Cloud Recovery Tool still reports ... no drive found.

The HP cloud recovery tool works just fine ... it creates a recovery boot image.   However, the recovery boot image doesn't work one bit.  For some reason, none of the Windows code, including this OEM recovery image, can access an installed SDD drive in this laptop.  Amazing.

HP Support closed the case number, they had opened to track the problem.  Again, this was much to my surprise as I wasn't asked if it should be closed.   So, if support has given up then so shall I.   You cannot install Windows on this HP laptop and I will repurpose it as a Linux laptop.   Wish I had known this before the purchase. 

Solution = give up.