Can a recovery drive reinstall Windows?

[CherylG]

On the Support page HP includes drivers for all Chipsets in various models of this series. Only download the ones which apply to your laptop without regard to latest date.

SwSetup should contain all of the original software/driver installers. It will also include any SP files you download and install from your Support page. For instance you would see a folder titled SP88834 if you downloaded and installed latest HP Wireless Button Driver. I have a lot of those because I have updated all of my drivers from the Support page.

The original drivers would be a safety net in case internet isn't working after a Reset/Reinstall but Windows 10 should actually have most of the basic drivers to get hardware working. 

Since you have tested out deleting partitions and running the Recovery drive i think it is safe to assume it would work on a new blank drive.

[star_limit]

Thanks so much, @CherylG. You are a wealth of information. I found that C:\SWSetup did not contain all drivers I had pre-installed on my machine. However, after installing Windows from vanilla media, I ran Windows Update followed by the update process in HP Support Assistant. After carefully comparing those installed to those on my product's page, I concluded that all of the drivers and essential software I need or desire were picked up. I noted that drivers indicated for Kaby Lake (my CPU's microarchitecture) were always selected over any Whiskey Lake (more recent) versions.

Also, Windows' vanilla network adapter driver functioned for me, which was a pleasant surprise. If this and other vanilla drivers are made pervasively compatible and secure, I could see placing drivers in a Windows Store or Update repository.