Factory settings Recovery to a different drive/ partition

[Rambot]

Hi support community,

can I use the hp recovery manager  & recovery partition with which it was shipped to install windows 10 with factory settings to a new drive / partition which differs from the original hdd and its installation path. 

Or is the installation path always the original hdd  and i have to have a Installation dvd ?

and do windows keys still exist ? My laptop came with a windows 10 installation but I have not seen a license key label anywhere. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

You wouldn't be able to do what you want to do with the recovery manager/recovery partition.

Ever since W8 came out, Microsoft requires all PC manufacturers to put the Windows product key in the BIOS.

No more product key labels like there were with W7 and older Windows operating systems.

Your notebook is supported by the cloud recovery client tool which you can use to make a bootable recovery drive to reinstall the operating system, software and drivers that originally came with your notebook.

Here is an info link for how to use that utility...

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205

[Rambot]

Thx. I look in the Description for the cloud rec. tool which you linked. For me it seems that it would not solve my problem. As far as I can see it would still be the Same with the little difference of usb media instead of the recovery partition. As a can see in step13. It still won’t offer me to choose the installation path. But anyway thank you for both the information about product id and the client Tool could also be helpfully even if not now  I will still be could usefully to have a installation usb drive:

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

The only way you can choose an installation path would be to clean install W10 using the media creation tool to create a bootable USB installation flash drive.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

However, if you do that, you will probably wipe out the recovery manager system.

[Rambot]

I think I will try that way. As my desired installation path is on a completely different physical drive it shouldn’t destroy the original recovery partition. At least I hope so. Could you please tell me how I mark this thread as solved ?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

There should be a green 'Accept as solution' button to click on any reply that you think best answered your question.

[Rambot]

Ok here a little info. Before I asked here for support I already initiated a recovery by recovery manager from the recovery partition. Strangly somehow the recovery manager has chosen the new drive (which already was formatted) and created a new  90gb partition. Another strange thing is that the installation only uses 6.2GB which should  impossible right ?  I thought windows 10 requires at least 15-18GB space.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

I agree.

I'm sure there is some built in wiggle room regarding required storage space, but only using 6.2 GB?

That seems awful low.

Unless you are running W10 in S mode, I don't see how that is possible.