HP recovery clean install help

[Pert-14]

Good evening, 

I would like to do a clean install of my HP Pavillion laptop (windows 11), to put it back to factory-settings. I used the HP cloud recovery tool to make a Bootable recovery usb stick. 

With the reinstalation I read (HP recovery manager):

"Preparations for factory installation:

- Reformatting the Windows hard drive partition. 

- Recover files from hard drive" 

I read that if you want to remove eventually virussen, you could better format the whole hard disk (instead of only the windows partition). 

So my question is: Is my hard disk fully cleaned with the HP recovery tool (is this a factory reset, so eventually viruses are cleaned) or should I do more for that? 

On the website of  HP I read at the HP Cloud Recovery Tool (Dutch):

"Uw computer naar de fabrieksinstellingen herstellen kan nodig zijn wanneer het besturingssysteem is beschadigd, de vaste schijf is beschadigd, de computer is geïnfecteerd door een virus of wanneer u de eigendomsrechten van de computer wilt overdragen. HP Systeemherstel verwijdert alle gegevens van de vaste schijf en installeert het originele besturingssysteem opnieuw.

Opmerking: 

HP Cloud Recovery is beschikbaar voor HP pc's die in 2016 en later zijn geproduceerd. Met HP Cloud Recovery kunt u herstelsoftware downloaden naar een USB-flashdrive. Als uw computer niet wordt ondersteund door HP Cloud Recovery, gaat u naar HP pc's - De computer resetten voor meer informatie."

https://support.hp.com/nl-nl/document/ish_3247909-3161845-16  

https://support.hp.com/nl-nl/document/ish_4511114-4630577-16  

When this isn't enough for a clean reinstallation of my laptop, what do I have to do? And am I able to do that with the HP cloud recovery tool too? 

I checked the partitions of my HP laptop and i've got:

- station 0: partition 1: data (this is my empty D-disk)

- station 1: partition 1: system (is that the bios???) 

- station 1: partition 2: Msr (reserved) (I don't know what that is, can you explain)

- station 1: partition 3: Windows

- station 1: partition 4: recovery

What partitions should I format to do a clean factory reset (if the reinstall with HP recovery tool isn't sufficient)? And which partitions i absolutely do not format?  I already formatted the 0.1 partition (D-disk) and 1.3 (windows).

At last: Is it correct that windows finds the windows product license on my laptop, when I do a reinstallation /factory reset? When I would format my whole hard disk, what's the concequence of that for my windows license? 

The instalation will fail because I deleted the information on partition 1.1 (System) so windows can't find the license? Or is the license on the motherboard, so it's no problem to format the whole hard disk (including system, recovery and msr). 

So In short:

1. Is HP recovery tool sufficient for deleting eventually Virussen (formatting windows partition)? 

2. What partitions should I format? And which absolutely not?

3. Has formatting the complete HD consequences for finding the windows license at the reinstall? 

Thanks a lot for your help and your time!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

The HP cloud recovery tool should automatically return the hard drive to its 'out of the box' condition (factory reset).

You shouldn't be given any options as to what you want to do.

It will delete and reformat the entire drive, and reinstall the operating system, drivers and programs that came with your notebook.

All data on the drive will be lost during this process, so if there are files you want to save that have not been infected with a virus, you should do so before booting from the cloud recovery tool.

The Windows product key is encrypted in your PC's BIOS and is not stored on the hard drive.

Unless in the unlikely event the virus attacked the BIOS and erased the product key, Windows will be activated after you connect to the internet.

[Pert-14]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply and your information! 

When I use the HP recovery tool, I indeed don't see the options to format a specific partition. After starting the process, it runs itself and I don't have to make choices.

I was a bit scared that only the partition with windows (just one partition of my hard disk) was formatted because I read during the process:

- Formatting the Windows Partition

(but I didn't read any think about formatting the other partitions). 

But you definitely know that the whole hard disk is formatted and reinstalled to the factory state? That would be a relief. 

Do you know if I can find anywhere more information about this process of deleting the whole disk? 

Thanks a lot for your information and look foreward to hear from you. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

This video indicates that everything will be erased.

You can start watching at minute 4:16.

The earlier part of the video is how to actually create the USB recovery drive which you have already completed.

But feel free to watch the entire video.

Recover Your Computer Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool | HP Computers | HP Support