I need recovery media

[Try_again]

No boot image on hard disk.  The website doesn't list any recovery media for my laptop.    The instructions say "If the recovery media is not in the list of available software, the media is currently unavailable. Go to HP Customer Support to contact HP for options. "     Got the laptop in August 2021 and the 90 day warranty is expired.  The website only provides options of virtual assistant which is useless or HP Support Community to contact HP.  So here I am following the instructions to contact HP for support to get recovery media for laptop I have had for little more than a year.

[Mans]

@Try_again 

Hello,

Please use HP Cloud Recovery Tool to create an HP system recovery USB flash drive as follows (from another computer).

To get started, you need the following:

• A blank USB drive: Must have a minimum of 32 GB.

1. Download and Install  HP Cloud Recovery Tool: Search for and download the HP Cloud Recovery Tool from the Microsoft Store.
2. Insert a USB drive with a minimum of 32 GB.
3. Right-click HP Cloud Recovery Tool, then click Run as administrator, and then click Yes.
   
4. Check the box I need to enter Product ID for my HP system, then in the Product ID field type 22C32UA#ABA of your notebook.
5. Click on Next, then select your USB drive from the drop-down list and finally click on Next.
6. Click OK or Yes, then follow the instructions on the screen and wait for the creation time.
   
7. Performing a System Recovery (Windows 10).

22C32UA#ABA = HP Laptop 15-da3019cy.

Don't hesitate to contact us in case of need.

Best regards,

[Try_again]

Well, I created a new system recovery USB flash drive and tried to boot with it.  A few screens flash by quick and then I get an error window [22:11:51.17][startnet] Error, Get failure from Dynamic Recovery Tool.  An earlier  recovery drive was created a couple months ago using the computer that now needs to be recovered.  That drive boots with the same error window.   I didn't create that recovery drive myself so had considered it suspect.

Well that error looks like it has some history I will have to go through, the latest from just a couple weeks ago at https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Operating-Systems-and-Recovery/Not-able-to-run-hp-recovery-too...  which does not have a helpful reply yet.

[Try_again]

I see another thread that says the guy finally installed a new SSD and was then able to  boot  with the Recovery Flash drive without error and re-install the OS.   I ran the long form HD  hardware diagnostics that takes like 12 hours to run and it says there is no error with the HD (or any other hardware) and all is well.  So I am assuming I don't need a new HD.

[Try_again]

I created another bootable flash drive using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.  It boots and goes into the windows installer.  The installer asks where to install windows and gives the only option as Drive 0 Unallocated Space 13.4GB total/free.  It's a 2TB HD.  Don't know why the installer  is not seeing the entire HD or reformatting it as needed.  Don't know what the partitions on the HD might look like but it's however it came from HP.   The installer seems to imply that Drive 0 is  a partition.  Needless to say the installer says 13.4GB is not big enough and to select another partition.

The installer also gives an option to repair which brings up a menu of several tools one of which is the command prompt.  Running Command I can see the C drive which shows 2MB used and about 30GB free.  Nothing close to the 2TB that should be there but still more than  the 13.4GB the installer says is on Drive 0.    Looks like the installer put a few files on C drive today.

So still don't know what's going on with the HP installer or the MS installer or if the partitions on the HD somehow got fowled up (causing the HP installer error) and neither installer seems to be reformatting the HD partitions.  Have not seen any instructions on having to do partition work before using the installers.   Or perhaps the HD is no good even thought it passes all the diag tests.  Wondering if I need to do a low level format on the HD which I haven't done in years and don't know what tools are available now for that now.  A proper system recovery tool should be able to do everything needed to get the OS installed and running on the HD.

[TzortzisG]

Hello Try_again, I'm not sure I understood your last post but did you try diskpart?

How to use the Diskpart Utility preparing to install Windows 

Short guide to Diskpart commands 

[Try_again]

OK, using diskpart from the command prompt booted from the flash drive windows installer I can see that the C drive is actually the flash drive, not the HD.  There is also an X drive, also the flash drive, but diskpart doesn't show X in the volume list.

Diskpart shows only DIsk 0 and DIsk 1, Disk 1 being the flash drive.  Disk 0 is apparently the HD.  Diskpart shows the Disk 0 size as only 13GB with 13GB available consistent with what the windows installer reported.  Diskpart shows no partitions on Disk 0.

So it seems to me the HD is really toast even thought the hardware diagnostics show it passes all the tests.

The main question is do I need to order a new HD replacement or is there something can be done with old one?

My understanding is if I install a new blank virgin HD I should be able to completely re-image/install windows to factory condition using the HP recovery media I created.  Is that right?

[TzortzisG]

Hi Try_again.

- The main question is do I need to order a new HD replacement or is there something can be done with old one?

This is NOT the main question. Anyways, I'd take the HDD out and connect it with an external USB 3.0 enclosure to a working computer. Then you can use any disk management program to find out just what the heck is happening. Easiest to use in my opinion is minitool partition wizard to completely delete partitions and see if you can get it back to factory condition. Also, it would be interesting to see some SMART values on this. However, this is not the main question.

- My understanding is if I install a new blank virgin HD I should be able to completely re-image/install windows to factory condition using the HP recovery media I created.  Is that right?

It's possible, but the error you got when trying could have been from some other issue.... You'll have to replace storage and go from there.

- So it seems to me the HD is really toast even thought the hardware diagnostics show it passes all the tests.

HP diagnostics are not perfect. However this is definitely weird. As I said, I'd physically remove and try to get it straightened out on working Windows or Linux machine. Also, I don't know what kind of hdd you have. Hard drive manufacturers upload tools on their sites so you can factory reset them....

The main question.....

I couldn't find correct manuals for your laptop line, unfortunately this is an issue (https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/m-2-ssd-slot/td-p/7957162) . The manuals they have if you type in your product are actually of previous models that are totally different.... However, your laptop definitely supports two kinds of storage at the same time: 2.5" SATA III drives and m.2 2280 nvme (and 99% sata as well). I found two youtube videos of close-enough models where you can see the arrangement:  hp da3001tu    hp da3002tu    

That means that you can buy an m.2 ssd and install that alongside the hdd. Then you can install windows on that drive, and in that way try to also repair your 2tb hdd from within a working Windows system.

Why is this the main question? Because this is a laptop running a 10th gen (for crying out loud) intel cpu, and you have it chained down to a spinning hard drive anachronism. You have to use a solid state drive for main storage boot drive, like yesterday...... If however you decide to replace the hdd, you should opt for a 2.5" SATA III SSD.

[Try_again]

Unfortunately I don't have a external USB 3.0 enclosure available at  the moment.  The HDD is a WD20SPZX.   I ordered another one yesterday. 

But the plot thickens.  I had not noticed it before but there is also already an Optane SSD labeled 16GB installed.  And running HP hardware diagnostics again I see both the HDD and the SSD (shown as 14GB) listed.  I had not looked at the disk list before, I had just let it test all drives.  Running a quick check on the individual drives it still says both are OK.

So the disk I see using DISKPART as 13GB is apparently the SSD, not the HDD.  DISKPART is not seeing the HDD at all.  Which seems weird to me considering the HW diagnostics sees it which I assume means the BIOS sees it. 

And according to DISKPART as mentioned earlier the SSD has no partition on it and it's not assigned to any volume.  And as reported by the windows installer the SSD is not large enough to install the OS.   Apparently the windows installer is able to see the SSD as unallocated space even though it has no partition. 

So I'm not sure the purpose of the SSD or if it had even been in use before.  My wife uses this laptop so I had not really looked at it before it stopped working.  We got this laptop as an HP certified refurb to replace another laptop HP could not repair due to parts availability.  So perhaps the SSD was not configured when they did the refurb.  The product spec that HP provided me with this laptop makes no mention of an SSD, only the 2TB HDD.

[Try_again]

Forgot to mention I did check the WD website for any diagnostic  tools but it seems the only tools they have need to be installed on windows so I would not be able to use without pulling the HDD and connecting to another laptop.