Updating the RECOVERY partition

[FGomez]

HP has done a nice work for cases when a drastic recovery is necessary by providing the RECOVERY partition in each machine. However, due to the Windows updates of the system, the RECOVERY partition becomes obsolete with every new system update.

It would be very convenient and useful for the users if HP were to provide an update with the latest version of the installed operating system that updates the RECOVERY partition, as it is done with drivers and other applications. This would save all the work needed to bring up-to-date the operating system once a "FACTORY RECOVERY" was executed. Granted, this approach would require the user to install each previously installed application and personal data, which is overcome with the recovery to a previously known good-working backup that Windows offers; but then, the RECOVERY partition is wasted. If HP will not provide such an update, is there a way users can update the RECOVERY partition to have a current and useful startup "clean installation" for the operating system? 

FG-Apr-2020

[WAWood]

@FGomez 

Basically -- NO.

The SOLE purpose of the Recovery partition is to return the PC to its ORIGINAL state.  It is not intended to be a rolling Restore function that keeps up with time.

[banhien]

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@FGomez wrote:

... the RECOVERY partition becomes obsolete with every new system update.

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@FGomez 

That's true. The idea is to allow users to perform a FACTORY RESTORE. I believe HP now uses Cloud Recovery and Recovery partition would no longer available. Cloud Recovery also allows users to go back to factory settings and it is up to users to work out the updates because EACH user can have different requirements (for example some users update once a month, some users may only update once a quarter ...).

Hope this makes sense.

Regards.

[FGomez]

Thanks! That's OK for HP to decide how to handle the factory recoveries. But what about having a procedure for the user to update the RECOVERY partition? How to convert a Windows recovery point into a copy to replace the RECOVERY partition that would be accessible through the ESC startup?

[WAWood]

@FGomez 

The Recovery partition is a compressed image that is (1) created by HP for individual model PCs, and (2) loaded at the factory when the PC is built.

For this to be updated by consumers you would need to have BOTH the ability to gen a new image (which HP is not going to release), and (2) the ability to rewrite the Recovery partition -- which you can't do with routine File Management tools, requiring HP to create and distribute a special Recovery imaging tool to do this.

It's not realistic to expect HP to do this stuff.