When can I remove the USB recovery drive when doing a recovery

[GlennMc777]

When can I remove the USB recovery drive, when doing a recovery, when I do a recovery it will say not to attach any external devices while doing a recovery, but the USB disk is in the USB slot. Here is the tricky part, if I remove the USB disk now  at this point and let it do a restore, at the end I get errors, but if I leave the recovery disk in throughout the whole process it never finished the restore. When left in it will continue to start from step one and reformat and install all the software ounce again, so when can I remove the Recovery disk or at what point in the restore.

[VikramTheGreat · Accepted solution]

Hi @GlennMc777,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

This confusion happens because HP recovery uses the USB drive as the source for reinstalling Windows and HP software. Here’s the correct approach:

Why You See Conflicting Messages

• The recovery process requires the USB drive until all files are copied.
• The message about “remove external devices” refers to other drives or peripherals, not the recovery USB.
• If you remove the USB too early, the restore fails because the system still needs files.
• If you leave it in after completion without exiting properly, the PC may boot from the USB again and restart the process.

When to Remove the USB Recovery Drive

• Leave the USB inserted until the recovery process finishes and the PC restarts for the first time into Windows setup.
• When you see the Windows Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) screen (language, region, account setup), remove the USB drive immediately.
• Do not remove it during file copying or installation phases.

How to Avoid Looping Back to Recovery

• After the first restart, press Esc or F9 (Boot Menu) and select your internal drive if the system tries to boot from USB.
• Or simply remove the USB before the restart completes.

Official HP Guide

HP PCs - Create and use a Microsoft recovery USB flash drive | HP® Support

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat