Installing Linux and HP recovery issue

[deb_the_bold]

I am using stock windows 10 OS, I want to ibstall any version of Linux. Dual boot isnt much preferable to me, so i would like to keep only linux running. However, i wish to have an option to rollback to stock system whenever required.

Since installing Linux rewrites the file system (which in turn would remove the recovery partition), how to i perform the rollback

I have already created the recovery DVDs. However, as per my little experience, i am of the knowledge you have to insert them when prompted at HP support assistant to perform the recovery.

Is there any solution to have a rollback option after a system wipe for linux? Considering i already have recovery DVDs

Thanks!

[WAWood]

@deb_the_bold

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

When you install Linux, that will mess with the partitioning scheme and that will corrupt the HP Recovery information so that, after that, you will not be able to do a system reset (or rollback, as you call it).

Personally, I don't trust any built-in backup/recovery systems as I've had them fail too often on me.

My suggestion is you consider using a third-party solution known as Macrium Reflect (MR).

I prefer to use third-party recovery solutions for the following reasons:
1) More flexibility and reliabilty -- can make recovery media as often as you like, not restricted to one attempt, which if it fails, then you are stuck.
2) More media options -- can create media in DVD, USB stick, or external drive format
3) Mounting option -- can "mount" the save images as virtual "drives" and extract individual files and folders
4) WinPE boot option -- can install a special boot option that allows you to boot to recovery information and do a repair or restore from there -- when Windows will not boot

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here: http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx
2) Run MR and select all the partitions on the drive in order to write a full backup to an external drive, USB stick, or DVDs
3) Use the option to create a boot USB stick or CD

My experience is that MR, when using the High Compression option, typically can compress the saved image file to about 50% of the USED space in the OS partition. This means if you have an 80GB OS partition, and 40GB is used, MR only needs about 20GB to store the image file.

I use this all the time and it typically takes less than 15 minutes to do the image backup and about the same time or less to do a restore. Plus, MR has the option to Add a Recovery Boot Menu entry. This allows you then to boot into WinPE, and you can then use that to do a restore -- when you can't boot into Windows!

NOW, you have the means to restore a full working system from the external drive, USB or DVDs stick in only a few minutes.

Good Luck