Recovery partition empty

[countryboy818]

Hello and thank you for helping us fix our troubled devices.

I have 2 HP noteboooks. Both purchased new with no reinstall disk.
While recently stuck on a blue screen and not rebooting, I noticed my recovery partition is completely empty. I have since got it to reboot. Is there a method to restore the files or create a system image?

I believe the partition may have been removed when updating to 8.1 (same on both machines)

 

[FreeBooter]

Have you clear the checkbox for "Hide protected operating system files" at Folder Options.

You should see two folders one you are looking for Recovery folder.

 

[zbook]

Please run:
DiskParInfo.bat - Click here to go to the BSOD batch repository to download and run this batch file.

 

[xilolee]

Hi!

The Push-button reset (PBR), windows 8/8.1 feature, has been deprecated in windows 10.
Unfortunately, it was unreliable (like windows backups and system restore).
You should use a third-party tool to create system images (full, i.e. all partitions, or partial, i.e. only system partitions).
As an example, macrium reflect free: Using Macrium Free to Backup or Image your drives.

---

If you still want to (try to) create a PBR partition and image, follow these steps:

• Shrink your last partition in your system HDD/SDD (Mine was 16GB in size).
  You can do it in (windows) disk management.
  Right-click your most right-hand side partition, click Shrink volume....
  Put 16384 (16GB) in the editbox Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB:.
  Click the Shrink button.
  
  
  
  
• Format and assign a letter to the new space.
  Always in disk management, right-click the new unallocated (non-allocated) space, click New simple volume.
  Click next, click next, read the letter that will be assigned to your new volume, click next, click next, click Finish.
• In your new partition/volume, create a destination folder for the recovery image.
  For example, create a folder named ResetW8.1.
• Download Windows 8.1 Disc Image (ISO File) (W8.1 media creation tool)
• Right-click the downloaded iso file, click open with, file explorer (or windows explorer): it will be mounted and you should see a new (virtual) drive letter in This pc.
  Double-click it, double-click the sources folder, copy install.esd and paste it in your ResetW8.1 folder.
• In the next command you have to change YourNewResetPartitionLetter to your recovery partition letter.
  Launch the following command, from a command prompt (admin):

  dism /get-imageinfo /imagefile:YourNewResetPartitionLetter:\ResetW8.1\install.esd

  I get this in windows 10:
  Read More:

  Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
  Version: 10.0.19041.572
  
  Details for image : h:\sources\install.esd
  
  Index : 1
  Name : Windows 10 Home
  Description : Windows 10 Home
  Size : 15,489,142,996 bytes
  
  Index : 2
  Name : Windows 10 Home N
  Description : Windows 10 Home N
  Size : 14,716,766,977 bytes
  
  Index : 3
  Name : Windows 10 Home Single Language
  Description : Windows 10 Home Single Language
  Size : 15,470,244,213 bytes
  
  Index : 4
  Name : Windows 10 Education
  Description : Windows 10 Education
  Size : 15,722,347,443 bytes
  
  Index : 5
  Name : Windows 10 Education N
  Description : Windows 10 Education N
  Size : 14,953,374,712 bytes
  
  Index : 6
  Name : Windows 10 Pro
  Description : Windows 10 Pro
  Size : 15,720,710,878 bytes
  
  Index : 7
  Name : Windows 10 Pro N
  Description : Windows 10 Pro N
  Size : 14,955,666,348 bytes
  
  The operation completed successfully.

  I think you should get only 2 or 3 indexes (home, pro, enterprise versions).
• Finally, in the next command you have to change:
  - YourNewResetPartitionLetter to your recovery partition letter.
  - YourOSIndex to your os index (i.e., see previous point).
  Command that set your recovery image:

   reagentc /setosimage /path "YourNewResetPartitionLetter:\ResetW8.1" /index YourOSIndex

• Reboot and see if the new Recovery partition disappeared (it shouldn't be visible in windows).