This document contains information about purchasing a recovery disc for either Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP in the United States and Canada.
Based on the licensing agreement, you can create or purchase recovery discs to recovery the computer to its original operating system. To purchase a recovery disc for your operating system in the US and Canada, you must:
What if a Recovery disc is not listed for a specific model?
If your model was not originally available in US or Canada, or if you selected an operating system that was not the original OS for that model, the recovery disc may not listed on the Download drivers and software web page. You can call HP support and order a set of recovery discs to recover the original operating system.
Before you purchase a replacement recovery disc
The HP Recovery Manager, installed on your PC, allows you to recover the original operating system, or create a set of recovery discs from the special recovery partition on the hard drive.
You do not need to purchase a replacement recovery disc to return your computer to proper operating condition unless the drive is corrupted. |
To determine if the HP Recovery Manager
is operational, press the power
switch to turn on the computer, and then repeatedly press f11
during the startup. The computer will display a prompt to either recover the operating system or create a set of recovery discs if the Recovery Manager
is operational which does not require the purchase of a replacement recovery disc.
For detailed instruction on creating your own recovery discs, see
Using HP Backup and Recovery Manager (in Vista)
or
Using the PC Recovery Solution (in XP)
, or
Using HP Recovery Manager in Windows 7
. |
Identify the product number, serial number, and processor type
To purchase the eligible operating system recovery disc and other software and drivers, you must know the specific product number (p/n), serial number (s/n), and processor type (32/64 bit) for your product. The serial number and product number are printed on a service tag, which is adhered to the bottom of the notebook. The service tag on PCs sold before 2005 may look slightly different, but contain the required information.
Look for Service Tag on Bottom of Notebook1. Model Number
(shown in area below the bar codes)
2. Product Number (p/n)
3. Serial Number (s/n) |  |
1. Model Number
2. Serial Number
3. Product Number |  |
The type of processor in the computer is not listed on the Service Tag. Some newer computers, especially custom-to-order (CTO) computers, ordered from HP over the telephone or from a kiosk may be sold with a 32-bit or 64-bit processor.
The HP Help and Support utility allows you to view the product information that is stored electronically on the computer. To find the product name, processor type, and serial number for your PC, do one or more of the following:
Use HP Help & Support to View Product InformationFor Windows 7 -
Click Start
, then enter HP Advisor
in the search field, and then click HP Advisor
when it becomes available in the list.
The HP Advisor PC Dock will appear at the top of your desktop. Click the HP Advisor
icon, then click PC Dashboard
from the drop-down menu.
At the bottom edge of PC Dashboard, you will find your notebook's Product Name, Serial Number, and Product Number.
|  |
For Windows Vista -
Click Start
, then Help and Support
, and then click System Information
.
The Serial Number
and Product number
display. |  |
For Windows XP -
Click Start
, then Help and Support
.
The Serial Number
and Product number
display. |  |
Identify the eligible operating system
Each HP PC model comes with a specific operating system installed. You can only purchase a recovery disc for the eligible operating system that was delivered with the computer. You cannot purchase a recovery disc from HP for a different operation system. Use the following chart to purchase discs for the eligible operating system.
Recovery Disc Set by Operating System| In this situation | Select recovery discs for this OS |
|---|
| Original OS is Windows 7. | Purchase a Windows 7 recovery disc set or create a set of Windows 7 recovery discs using Recovery Manager. |
| Original OS is Windows 7, but when I changed to Vista or XP, there are no drivers available. | Purchase the Windows 7 recovery disc set. HP does not support downgrading Windows 7 PCs to a different OS. |
| Original OS is Vista. | Purchase a Vista recovery disc set or create a set of Vista recovery discs using Recovery Manager. |
| Original OS is Vista, but when I changed to XP or Windows 7, there are no drivers available. | Purchase the Vista recovery disc set. HP does not support downgrading Vista PCs to a different OS. |
| Original OS was XP and I successfully upgraded to Vista. | Purchase an XP recovery disc set. Not eligible for Vista. Use the Windows Backup and Restore Center to back up all of the Windows-recommended files. |
| Original OS was XP, I tried to upgrade to Vista or Windows 7, but the upgrade failed. | Purchase an XP recovery disc set. |
| Original OS is XP, the PC is Vista-capable, and I am ready to upgrade to Vista | Purchase the XP recovery disc set or create a set of XP recovery discs using Recovery Manager before attempting to upgrade to Vista. |
| Original OS is XP and PC is not Vista-capable | Purchase the XP recovery disc set. Do not upgrade to Vista. |
Purchase a replacement recovery disc online
If you do not have access to the HP Recovery Manager because of a corrupted or deleted recovery partition, or because you installed a different operating system, HP allows you to purchase a replacement set of recovery discs at minimal cost (all you pay for is the cost of the media, shipping, and handling). To place an order, you will need the product number, the serial number, the type of processor, the name of the Windows OS that came installed on the PC, and your credit card information.
| NOTE: | If you are recovering a notebook that did not come with Service Pack 2 for XP, it is a good idea to download and save SP2 to a separate disc before you use the XP recovery discs because some ISPs require the installation of SP2 to even log on to their internet service. |
To purchase replacement OS recovery discs by visiting the Download drivers and software
page on the HP web site, follow the steps below.
Go to hp.com home page, select the country or region (if prompted), and then click Support & Drivers
.
Select the Download drivers and software (and firmware)
option, enter your product name and/or product number (for example, EX177AV, dv8300 CTO, KS878AV, or dv5z-1000), and then click Go
to start the search.
Select a language from the Choose your software/driver language
drop-down list, if necessary.
Select the operating system that came with your PC.
| NOTE: | Windows 7 and Vista are available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Please be sure to select the correct version. |
Scroll down to the drivers page to the CD-ROM order page - Recovery Discs
entry and select the appropriate recovery disc set to open the ordering page.
If a recovery disc set for the operating system that you want is not listed, check the other operating system listings. See
the chart above
to determine the eligible operating system.
| NOTE: | For some computer models, the link to order recovery discs is not available on the product page. For those models, you can order HP recovery discs by clicking the Contact HP
link at the top-left of this web page and HP Customer Care will assist you. You must have your product number and serial number to order. |
Select the appropriate country or region, if prompted, and then click Submit
.
Enter the required serial number and additional required information on the order page, then click Next
.
Follow the on-screen instructions to provide shipping and payment information.
The appropriate recovery discs will be sent as requested.
| Now that you understand the process, to purchase a replacement recovery disc and restore your HP notebook to its original condition, click HP Home
at the top of this web page, and select the Support & Drivers
option. |
Things to do when recovering the computer
Before running the HP Recovery Manager, you should back up all of your personal files to an external drive, such as a flash drive, label them, and store them in a safe place. The recovery process will erase all the files on the hard drive.
