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Creating and Using the Recovery Tools CD (Windows XP)

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This document pertains to HP and Compaq Desktop PCs that came with Windows XP made after June of 2003.
HP computers that ship with Microsoft Windows XP and Compaq Presario Desktop PCs made in spring of 2003 and later already come with a hidden preloaded recovery partition. This hidden partition can be used to recover all of the original software in the event of a major problem by using a user-created Recovery Tools CD.
NOTE: An HP Recovery Tools CD is not the same thing as a set of Recovery Discs. You cannot use the Recovery Tools CD to perform a system recovery.
NOTE: A Recovery Tools disc is only available on certain HP and Compaq PCs that came with XP . If your computer came with Windows Vista , you can create a similar tools disc called an HP Hardware Diagnostics Disc from the HP Hardware Diagnostics software program.
Your computer enables you to create (burn) a Recovery Tools CD which you can use it to:
  • Read instructions about each utility on the Recovery Tools CD.
  • Remove the System Recovery partition from your PC hard disk drive to increase space for data.
  • Create a new data partition on your PC hard disk drive.
  • Start the Microsoft Recovery Console (a full utility from Microsoft that can perform operating system diagnostics and repairs).
  • Start the System Recovery program from the recovery partition.
You must create (burn) the Recovery Tools CD before performing any of these procedures.
Creating the Recovery Tools CD
Use the steps in this section to burn a Recovery Tools Disc:
NOTE: At the time of this writing, a Recovery Tools CD can only be created on CD-R media. Do not use DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, or CD-RW media.
  1. Click Start on the taskbar and choose All Programs .
  2. Choose one of the following options:
    • For HP Pavilion and Media Center PCs, click Hewlett-Packard and then HP PC Recovery Tools CD to start the program.
      or
      Click PC Help & Tools and then HP PC Recovery Tools CD to start the program.
    • For Compaq PCs, click Compaq and then Compaq PC Recovery Tools CD to start the program.
      or
      Click PC Help & Tools and then Compaq PC Recovery Tools CD to start the program.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to create a Recovery Tools CD.
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Creating a Recovery Tools CD from a command prompt
Use the following steps to create a Recovery Tools CD without having Windows open:
  1. Turn on the PC and repeatedly press the F10 key when the first screen appears.
  2. When the recovery screen opens, click Advanced Options .
  3. Press the Alt and the D key at the same time to go to a command prompt.
  4. If the PC did not come with a memory card reader, type the following: d:
    If the PC came with a memory card reader, type the following: h:
  5. Press Enter and type the following: cd windows
  6. Press Enter and type the following: cd creator
  7. Press Enter and type the following : toolscdlauncher
  8. Click Start Creation or Create the Recovery Tools CD and follow the onscreen directions to create the Recovery Tools CD.
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Starting the Recovery Tools CD
  1. Insert the Recovery Tools CD that you created.
  2. Click the OK button to restart your PC and start the Recovery Tools CD.
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Removing the System Recovery Partition
This option removes the system recovery partition on your hard disk drive and frees up space for other data files and programs.
CAUTION: Before using the HP PC Recovery Tools CD to change your hard disk drive, make System Recovery CDs for your PC by using the HP PC Recovery CD-DVD Creator program. You cannot make System Recovery CDs after you remove the system recovery partition.
  1. Insert the Recovery Tools CD and click OK to restart your PC and bring up the Recovery Tools CD menu.
  2. Select Remove system recovery partition and click Next .
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions by continuing to click Next until the program begins to remove the system recovery partition.
  4. Click Finish when the procedure is complete. Your PC will restart and the disc drive will open. Remove the disc from the drive before the drive door shuts.
  5. Click OK to restart your PC one last time so the system settings can make their final changes and updates.
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Creating a New Data Partition
This option creates a new data partition from the free space of your windows partition.
  1. Insert the Recovery Tools CD and click OK to restart your PC and bring up the Recovery Tools CD menu.
  2. Select Create a new data partition and click Next .
  3. Select a Partition type , either Primary or Extended.
  4. Select a File System , either NTFS, FAT32 or unformatted.
  5. Select a size for the data partition, and click Next .
  6. Click Finish when the procedure is complete. Your PC will restart and the disc drive will open. Remove the disc from the drive before the drive door shuts.
  7. Click OK to restart your PC one last time so the system settings can make their final changes and updates.
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Opening Microsoft Recovery Console
This option allows you to perform system diagnostics and repair utilities on your hard disk drive.
  1. Insert the Recovery Tools CD and click OK to restart your PC and bring up the Recovery Tools CD menu.
  2. Select Run Microsoft Recovery Console and click Next .
  3. After the Microsoft Recovery Console has run through its system checks, press R to begin the repair process.
  4. Enter the number of the Windows installation you would like to log on to and press Enter .
  5. Enter the administrator password. If you do not have a password, press Enter .
  6. Enter system diagnostic and repair commands at the C:\Windows> prompt. For examples of system diagnostic and repair commands, see the following sections.
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Partitioning your disk
Partitioning your hard disk drive divides your drive into multiple drives. Use the Diskpart command to partition your hard disk drive. You can either delete or create partitions with this command.
  2. Type diskpart at the c:\windows> prompt.
  3. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to highlight the partition you want to delete or create.
  4. To delete a partition, press the letter D . Then press L to confirm you would like to proceed.
    CAUTION: Be sure to back up all data files first before deleting a partition. When you delete a partition, all data on that partition is lost.
    or
    To create a partition, press the letter C , and enter a size for the partition.
  5. Press the ESC button when you are finished deleting and creating partitions.
  6. Remove the Recovery Tools CD from your drive and type exit at the C:\> prompt to restart your PC.
    The partitions have been created. New partitions must be formatted before the space can be used.
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Using the Format command
Use the format command to prepare a disk to be written to and read from. When a disk is formatted, all files on the disk are erased.
  2. To format the C drive, type format c: at the c:\windows> prompt.
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Using the CHKDSK command
The CHKDSK command checks your hard disk drive for lost allocation units and bad sectors. Lost allocation units are files or parts of files that your file allocation table do not recognize. Bad sectors are physical areas of your hard disk drive that can not be written to.
  2. To repair bad sectors and recover readable information, type chkdsk /r at the c:\windows> prompt and press Enter.
  3. Remove the Recovery Tools CD disc from your drive and Type exit at the C:\> prompt to restart your PC.
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Using the Expand command
The Expand command uncompresses compressed files.
  2. To expand a compressed file named abc123.dl_, located in d:\i386 to c:\windows\system32\ enter the following command:
    expand d:\i386\abc123.dl_ c:\windows\system32\abc123.dll
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Starting the System Recovery program from the recovery partition
Performing the steps in this section will run the System Recovery program from the recovery partition on your hard disk drive. This is option is not available if you have already removed the system recovery partition.
NOTE: Be sure to backup your data files before running a Destructive Recovery.
  1. Insert the Recovery Tools CD.
  2. Click OK to restart the PC using the Recovery Tools CD.
  3. Select Start System Recovery program from the recovery partition and click OK the Next button.
  4. Click the Next button at the main menu.
  5. Click Next and follow the onscreen instructions for performing a destructive recovery. For more information refer to Performing a System Recovery in Microsoft Windows XP .
  6. When the recovery is complete, remove the Recovery Tools CD and restart your PC.
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