Recovery Partition - Windows 8

Adamcp898

New Member
Messages
12
Hi all,

My laptop hard disc drive was failing and so whilst under warranty it was sent away to be replaced. I have it back now but in 'My Computer' the recovery partition is not visible, only the main C: drive.

However, when I open disc management there are two recovery partitions listed (one ~27 GB and one ~1 GB) along with an OEM partition and an EFI system partition. My concern is I don't have the option to assign any of these drives a letter to make them visible in My Computer, should I be worried or is this common place?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I have a Samsung laptop. When I bought it and fired it up for the first time I was given the options to choose my partition size or none at all. I choose none at all which give me exactly what you have. I still have my recovery partition it's just hidden. This may what have happened when it was setup with the new HDD. Now I have created a partition and I'm dual booting windows 7/8.1 and have a C and D drive along with the hidden system recovery partition.
computer HDD.PNG

computer HDD 2.PNG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5
Yeah each of the other four partitions are appearing as 100% free so there must be nothing on any of them,

What is the best way of creating a new recovery partition? and does this mean the other four partitions are ok to be deleted?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
does this mean the other four partitions are ok to be deleted?

Don't delete partitions. You need them.

Note: The MSR partition is not visible within Windows Disk Management GUI-control utility but it is listed with command line utility (diskpart).

Configure UEFI/GPT-Based Hard Drive Partitions

Default Configuration: Windows RE Tools, System, MSR, and Windows Partitions

The Windows Setup default configuration contains a Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) Tools partition, a system partition, an MSR, and a Windows partition. The following diagram shows this configuration. This configuration allows BitLocker Drive Encryption to be enabled, and Windows RE to be stored in the hidden system partition.

IC577711.jpg



Recommended Configuration: Windows RE Tools, System, MSR, Windows, and Recovery Image Partitions

The recommended configuration includes a Windows RE Tools partition, a system partition, an MSR, a Windows partition, and a recovery image partition. The following diagram shows this configuration.

IC577712.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom build
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X 4 965 BE
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
    Memory
    G-Skill 8 GB PC 8500
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD XFX HD Radeon 6790D
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2l Samsung SyncMaster S20B300
    Screen Resolution
    1600 X 900
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Barracuda 320 GB w/OS
    Seagate Barracuda 1 TB data storage
    PSU
    Ultra X4 750 watt fully modular
    Case
    Thermaltake OverSeer RX 1 fulltower
    Cooling
    Cooler Master Hyper212 120mm
    Keyboard
    Logitech G510
    Mouse
    Razor DeathAdder 3.5
You had better have a look at what is in it first. Might not be empty. You may need to change the partition type and add a mount point ( e.g. drive letter ) to see it in explorer. Then you can just plonk the installation media in there and point at it with reagentc /setosimage command.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
For clarification, are you saying you sent just the hard drive back to the laptop manufacturer or the entire laptop? My Acer has software included that allows access to the recovery partition to create a disc.

Regardless whether you sent just the HDD or entire laptop back, the laptop manufacturer should have made sure all original OEM software was on the drive including the recovery partition. It almost sounds like they created the partition but failed to put the recovery OS on it.

Have you contacted them to see what was done? My partition setup looks like this:

Capture.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo G580
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-3230M
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, standard user account
    Other Info
    UEFI firmware (BIOS) embedded Windows 8 product key.
For clarification, are you saying you sent just the hard drive back to the laptop manufacturer or the entire laptop? My Acer has software included that allows access to the recovery partition to create a disc.

Regardless whether you sent just the HDD or entire laptop back, the laptop manufacturer should have made sure all original OEM software was on the drive including the recovery partition. It almost sounds like they created the partition but failed to put the recovery OS on it.

Have you contacted them to see what was done? My partition setup looks like this:

View attachment 34772

My Disk management setup looks like this:

DM Image.png

The whole laptop had to be sent back to replace the failing hard drive as it was under warranty. The OS was then put on to the new HDD before it was sent back to me. As you can see none of the partitions have been assigned a drive letter and all appear as 100% free but I can't assign them a drive to letter to explore them and see if this is actually the case.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I should have included that in my first pic. Mine too, shows no assignment but works as I've used it in the past for a refresh. I'm honestly not sure you can assign letters to them and access like normal partitions. Windows 8 security, especially OEM, has changed things drastically. I thought the partitions can only be accessed through the 8 Recovery/Refresh options or through software provided by the manufacturer to create discs. I may be way off base though.

PS: I said I could create discs with the included software, not so. I can, and have, created a flash drive recovery. Creating discs is not an option.

Capture.JPG
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
My Disk management setup looks like this:

View attachment 34775

The whole laptop had to be sent back to replace the failing hard drive as it was under warranty. The OS was then put on to the new HDD before it was sent back to me. As you can see none of the partitions have been assigned a drive letter and all appear as 100% free but I can't assign them a drive to letter to explore them and see if this is actually the case.

The partitioning is OK, do not add drive letters.

Have you made the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Disks?

information   Information

We always assume you have made your Recovery Disks using the OEM manufacturer's Recovery Media Creator app the first day you had your new PC.
& made the Startup Repair CD. (Windows 8 only)
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5132-recovery-drive-create-usb-flash-drive-windows-8-a.html
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2855-system-repair-disc-create-windows-8-a.html (Windows 8 only)



I would recommend you making the OEM manufacturer's Recovery DVD's or USB drive.
or
You can order the Microsoft official OEM Recovery disks from the OEM manufacturer's website.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Just some additional info. When I look at the files on the flash recovery I made, the 8 OS files are .swm files, so nothing is set up like in the past with 7 or below. Haven't really researched how to read and convert swm files.

Capture.JPG

Update: Never mind, swm is just another wim extension. Duh.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Just some additional info. When I look at the files on the flash recovery I made, the 8 OS files are .swm files, so nothing is set up like in the past with 7 or below. Haven't really researched how to read and convert swm files.

View attachment 34780

Update: Never mind, swm is just another wim extension. Duh.

The Install.wim is broken down for the FAT32 file size limit.

File Allocation Table - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I saw that after my post, thanks. Nice to learn something new each day. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
There is probably a hidden file called boot.wim on there. It is almost certainly winre.wim renamed to boot.wim. The real boot.wim has setup.exe etc for installing, winre.wim does not have that, but it does have the rejuvenation files for push button reset/refresh, which the real boot.wim does not.

That is different from windows 7 where setup.exe and full recovery options are present in both.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
There is probably a hidden file called boot.wim on there. It is almost certainly winre.wim renamed to boot.wim. The real boot.wim has setup.exe etc for installing, winre.wim does not have that, but it does have the rejuvenation files for push button reset/refresh, which the real boot.wim does not.

That is different from windows 7 where setup.exe and full recovery options are present in both.

There is a boot and efi folder in the root directory of the flash drive. Within those sub folders is a boot.sdi and bootx64.efi file. The efi folder has two directory sub-structure of "boot" and "microsoft".

Posting this for information is all in case anyone is interested. Can provide more detail if requested.

Capture.JPG

Curious if there would be any way to create a full recovery discs from these flash files? Guess I'm still a bit old school, I like my OS on DVD. I would think spanning the DVDs would be the big problem at 14GB.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
Yes, as expected. Boot.wim ( in reality winre.wim ) is likely to be a hidden file in the "sources" folder.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Thanks for the many responses all.

I was just able to create the OEM recovery discs (4 DVD's) using the VAIO care tool, would this be an indication that all is well on the recovery partition or is this a separate image taken from elsewhere?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
It must be from the recov partition, sounds like it is ok.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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