Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Recovery partitions are created not by Windows or Microsoft, but by computer manufacturers. As a result they rarely get upgraded when Windows does.
I plan on updating to Windows 7. My question is when I upgrade what happens to the recovery partition of my laptop? Does it get upgraded as well or do I just reformat it and free up the space? Other suggestions?
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I don't know.
It's not that I don't have some guesses (I'll share those in a moment), it's just that there's no standard for what should even be on a recovery partition, much less what might happen to it when you upgrade.
It's one more reason I really, really dislike recovery partitions.
It'll also depend on where you get your copy of Windows 7.
Let me run through the two scenarios and my alternative.
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The Recovery Partition
The recovery partition is not produced by Microsoft and is not a part of Windows. Rather, it's created by the computer manufacturer. And of course there are probably about as many different kinds of recovery partitions as there are computer manufacturers.
I believe recovery partitions exist for two primary reasons:
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To make recovery easier or faster. Simply rebooting and choosing some kind of recover option is a pretty fast and easy way to restore your machine to its initial configuration.
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To save the cost of shipping you additional installation media, such as a Windows installation DVD or the media required to install all the other software that comes with the machine.
Unfortunately, recovery partitions suffer from what is in my opinion a fatal flaw: they live on the hard disk. If that hard disk ever dies (and they do), you have nothing. No operating system, no data and no installation media with which to start over.
The Ideal: The Recovery Partition Gets Upgraded
If you get your new operating system from the same manufacturer as your computer, and if that manufacturer chooses to update their installation process to do it, they could actually update the data on your recovery partition to the new OS as well.
I'm not aware of any manufacturer that does this.
Not a one.
The Common: Nothing Happens
Typically the recovery partition is left untouched by an operating system upgrade.
In fact, if you get your Windows upgrade from anywhere but your computer's manufacturer it's the only possible result. No one knows how that recovery partition is set up except for the manufacturer that set it up in the first place.
What you'll be left with is a recovery partition that, if you use it, will recover your machine back to its initial state: the original version of Windows that was on the machine when you got it. You'll need to perform your Windows 7 upgrade all over after the recovery is complete.
At least you'll probably have the Windows 7 upgrade media to do so.
The Alternatives
I'd delete the partition, myself.
However...
With or without the partition, and even with or without the upgrade, you need to be prepared for the partition to not be there.
Like I said, the partition is on your hard disk. That's convenient, but what if the hard disk dies completely, taking all of your data, your OS and the recovery partition with it?
You replace the hard drive and then what? There's no recovery partition, and no installation media.
You're S.O.L. (Severely Out of Luck).
Prepare first:
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If you can, get the installation media to be able to install from scratch onto a completely empty hard disk.
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Take an image backup as soon as you can when you get the machine, or after performing the upgrade. This will act as the ultimate restore point - you can always restore the machine to this state should you ever need to.
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Backup regularly.
If you do any of those, but particularly the image backup, you're freed of any requirement that the recovery partition even exist, no matter what's on it.
Which is why I delete the partition and increase the usable space on my hard disk for other things.
Article C4701 - January 10, 2011 « »
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
January 12, 2011 1:40 PM
Due to my habit of never letting my poor abused machine rest when it comes to "tinkering" with the O.S. I have come to know my recovery partition very well indeed,haha. And yes I would very much like to see the partition updated, because due to the unsigned wifi drivers Toshiba so thoughtfully used in my machine, I must first install from the partition(or disc's I made)(Vista) and then upgrade. 45 minutes for the O.S. then up to FOUR hours for the bloat/cr*pware from Toshiba. Oh, lets not forget the many hours of updating Vista before I can even start to upgrade! My next machine WILL come with the original O.S. disc's or I will not buy it. I am tired of spending up to 12/14 HOURS just to reinstall a O.S.! I have plenty of space on my internal HDD so space is not the issue with me, but the wasted time I've spent just because the machines maker wants to load me up with garbage via a recovery partition(and no original discs) is outrageous.
January 12, 2011 5:41 PM
I have been through the torment of reloading windows from the recovery partition and to be honest I think its a waste of space and time.
As stated earlier all it does is restore to crap the manufacture gives you , norton trial etc etc.
I discovered Norton Ghost and it has become my best friend. If you restore your computer from the original backup , up date all the drivers and reinstall all your important software( not crap )
then you can install Norton Ghost and create a recovery backup.
what has taken hours to set up now only takes 30 minutes or so to restore with norton ghost.
Make a cup of tea and its done while you drink it .this image will work on computers of the same specs as i have tested it on two dell systems I own . Hope this has been of some help. Love your site Leo
January 13, 2011 7:44 PM
I have to agree with Indianacarnie. There is no reason to buy a machine if you are not able to purchase the OS and Driver installation media. If you can't get them when you purchase your new machine, DON'T buy the machine. The disks are a convenient way to reinstall drivers if they become corrupt, repair parts of your OS if they need it and, as Leo points out, the ONLY way of repairing your computer if the HDD fails. I am a big fan of regularly (every year or so) backing up all my files and reformatting. It can't hurt and it is refreshing to have the opportunity to decide what you want to reinstall after it is reformatted. You will be surprised what you will choose to reinstall when you have a 2nd chance.
Thanks for presenting that question, Leo. It was a great opportunity to vent about restoration partitions.
January 14, 2011 12:08 PM
One thing to keep in mind as well... I put Window 7 on a Vista computer but kept the recovery, I didn't partition it in because that machine is getting older and one day I plan on giving it to someone, but I know I will want to keep that copy of Windows 7. I will give them the computer with Vista on it... Just something to keep in mind if in your future, you want to keep the OS, but not necessarily the computer...
August 31, 2012 9:00 AM
I like recovery partitions. They are so much quicker and easier. I normally just uninstall the stuff that I don't want once it has all gone back on. It doesn't take that long to do. I have a recovery partition on both my XP PC and my Windows 7 Laptop and I would much rather have them there to having a disc, which just takes up space and could end up being lost. It only takes ten minutes to reinstall XP from the partition and I can even keep my files and programs too.