8 Backup and recovery

Recovering system information

Recovery after a system failure is as complete as your most current backup. HP recommends that you
create recovery discs immediately after software setup. As you add new software and data files, you
should continue to back up your system on a regular basis to maintain a reasonably current backup.
Tools provided by the operating system and Recovery Manager software are designed to help you with
the following tasks for safeguarding your information and restoring it in case of a system failure:
●Making a set of recovery discs (Recovery Manager software feature). Recovery discs are used to
start up (boot) your computer and restore the operating system and software programs to factory
settings in case of system failure or instability.
●Backing up your information regularly to protect your important system files.
●Creating system restore points (operating system feature). System restore points allow you to
reverse undesirable changes to your computer by restoring the computer to an earlier state.
●Recovering a program or driver (Recovery Manager software feature). This feature helps you
reinstall a program or driver without performing a full system recovery.
●Performing a full system recovery (Recovery Manager software feature). With Recovery Manager,
you can recover your full factory image if you experience system failure or instability. Recovery
Manager works from a dedicated recovery partition (select models only) on the hard drive or from
recovery discs you create.
NOTE: If your computer includes a solid-state drive (SSD), you may not have a recovery partition.
Recovery discs have been included for computers that do not have a partition. Use these discs to
recover your operating system and software. To check for the presence of a recovery partition,
select Start > Computer. If the partition is present, an HP Recovery drive is listed in the Hard Disk
Drives section of the window.

Backing up your information

When to back up
●On a regularly scheduled basis
NOTE: Set reminders to back up your information periodically.
●Before the computer is repaired or restored
●Before you add or modify hardware or software
124 Chapter 8 Backup and recovery