●If you are creating recovery discs, be sure to use high-quality discs. It is normal for the system to reject defective discs. You will be prompted to insert a new blank disc to try again.

●The number of discs in the recovery-disc set depends on your computer model (typically 3 to 6 DVDs). The Recovery Media Creation program tells you the specific number of blank discs needed to make the set. If you are using a USB flash drive, the program will tell you the size of the drive required to store all the data (minimum of 8 GB).

NOTE: The process of creating recovery media is lengthy. You can quit the process at any time. The next time you initiate the process, it resumes where it left off.

Creating recovery media

To create recovery discs:

1.Close all open programs.

2.Click the Start button, click All Programs, click Security and Protection, and then click HP Recovery Media Creation. If prompted, click Yes to allow the program to continue.

3.Click Create recovery media using blank DVD(s), and then click Next.

4.Follow the on-screen instructions. Label each disc as you make it (for example, Recovery 1, Recovery 2), and then store the discs in a secure place.

To create a recovery USB flash drive:

NOTE: You must use a flash drive with a capacity of at least 8 GB.

1.Close all open programs.

2.Insert the USB flash drive into a USB port on the computer.

3.Click the Start button, click All Programs, click Security and Protection, and then click Recovery Media Creation.

4.Click Create recovery media with a USB flash drive, and then click Next.

5.Select the USB flash drive from the list of media. The program will let you know how much storage is required to create the recovery drive. If the USB flash drive does not have enough storage capacity, it will appear grayed out, and you must replace it with a larger USB flash drive. Click Next.

NOTE: Recovery Media Creation formats the flash drive, deleting any files on it.

6.Follow the on-screen instructions. When the process is complete, label the USB flash drive and store it in a secure place.

NOTE: Do not use media cards for creating recovery media. The system may not be able to boot up from a media card and you may not be able to run system recovery.

314 Chapter 14 Backup and Recovery