Hi, I searched before asking and although I found somethings, alot of it left me uncertain and with questions so I figured I should ask.

Well, here's the problem; I have a hp pavilion dv9000 that uses Windows Vista. My computer was factory made so no disks of any kind came shipped with it, it's all on a recovery partition. I have tried to use system recovery via the ways HP provides; Recovery manager, F11 on start up and creating my own recovery disks. None of these worked, even my recovery disks stopped somewhere along the way with an error.

I would like to know if there is any way UCB can help me do a system recovery and restore my computer to factory settings? I know it can wipe drives, but I'm not sure if I should get rid of everything because then how would I put my OS back on. Is there some program(s) that will clean my computer and put my OS back on it?

Thanks for any and all help and I hope I gave enough information.

UBCD does not contain any OS installation data...so you could not use just UBCD to format and reinstall windows vista.

If you have tried the HP recovery tool by pressing f11 and it didn't get you anywhere, you may try calling HP and telling them your situation, and saying the recovery partition failed, asking for a disc you could use to reformat and install vista with. They may charge you shipping and a very small few, but atleast you will have the disc.

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I'm well aware that UBCD has no installation files, I was just wondering if there was anyway it could somehow 'jumpstart' my D drive which has my recovery partition and force the system recovery.

I plan on ordering the proper recovery disks for my model but even then.. kinda skeptical about those even working. Was just seeing if there were any other options.

Thank you for your time.

Any specific error message?

What happened or what did you do, that requires a reset to default settings.
(I know from experience that the recovery solution on my PC didn't like the partition resizings that I did.)

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More information would be handy as suggested.

But the OEM disc they will send you, will format the machine and basically put it back to the way it was on first install of the OS, possible with or without the recovery option/partition. So it is a good investment if you are planning on keeping the computer for quite some time...if you arent...you could take out the HDD or DOD format it and resell the computer without OS and buy a new laptop.

Offtopic:


LOL...did it error on you? or did it say not enough space for...blah blah blah..and did you eventually just format and install linux and that's where you are today? Always hated recovery software....good ole full backups always are best IMO.

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Sorry for the delayed response, I wanted to wait until I needed to restart my comp again since power down/up time is horrific.

I got 'Windows has failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem..' Then it proceeds to give me a few steps on how to fix it via a Windows installation dis.

At the bottom it gives me the error:

Status:0xc000000f
Info: The boot selection failed because a required device is inaccessible.

I wish to reformat because Windows likes to randomly shut down, move slow until restart or not allow me to open any programs, saying the file is invalid or something to that effect; I also really just want to have a fresh start on my computer and have backed up what little I want to save.

I would like to point out that with the new information, it could be a virus of some kind that caused dmg to your system and you may not have to replace the drive, but no matter what you will have to reinstall Windows. What I would do is check the drive for errors and bad sectors using the HDD tools on UBCD, and running the correct HDD program depending on what drive manufacturer you have BEFORE reinstalling windows to check if the drive is bad. You will know if the HDD is bad by the test failing, not completing, by have many Bad Sectors on the drive...more than say 10-15, or any attempt to repair the HDD fails.

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Visit the UBCD Wiki: http://wiki.ultimatebootcd.com
Please check your UBCD ISO MD5 Hash Sum; May prevent issues later on by not having an exact copy.

Currently Working on Common Issues and Repair Tips on the Wiki.

Thanks, I checked my HDD using the correct tools and it found a problem, but with an extended scan it was able to fix it. I have just received my recovery discs so I'll be using those tonight or so. Thank you both for the information and your help.

Out of curiosity, what was the problem that UBCD's HD tools found? The reason I ask is because if your HD has bad sectors then there could be a HW problem that will get worse over time and it may be worth replacing your HD altogether.

I don't recall it telling me what the problem was, although I know it didn't mention any bad sectors; if it did give me a specific problem I have forgotten.The problem came up with a quick scan, if that matters any.