Windows 10: Do I need 3 recovery partitions.

Hi,

I have 3 recovery partitions (see screen below).
Recently, I created a recovery drive, installation media and Image Backup + rescue media using Macrium Reflect onto a external hard drive and FD's.

I cannot identify the creation date of these partitions.
I would like to delete unnecessary recovery partitions on my L: C:\ drive.

Can someone tell me if I can safely delete the partition having 7.20GB?
Or is this MS factory backup Partition?

Thanks.
TC.

:)

 

Recovery Partition upgrading to Windows 10

My laptop came with windows 7 installed with 3 partitions:

System, Active, Primary Partition (200MB)

Recovery Partition (16GB)

Windows Partition (Boot, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)

I replaced the hard disk and did a clean installation of windows 10. It created 3 partitions by default:

Recovery Partition (450MB)

EFI System Partition (100MB)

Windows Partition (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Primary Partition)

Do I need to migrate the 200MB and 16GB partitions in windows 7 to windows 10 manually? Thanks!

 

Recovery Partitions...with win 10 what good are they?

There are several types of recovery partition - not sure which one you're referring to.

FWIW I do not use any recovery partition. Instead, I make daily images of my C: drive. If I ever need to recover my computer - and believe me, I've needed to - I just restore an image.

I'm not advocating this, but here's what I did with my computer: After I pressed the power button for the very first time, and after Windows was finished setting up, the whole 'out of box experience,' I made an image of my C: drive. Who needs a recovery
partition in that case? I ended up deleting my computer's recovery partition and reclaimed the space into my C: drive.

So who does need a recovery partition, in my esteemed and highly sought-after opinion? People who don't know about disk imaging or aren't real good with computers to begin with, so they need a simple 3-step solution to recovery their computers. The problem
with that solution is that recovery partitions are easily corrupted by users or otherwise.

 

The 7.2gb recovery partition contains the factory image of the software that came with the computer off the shelf. You can delete it if you are happy with the Windows 10 upgrade. There are three partitions that you need to keep (and some of those functions may be combined into the same partition so you may need even less than 3).

You need the partition marked as "active" because that contains the boot files. You need the partition the Windows operating system is on. And you should (but don't have to) keep the recovery partition that contains the Windows RE (recovery environment) currently in use by Windows 10. You can find out which partition contains the Windows RE by opening an elevated ("run as administrator") command prompt and entering:
reagentc /info

You are probably going to see partition 5 as the WindowsRE location - which is the 450 MB recovery partition.

To reclaim the 7.2 gb space you are going to want to install Minitool Partition Wizard. Delete the 7.2gb recovery partition, move the 450mb recovery partition to the end of the disk, then expand the C: partition to fill the empty space.

 

Just a thought. Wouldn't the Factory recovery partition be the most favourite to keep.?

 

Make image backup of pc now, and then you can revert if you everr need it.

 

Right on. That, combined with keeping the factory reset. Max security.

 

Personal preference. I see no need in keeping the factory recovery images.

 

I agree. Bit I have found it the ultimate life save from time to time

 

The factory recovery partition would be the last partition that I delete - even if I had an image. Theory of 2 backups.

 

@tomx2 :

I'm going to guess you have a Dell, based on seeing what I guess is the 40 MB Dell diagnostics partition. If Dell Backup and Recovery is still intact (since you upgraded to Win10) and it can see that Dell factory restore partition, you can make separate factory restore media (DVD, USB flash drive, or USB external HDD) using DBAR and THEN no reason to fret over whether to keep the 7.2 GB partition, just be gone with it.

Saving a full disk image to have for fallback, is also a good alternative, but having that separate factory restore media tucked away separately, independently bootable and fully functional on its own is a bit better, IMO, for giving a more direct path to Out-of-the-Box state.

Getting the separate factory restore media made (and freeing up 7.2 GB of your disk space) PLUS having a full disk image and generic Windows install media (as you've already made) is the best of both worlds, IMO.

 

@Word Man.


This is the OP.
I have a DellLatitude & Xps13.
The InstallationMedia FD, I mention in my original post, will this perform a full“ Dell Factory Image” restore?
This was the linkused to create a Installation media:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/window...-media-upgrade


Thanks.
TC.

 

Hi, TC.

No, that will give you a generic clean install of Windows. There will be nothing Dell related on that. Since you've already opened the box and turned the Latitude on, nothing but the Dell factory restore partition (or separate media made from that with Dell Backup and Recovery) will get you to Dell's Out-of-the-Box state.

That being said, carefully consider what others posted before me in this thread and make up your own mind. There is something to be said for always being able to do factory restore but, then again, some would view that as something they might not necessarily want and are OK with sticking with fully generic and clean MS Windows installs.

 

If you fresh install Windows 10 on a GPT disk (UEFI boot mode enabled), it does create an EFI, MRS (won't show in Disk Management), Recovery, and C: drive. If you install Windows 10 on an MBR disk, it only needs System Reserved partition and C: drive. When you upgrade Windows 8.1 to 10, Windows 10 will create a recovery partition if your system reserved partition (MBR disk) or Recovery Partition doesn't have enough disk space. As you know, Windows can only shrink a partition from the right side, so the 450 MB recovery partition is new created Windows 10 recovery partition, which should not be deleted if you want to use recovery options.

the 7.2GB must be factory recovery partition. From Microsoft http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...ade-windows-10, under "Can i go back to my old operating system", "Note: If the manufacturer set up your PC to run from a compressed Windows image file (also known as Windows image file boot or WIMBoot) and included the option to restore factory settings, that option will no longer be available after you upgrade to Windows 10."