Good information, thanks 
There's another potential problem I mention to anyone thinking of buying a new (eg Windows 8) computer and that is to make sure it has the sub-current version of Windows 8 factory installed and that they don't sell you as 8.1 an 8.0 machine and if queried say that the upgrade is free .....
When you do the upgrade it "may not" (I'm almost positive it will not) upgrade the Restore to Factory Condition partition you get on most computers and you won't be able to make upgraded recovery media (although of course you could make an image).
So if you do have to do a Restore to Factory Condition you will have to go through the upgrade procedure again from scratch.
Anyone thinking of buying about now really should wait until the 8.1 Update version trickles down to newly purchased computers -- part of it may be already since a friend bought a new HP laptop a couple of weeks ago and it was delivered already set to boot to the desktop and not the startscreen -- that's an optional setting in 8.1 but in the 8.1 Update MS is presetting it to ON .....
" When you do the upgrade it "may not" (I'm almost positive it will not) upgrade the Restore to Factory Condition partition you get on most computers and you won't be able to make upgraded recovery media (although of course you could make an image)."
Hi Hugh,
It's 110% sure that the recovery partition will not be upgraded as it's a hidden partition. (not appearing on "My Computer").
Regards,
Apostolos wrote:" When you do the upgrade it "may not" (I'm almost positive it will not) upgrade the Restore to Factory Condition partition you get on most computers and you won't be able to make upgraded recovery media (although of course you could make an image)."
Hi Hugh,
It's 110% sure that the recovery partition will not be upgraded as it's a hidden partition. (not appearing on "My Computer").
Regards,
You haven't seen some HP computers on which it does show up on MyComputer and is labeled Recovery ....
That's why I try not to make dogmatic statements on things I've not experienced and since my Windows 8/8.1 experience is self installed and multibooted .....
I happen to believe you are right but not for that reason since the partition is not hidden from Windows -- see Disk Management -- and what's in it can be accessed from the All Programs menu (or equivalent in 8)
A clever prgrammer should be able to write software to upgrade the recovery partition but I doubt it would be economically justified.
Hi Hugh,
I didn't know it was visible on some HP pc's.
On my 2 Sony laptops, it is seen in Disk Management but it doesn't let you open or access it from Windows Explorer unless: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/675143-how-recover-bundled-applications-like-adobe-suite-powerdvd-etc-sonys-hidden-recovery-partition.html
Regards,
From your link << it bothered me a lot that SONY insists that we should lose our access >>
Clearly a Sony decision not a Windows "feature".
My reference to "some HP" was an eg based on recent experience. That partition is definitely not always hidden.
Clearly a Sony decision not a Windows "feature"."
Very correct & ultra annoying from Sony's part. :-(
" My reference to "some HP" was an eg based on recent experience. That partition is definitely not always hidden. "
Thank you for the info, good to know for future reference.
Regards,