HP PCs - Recovering your computer from a USB flash drive

note:

For more information about saving a recovery image to a USB flash drive, see Creating Recovery Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 8).

1. Turn on the computer, and insert the USB flash drive into a USB port.
2. Press and hold the power button turn off the computer.
3. Disconnect all connected devices and cables such as Personal Media Drives, printers, and faxes. Remove media from internal drives, and remove any recently added internal hardware. Do not disconnect the monitor, keyboard, mouse, USB recovery flash drive, or power cord.
4. Immediately press the Escape key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Startup Menu opens.
   
5. Press F9 to open the Boot Device Options menu.
6. Use the up or down arrow key to select the USB flash drive, and then press Enter.

   note:

   If you cannot select the USB flash drive from the Boot Menu, disable Secure Boot and enable Legacy Mode in BIOS. For detailed instructions, see the Disabling Secure Boot on a notebook computer (Windows 8) section in this document.

7. A window might display, prompting you to choose whether to run Recovery Manager from the hard disk or from the USB drive inserted. If this window displays, select Run program from media, and then click Next.
   
8. Follow the on-screen instructions to back up your data and recover your computer.
9. Once the recovery and setup are complete, turn off the computer, reconnect all devices and cables, and then turn on the computer.
10. Before using the computer, update and protect your computer. Reinstall any virus and security software that was installed before the system recovery.
11. Reinstall any software programs that were added after purchasing the computer, as well as any files that were backed up.

1. Use one of the following methods to open the Computer Setup Utility.
   • Turn on the computer and immediately press the F10 key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Computer Setup Utility opens.
   • Turn on the computer and immediately press the Escape key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Startup menu opens. Then press F10.
   Press the left or right arrow keys to navigate the menus. Use the up or down arrow keys to move through the list of items on the menu screen. Press the Enter key to select an item and open a submenu. Then use the left and right arrow keys to modify the settings. Press the F10 key to save the changes and exit from a submenu, or press the Esc key to exit from a submenu without saving the changes.
2. Use the right arrow key to choose the System Configuration menu, use the down arrow key to select Boot Options, and then press Enter.
   
   
3. Use the down arrow key to select Secure Boot, press the Enter key, and then use the down arrow key to modify the setting to Disable.
4. The Computer Setup Utility closes and the computer restarts. When the computer has restarted, the Operating System Boot Mode Change screen displays, prompting you to confirm the Boot Options change. Type the code shown on the screen, and then press Enter to confirm the change.
5. Use the left arrow key to select the File menu, use the down arrow key to select Save Changes and Exit, and then press Enter to select Yes.
   The Computer Setup Utility closes and the computer restarts.
6. When the computer has restarted, use the power button to turn the computer off.

note:

For more information about saving a recovery image to a USB flash drive, see Creating Recovery Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 8).

1. Turn on the computer, and then insert the USB flash drive into a USB port.
2. Press and hold the power button to turn off the computer.
3. Disconnect all connected devices and cables such as Personal Media Drives, printers, and faxes. Remove media from internal drives, and then remove any recently added internal hardware. Do not disconnect the monitor, keyboard, mouse, USB recovery flash drive, or power cord.
4. Turn on the computer.
5. Immediately press the Escape key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Startup Menu opens.
6. Press F9 to open the Boot Device Options menu.
7. Use the up or down arrow key to select the recovery USB device, and then press Enter.

   note:

   If you cannot select the USB flash drive from the Boot Menu, disable Secure Boot and enable Legacy Mode in BIOS. For detailed instructions, see the Disabling Secure Boot and enabling Legacy Boot on a Desktop Computer (Windows 8) section in this document.

8. A window might display, prompting you to choose whether to run Recovery Manager from the hard disk or from the media inserted. If this window displays, select Run program from media, and then click Next.
   
9. Under I need help immediately, click System Recovery.
   
10. On the next screen, select Yes to confirm that you want to restore your computer to its original factory condition, and then click Next to continue.
    
11. When System Recovery prompts you to back up your files, select one of the following options:
    • If you have already backed up personal files or you do not want to back up personal files, select Recover without backing up your files, and then click Next, and then continue to the next step.
    • If you want to back up your personal files, follow these steps to create a backup.
      1. Select Back up your files first (recommended), and then click Next.
         
      2. Select one of the following file selection methods to use to create your backup files.
         • Auto Selection
           1. Select Auto Selection, and then click Next.
              
           2. Uncheck the files types that you do not wish to back up, and then click Next.
              The computer scans the selected files.
              
         • User Selection
           1. Select User Selection, and then click Next.
              
           2. Select whether or not you would like to compress your files.
              
           3. Click Browse Files, and then select the files that you wish to back up.
           4. After you have selected all the desired files, click Next.
              Recovery Manager scans the computer for storage devices.
           5. Select the storage device to save the backup, and then click Next.
              
      3. Depending on the media selected to store the backup files, the computer prompts you to insert a blank disc or a USB flash drive. Insert the USB flash drive into the computer, and then click Next.
         
      4. Recovery Manager displays the progress in backing up and burning the files to the backup media.
         
      5. When Recovery Manager is finished backing up files, remove the backup disc or storage device, and then click Next to continue the recovery process.

         note:

         If the backup process fails, make sure the capacity of the storage device is large enough to store the files, or try de-selecting some file types to reduce the amount of files that you want to copy. File corruption might also cause backups to fail. In some cases, it might not be possible to save files using this backup method.

         
12. Click Next. A message displays warning you that all devices should be disconnected from the computer. Be sure all devices, except the recovery flash drive, are disconnected, and then click OK.
    
    
13. Read and respond to the screens as they display. The restoration progress displays.
    
14. Remove the USB flash drive from the USB port.
15. Click Finish to restart your computer.
    
16. Depending on the model of your computer, the computer either shuts off or restarts. If the computer shuts off, wait five seconds, and then turn on the computer.
17. Complete Windows setup when the screens display.
18. Once Windows setup is complete, turn off the computer, reconnect all devices and cables, and then turn on the computer.
19. Before using the computer, update and protect your computer. Reinstall any virus and security software that was installed before the system recovery.
20. Reinstall any software programs that were added after purchasing the computer, as well as any files that were backed up.

1. Turn off the computer.
2. Turn on the computer and immediately press the F10 key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Computer Setup Utility opens.
3. Use the left and right arrow keys to select the Security menu, then use the up and down arrow keys to select Secure Boot Configuration, and then press Enter.
   
4. The Secure Boot Configuration warning displays. Press F10 to continue.
   
5. Use the up and down arrow keys to select Secure Boot, and then use the left and right arrow keys to change the setting to Disable.
   
6. Use the up and down arrow keys to select Legacy Support, and then use the left and right arrow keys to change the setting to Enable.
7. Press F10 to accept the changes.
8. Press F10 again, and then press Enter twice to restart the computer.
   
9. As soon as the computer starts, a message displays indicating that the boot mode has changed.
   
10. Type the four-digit code shown in the message, and then press Enter to confirm the change.

    note:

    No text field displays for the code. This is expected behavior. When you type the numbers, the code is logged without a text field.

    The computer starts Windows 8.