No recovery partition in Windows 10

[glennd]

According to this article
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/windows-10-will-return-up-to-15gb-of-hard-drive-space-to-pc-users
Windows 10 will not have a recovery partition, as we currently understand it.

Microsoft says Windows 10 no longer needs to create a separate recovery image

“We are also redesigning Windows’ Refresh and Reset functionalities to no longer use a separate recovery image (often preinstalled by manufacturers today) in order to bring Windows devices back to a pristine state,” Microsoft’s Windows Team wrote.

“This reduces Windows’ storage footprint further as the recovery image on typical devices can range in size from 4GB to 12GB, depending on the make and model.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/...d-drive-space-to-pc-users#DVRTQyXxfmxPr1Lb.99

So how will a reset/refresh be done? If they simply have a compressed file on the active partition, surely that can't be a good thing? Relying on an internet connection surely can't be a good thing?

 

[katz]

I didn't read the article...is there the provision to make a set of recovery media, or is that gone too?

 

[NYJimbo]

According to this article
http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/windows-10-will-return-up-to-15gb-of-hard-drive-space-to-pc-users
Windows 10 will not have a recovery partition, as we currently understand it.

So how will a reset/refresh be done? If they simply have a compressed file on the active partition, surely that can't be a good thing? Relying on an internet connection surely can't be a good thing?

Yeah, I mean it has to come from somewhere. I got a feeling they are going to use the internet to do it. Small bootstrap loader thingy, get your networking going and then pull in images from the internet. The only other way would be to put them on a NVRAM/PROM on the mobo but that would mean it would only work for pre-loaded machines or machines that had some kind of chip based storage you could address as bootable. I vaguely recall this is how you reload a Chromebook, that is you do some little preloaded chunk and then go on the web to pull down the full image. I guess we have to wait and see.

 

[phaZed]

I agree with NYJimbo's assessment.

It would be easy to have a small 10MB ISO to boot from to hop online and complete the download and installation.

 

[NYJimbo]

When you really think about it we are moving into a new way of distributing software. Sure, we have been downloading stuff for several decades now, but we may be entering a time when you buy a computer with nothing but a tiny "generic" core O/S and an empty drive. You boot up your computer, it phones home, you sit around for 15 minutes and you have the latest O/S.

"Drive C:" as we know it now will be owned by the O/S and "Drive D:" and all other drives are the end users/client data drives. I'm sure its more complicated than that when you consider how installed programs use "C" and "D", but I think we are heading towards an environment where replacing your computer is just a matter of getting a new machine, updating it to the latest O/S, syncing your apps and data to your local hard drive or cloud storage and you are back in business.

 

[MichaelBits]

Read the MS blog for more details on how it works.
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/03/16/how-windows-10-achieves-its-compact-footprint/

Snippet:

Recovery is lightweight and efficient
Without a separate recovery image, the Refresh and Reset functionalities will instead rebuild the operating system in place using runtime system files. Not only does this take up less disk space, it also means you will not have a lengthy list of operating system updates to reinstall after recovering your device.

Even though Windows no longer requires a separate recovery image, Windows can still recover a device from severe corruption. With Windows 10, you can create your own recovery media and back up the pristine state of the operating system and preinstalled software. If things go wrong and you are unable to refresh or reset your device successfully, you can boot the device using recovery media and reset to the prior pristine state.

 

[AndyM]

Agree with Jimbo. With new Macs now, if you need to re-install the O/S, you do it over an active internet connection. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft went the same way.

Andy

 

[NYJimbo]

"Even though Windows no longer requires a separate recovery image, Windows can still recover a device from severe corruption."

 

[FremontPC]

Can't you just smell the revenue...

 

[phaZed]

Agree with Jimbo. With new Macs now, if you need to re-install the O/S, you do it over an active internet connection. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft went the same way.

Andy

Sorry to be a stickler.. you guys know me.. Linux has been doing this for longer than Mac, so in fairness.. Mac did it because of Linux?

No, rather, MS is moving along with technology, not following the leader, as are the others.

 

[glennd]

Can't you just smell the revenue...

I can smell something...

 

[NJW]

Linux has been doing this for longer than Mac

As an option. I can use a netinstall .iso for fully-updated, or download either the desktop system as a DVD image or a full set of the whole repository. (Or mirror the repository, if I want.)

Of course, I can move a system drive to different hardware without all that Sysprep malarkey, too.

I can smell something...

Yeah, me too.

 

[mr m]

It appears that Win 10 will use onboard runtime system files to rebuild itself. There is still the option to create recovery media. Compression will also be utilized if the systems hardware can handle it.

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/03/16/how-windows-10-achieves-its-compact-footprint/

 

[citizensmith]

Just who makes backup recovery discs in userland ?

 

[glennd]

Just who makes backup recovery discs in userland ?

moi! you can't have too much backup i say. win 8 doesn't create disks so that's thumb drives every new box that comes in i'll create the recovery media and tell the customer to file that in a *safe* place or in some cases i'll file it for them.

 

[citizensmith]

... but you are special
How many % of normal ie not techie users make recoverey media? I have met someone who tried to do it with CDs not DVD but got bored.

 

[Davena]

Agree with Jimbo. With new Macs now, if you need to re-install the O/S, you do it over an active internet connection. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft went the same way.

Andy

^^^^^^ Could not agree more.

 

[JustInspired]

"Even though Windows no longer requires a separate recovery image, Windows can still recover a device from severe corruption."

LOL. Nice collection of emoticons Jimbo.

 

[glennd]

... but you are special
How many % of normal ie not techie users make recoverey media? I have met someone who tried to do it with CDs not DVD but got bored.

I know, my mum thinks so too
i've never met anyone that even knows what recovery media/partition means... until the hdd dies and i ask them if they have the recovery disks?

 

[citizensmith]

Often get requests to remove that annoying pop-up - reminder to make recovery on Vista & w7 systems