Burning another set of recovery discs HP Pavilion dv6-2150ee

[mammoharram]

I have just bought a new HP Pavilion dv6-2150ee and when I tried to burn the recovery discs I received an error message: "A set of recovery discs was previously created for this computer. Only one set is allowed for each computer", although I haven't created them before .

To burn another set of recovery discs I searched the internet and came up with editing\deleting the file "hpcd.sys" in both the recovery partition and in c:\Windows\SMINST\ folder, unfortunately I didn't find this files in either locations .

I need to burn the recovery discs

Thanks in advance

[jaclaz]

Most probably that was related to an old HP recovery system, used on XP based laptops.

The main brands have a special quirk for such things. (making crappy recovery partitions, providing not recovery media, providing not install media), HP is reknown for this and has already been sued (and lost) for this behaviour:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16343

http://web.archive.org/web/20060402204440/http://computersettlement.com/

You can buy the Recovery discs from HP, but I would call their support and try explaining them that you never burned the discs before, maybe they will believe you and give you a solution for free.

Of course it is not actually worth the time for it, but a new class action against this crappy behaviour wouldn't be so bad as I see it.

Look at the amount of crap they write here (an alternative to the creation of the DVD's):

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01890478&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=4110062

you are supposed to get a "good quality" 16 Gb USB flash stick and put it in a safe place and never use it only to hold the stupid backup they fail to provide in order to save a few cents in manufacturer's supplied DVD's:

Because the recovery manager files being created will be used to protect your computer for years to come, you should select a quality Flash Disk product made by a well known manufacturer. Store the recovery disk in a safe place away from the computer.

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

I've installed the Recovery Media Creator before but I've never used it, nor determined how it knows if the discs were burned already.

[mammoharram]

Thanks so much for the fast response and reply

The fist suggestion, I didn't get the point because some sites are temp. unavailable but I think it will not work, Because as you said it's related to an old HP recovery system.

I agree with you,jaclaz "Of course it is not actually worth the time for it, but a new class action against this crappy behaviour wouldn't be so bad as I see it"

About the alternative method using 16 GB USB flash stick, I tried this method and unfortunately I have got an error message "the recovery media for your system has been created before. please press cancel to exit the program".

In the same web page:

http://h10025.www1.h...product=4110062

One of the common problems that if "The recovery media for your system has been created before" the solution is:

If the notebook was previously owned, refer to purchasing media or place of purchase. If the notebook was not previously owned, contact HP to discuss this issue.

I will try to contact HP, but unsure what they are going to do .. So please keep helping to find a way to create another set of the recovery DVDs.

Thanks in advance

[jaclaz]

I tried this method and unfortunately

With all due respect , the "unfortunately" should be intended as "as expected" , the warning is clear enough on the given link:

• Only one copy of the recovery disk can be created.
  

If you have already created or attempted to make a recovery DVD, do not try to use the Flash Disk Utility.

the check if a previous backup has been made is clearly the same, doesn't matter if you try with the "normal" CD/DVD utility or with the USB stick one.

Sorry to beat your (sadly) dead horse, but you may notice how even "attempting" (which should imply "without succeeding") to create the media seems like triggering the "already made" flag or whatever that prevents you to create the recovery disk now .

I guess that HP Support is at the moment the only possible way out.

Generally speaking if you soothe them enough and then shout aloud enough you can get *something* from support, they may even believe your story!

I do understand how difficult is the work of the support guys, , but very often you find people that think you are calling them because you are a whiner and a lier (instead of one of their customers which payed a non-trivial amount of money to buy one of their firm products and are in deep trouble because they made a crappy decision to shave off what, US$ 3.00, from the value of the thingy you bought ) and that you are somehow attempting to *steal* something from them.

jaclaz

[iamtheky]

also check for

C:\Program Files (x86)\SMINST\hpcd.sys

or these two

c:\ProgramData\Hewlett-Packard\recovery\hpdrcu.prc

d:\hpdrcu.prc

as per comments on http://www.thefakegeek.com/2008/07/tweaks-make-more-then-one-recovery-disc-on-hps/

[cluberti]

I do understand how difficult is the work of the support guys, , but very often you find people that think you are calling them because you are a whiner and a lier (instead of one of their customers which payed a non-trivial amount of money to buy one of their firm products and are in deep trouble because they made a crappy decision to shave off what, US$ 3.00, from the value of the thingy you bought ) and that you are somehow attempting to *steal* something from them.

The only caveat is, say that HP sells ~18,700 PCs in 2009 (they did), and they save roughly $6.00 per unit (the licensing agreement from the vendor is cheaper if you provide recovery media only, and also you don't have to contract out minting and printing (and shipping) media as well). That's $112,000 more in a fiscal year that they've saved, at least on paper. I would wager it's probably far less if they have to deal with a lot of support requests related to the restore/repair partiton or media creation, but beancounters rarely take this into account when they push management to make these decisions. Support is already factored into the cost of some of the machines, with the intention that only a small percentage will actually use it (which is true). However, if support costs for these wipe out the meager savings you get by not providing media (or at least providing an easy way to get a replacement online or over an automated phone), then it would make sense to put the "savings" back into the support pool and buy the media.

As all of us who have or do work for large corporations know, sometimes they do the dumbest things to save a buck (and end up probably not saving much in the process anyway). For every good idea, there are likely any number of dumb ones that don't work.

[jaclaz]

Sure , nice calculations.

As I see it, you have to put into account that they do provide:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00810334&tmp_track_link=ot_recdoc/c01890478/en_us/c00810334/loc:1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=4110062

(though apparently not for that model - or at least I wasn't able to see the "CD-ROM order page - Recovery Discs" )

recovery CD/DVD's for something in the US$15÷20 range.

(You may also want to notice how the example dialog in the above shows that there is a drop down box for Quantity, which in plain English means that you can only create your recovery CD/DVD's once, but you can buy more than one copy with the same serial ).

Now, let's say that out of the 18,700 sales 1/3 is "Corporate" and will use their ways or have an IT to manage the PC's, 1/3 are home/office users that will manage to create the discs without problems, 1/4 won't care or will find another way and will never be heard.

This leaves us with 1/12 i.e. roughly 1,500 people that most probably will :

1. call support, let's say 1/2 hour of a support guy lost after this issue
   
2. lose 1 to 3 hours of their time to manage to order the stupid CD/DVD's
   
3. fork from some 20 bucks to get them
   
4. wait, say a week with an unusable computer for the discs to arrive
   

Of the above only #1 is of course at the OEM expense, but if you take into account:

• that the CD/DVD's will cost you more (producing a given DVD in, say 750 pieces for Vista and 750 for 7 will cost much more per unit than producing 7,500)
  
• that you need a place where to keep these CD (unless someone burns them on order )
  
• that you need an inventory of them
  
• that probably you either underestimated or overestimated the yearly amount of pieces needed, and you will either need to pay for them more or to dispose the ones you didn't sell (and you also have to do it "safely" to avoid problems with MS)
  
• that someone has to phisycally get the CD/DVD's, package and send them
  
• that the mail will want a few dimes for delivering
  

I doubt that the 15 bucks will cover the costs.

However, this way they get 1,500 angry customers each year, which (unless they are complete morons) will tell all their friends and relatives how crappy it was the method chosen, which is not unlikely that will double the number of people that next year (or two years after) could have become HP Customers and will instead choose another brand because of this "accident", thus losing maybe 3,000 possible customers of their new notebook.

Now, does it sound smart in the long run?

jaclaz

[cluberti]

No, and I'm all for giving users tools to help them troubleshoot (if possible) and avoid the service calls, because a few dollars up front is much easier to budget for than an unknown number of dollars later. Plus, people are expensive, but a user's time (speaking as the OEM) is not - give them media and instructions on how to use it, and I'd bet it'd be a good-will gesture and a money saver overall.

[mammoharram]

Sorry for my late response, I was outside the city last days

To jaclaz, . Yes I know it's stupid thing to do something you know it will not success but when you have no hope to solve a problem, you may do the thing twice hoping to succeed in the second try, In my case one of the guesses is that may be a problem with the recovery Disc creation program, so may it works with HP USB Recovery Flash Disk Utility anyway it doesn't work I mean Unfortunately hahahahahaha =)) .

Thank you jaclaz .

To iamtheky, I will try this method and give you the feedback. I already found that two files hpdrcu.prc.

thanks in advance.

[jaclaz]

I already found that two files hpdrcu.prc.

Good.

That should mean that you have "version B" of the Recovery disc making program, and thus it should be reset by removing them.

Obviously keep on the safe side and don't delete them at first try, rather rename or move them somewhere else, you never know.

jaclaz

[mammoharram]

Obviously keep on the safe side and don't delete them at first try, rather rename or move them somewhere else, you never know.

Yes I already moved these 2 files in 2 different save places, but for sorry in a place that I know ..... lol.

A GOOD NEWS :D : After I deleted these two files I can now create the Recovery Discs... finally I have a set of my Laptop Recovery Disc. . this method works Thanks iamtheky So much.

Thanks jaclaz so much.

Thank you all Guys in advance.

With all my Regards and Appreciation for help.

[jaclaz]

Only too happy you managed to get it done.

jaclaz