Will HP recovery software delete my partitions?

[parsifal]

I am about to fully reinstall my XP. The problem is I have HP Pavilion (the last time I will ever invest in a HP) which was distributed without any original XP cd.
Manual says it will delete ALL the files on the drive, but does this actually mean that it will just format C: or will it modify the partition table also (I have divided the original large into smaller ones)?

Rats. I could as well start distributing high-end PCs with "fully optimized Linux"es, actually meaning that only motd would be installed. Or I could sell cars without keys. If one would actually want to drive the car... It's a wonder this piece of * doesn't have any sort of self destruction procedure activating when user actually alters any settings.

[hudsonsmith]

High probability. Back up whatever you can't afford to lose, or get an xp cd.

[TripleRLtd]

I am about to fully reinstall my XP. The problem is I have HP Pavilion (the last time I will ever invest in a HP) which was distributed without any original XP cd.
Manual says it will delete ALL the files on the drive, but does this actually mean that it will just format C: or will it modify the partition table also (I have divided the original large into smaller ones)?

Rats. I could as well start distributing high-end PCs with "fully optimized Linux"es, actually meaning that only motd would be installed. Or I could sell cars without keys. If one would actually want to drive the car... It's a wonder this piece of * doesn't have any sort of self destruction procedure activating when user actually alters any settings.

I feel your pain. Listen to Smitty, alright? But, your "perspective" is refreshing to say the least.

[gizmo1_1]

Depending on the model of HP that you have when you enter the recovery mode:

You will have either a single enry for destructive recover ie. FORMAT

or you will have the option for a non-destructive recovery.

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Most systems I have worked on have a utility to burn the CD's that you need for recovery. If your windows is working properly.

I agree with you

Rats. I could as well start distributing high-end PCs with "fully optimized Linux"es, actually meaning that only motd would be installed. Or I could sell cars without keys. If one would actually want to drive the car... It's a wonder this piece of * doesn't have any sort of self destruction procedure activating when user actually alters any settings.