[SOLVED] Laptop recovery partitions after cloning HDD to SSD

[kujen]

I cloned a HDD drive in an HP laptop to a new NVME SSD drive with Macrium Reflect. It cloned the HP recovery partition, so now both drives have one (showing as separate Recovery D and F drives).

Should I remove this recovery partition from the SSD or the HDD? What would happen if I ever used it to factory reset the laptop? Would it mess up since Windows is now on the SSD and not the HDD the recovery partition was initially made for?

Also, if I delete the recovery, can I expand the main Windows partition to reclaim that space? The recovery is the fourth partition in the list, Windows is on the second. The third one is another recovery partition, I guess the one that Windows makes itself.

 

[USAFRet]

If you did a full clone, you should remove everything from the old drive.
ALL partitions.

But, test first.
Physically disconnect the old drive, and allow the system to power up with only the new drive connected.

Also, please show us a screencap of your Disk Management window.

 

[kujen]

I already formatted the old HDD, and it boots fine from the SSD. This is what it currently looks like:

 

[USAFRet]

"formatted the old HDD"

Doesn't look like it to me.
Formatted where? In File Explorer?
That does nothing for all those partitions, including the original boot partition.

Which drive is which?

 

[kujen]

It was just a quick format in file explorer. You can see the E drive has more free space than the C. I realize it didn't do anything to the partitions, which is why I was wondering what to do about the HP recovery partition, and if I should leave it on the SSD or the old HDD.

 

[USAFRet]

It was just a quick format in file explorer. You can see the E drive has more free space than the C. I realize it didn't do anything to the partitions, which is why I was wondering what to do about the HP recovery partition, and if I should leave it on the SSD or the old HDD.

You need to delete ALL partitions from the old HDD.

But first, test to verify.

Power OFF
Physically disconnect the HDD
Power up.

Does it boot correctly?

If so, then you can proceed to DELETE all partitions from the HDD.

 

[kujen]

Thank you, I will test that tomorrow. If everything’s ok and I delete all partitions from the HDD, should I leave that HP recovery partition (D) on the SSD drive?

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you, I will test that tomorrow. If everything’s ok and I delete all partitions from the HDD, should I leave that HP recovery partition (D) on the SSD drive?

That recovery partition is only to return the system back to original out of the box config.
Including all the original junk it came with.

What you should do is look in the user manual for how to invoke that function, and create a recovery USB.
That might be used in case this physical drive dies.

In reality though....that partition is mostly useless.
Win 10 is seamlessly reinstalled, direct from Microsoft.

 

[USAFRet]

Even if you do decide to keep that partition, remove the drive letter.
It does not need one.

 

[kujen]

Thanks, one more question. If I remove that partition, will I be able to allocate that space to the Windows C partition? Or will it remain unallocated?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks, one more question. If I remove that partition, will I be able to allocate that space to the Windows C partition? Or will it remain unallocated?

Not directly, no.

In Disk Management, you can only extend do the right, when they are right next to each other.

You can also delete the 960MB partition as well as the 16.25GB "recovery".
Then you can extend the C partition into that one single blank space.

 

[kujen]

Not directly, no.

In Disk Management, you can only extend do the right, when they are right next to each other.

You can also delete the 960MB partition as well as the 16.25GB "recovery".
Then you can extend the C partition into that one single blank space.

Oh ok, I see. Is that 960MB partition important for Windows recovery functions? If so, will I be able to recreate it somehow after I do that?

 

[USAFRet]

Oh ok, I see. Is that 960MB partition important for Windows recovery functions? If so, will I be able to recreate it somehow after I do that?

No, it is not important.

The next semi annual Win 10 update, it will make a new one.

 

[kujen]

So I’ve also got a gaming laptop that I did the same cloning operation on years ago. I realize now that the secondary HDD still has the EFI, Windows, and recovery partitions on it. I had formatted it but didn’t delete the partitions. Is there a way to remove all these partitions, but keep my data (games)? Or will I have to move them off, delete the partitions/format, then move them back?

 

[USAFRet]

So I’ve also got a gaming laptop that I did the same cloning operation on years ago. I realize now that the secondary HDD still has the EFI, Windows, and recovery partitions on it. I had formatted it but didn’t delete the partitions. Is there a way to remove all these partitions, but keep my data (games)? Or will I have to move them off, delete the partitions/format, then move them back?

In Disk Management, right click on one of those partitions.
What options does it give you?

Please show us a screencap of your Disk Management window.

 

[kujen]

Well I'll have to get back to the gaming laptop another day. The original laptop is having boot issues now, I think related to not removing that second drive right after cloning. So I'm trying to remove the HDD. Do I need to take out the ribbon cable it was attached to as well? Because I'm having difficult getting it to disconnect from the motherboard. It doesn't just slip out like the other ribbon cables after undoing the latch. There's this T-shape of plastic on either side preventing it from sliding out. I can't slide it out and I can't lift it up, and I'm afraid of forcing it. So how do I get it out? Or can I just leave it plugged into the motherboard, just without being plugged into a HDD?

edit: I think that it must be glued down or something. It just doesn’t budge at any angle despite unlocking it. Can I leave it plugged in without the HDD?

 

[USAFRet]

After a clone operation, you MUST remove the old drive and allow the system to boot from only the new.

Since you did not, and are having actual problems...that is why.

But you don't need to remove the ribbon cable, just the actual drive.

 

[kujen]

After a clone operation, you MUST remove the old drive and allow the system to boot from only the new.

Since you did not, and are having actual problems...that is why.

But you don't need to remove the ribbon cable, just the actual drive.

Yes, lesson learned! Unfortunately I had already cloned and restarted before coming here, and I had no idea the problems it could cause until you had mentioned it. They should really mention the importance of that in the cloning software.

I got it to boot again after booting from USB creation media and using bcdboot in command console to recreate the boot files. Just following some things I found online.

Will this be enough to sort this issue, or do I need to do something like Windows reset to make sure?

 

[USAFRet]

Does the system boot properly with only the new drive physically connected?

If so, all is well.

 

[kujen]

Does the system boot properly with only the new drive physically connected?

If so, all is well.

It boots fine after running that bcdboot command on the EFI partition. It boots very fast, though it just got stuck trying to shut down. Which is something it had done prior to getting the SSD drive…maybe a different problem there.