How to Reveal Contents of HP Recovery Partitions

By Robert Kingsley

Windows secures important system files by hiding them in Windows Explorer.
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All HP computers reserve a part of the hard drive for the HP Recovery Partition. This portion of your hard drive stores all of the data needed to reset your system to the factory default settings. If you should ever have a fatal system error, you can use the HP Recovery Manager to restore this data and repair your system. Your computer protects these important files by hiding them from view. With a few settings tweaks, however, you can reveal the files on the Recovery Partition.

Step 1

Click the Start menu on your Windows desktop, then click "Computer."

Step 2

Click "Tools" at the top of the window, then click "Folder Options." If "Tools" is not visible, press "Alt" to bring up the menu bar.

Step 3

Click on the "View" tab in the Folder Options window.

Step 4

Click the radio button next to "Show hidden files, folders and drives."

Step 5

Click the check-box next to "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" to remove the check-mark. Click "OK."

Step 6

Double-click the HP Recovery Partition, which is usually labeled "Recovery (D:)" or "HP_Recovery," to reveal the files stored on the recovery partition.

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