Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: How do I delete the recovery partition to get hard drive free space back?

A: Note: It is not recommended to delete the hard drive recovery partition to free space, but it is possible to do. Prior to deleting the hard drive recovery partition, it is imperative that recovery media be created. If recovery media is not created or is damaged after the hard drive recovery partition has been deleted, there will be no way to repair or reinstall Windows, drivers, or applications. Deleting the recovery partition makes the system recovery options on the Start menu inoperable.

To delete the hard drive recovery partition, use the following steps.

  1. Open Control Panel.

    • From the Microsoft® Windows® XP default Start menu, click Control Panel.
    • From the classic Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In Control Panel, open Administrative Tools.

    • If you are in Category View, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.
    • If you are in Classic View, double-click Administrative Tools.

  3. In the Administrative Tools window, click Computer Management.

  4. In the Computer Management window, click Disk Management.
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  5. In the Computer Management window, right-click on the RECOVERY partition, and then select Delete Partition.
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  6. In the Delete primary partition dialog box, click Yes.
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  7. In the Logical Disk Manager dialog box, click OK.
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  8. In the Disk Management dialog box, click Yes.
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  9. The recovery partition is deleted. To utilize the unallocated free space, a new partition must be created and formatted.
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