Proposal: Preinstalled Bare-Metal Recovery App for Windows 11 (Feedback Hub Link)


I'm sure Toshiba had a factory image for when the laptop was shipped. And in the W8 days, it was common for OEM's to create a recovery partition where you could initiate a push-button reset back to a known Windows image. Unfortunately that recovery image was never updated and would be out-of-date a few years after you first purchased the PC.

These days, it's a less common for vendors to ship a factory recovery partition. Though some OEM's still do.

If you don't have the option to create a restore image from a freshly delivered PC, or the vendor doesn't provide the complete set of drivers, there are methods to export the current set of 3rd-party drivers from a live system.

The driver set can then be integrated to a current Windows install image. Of course, this doesn't help if the drivers are too old be supported by the new Windows. You may have hunt down a modern-day equivalent of the original driver.
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
JHDHD said:
without paying
Click to expand...


Most of the computer industry wants US to buy new hardware, repeatedly.
Microsoft is one of the major leaders in this, and motherboard manufacturers are doing the same thing.
You can hardly even find Win 7 or Win 8 drivers on the manufacturer's websites'

If you could keep updating the operating system on old hardware... they won't make money.

I could link 100 topics that would show you this.

But I'll just link this one... it's 159 pages, so far...

www.elevenforum.com

Let's install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware

Inspired on this thread: Let's run Win10 on really really old hardware - Windows 10 Help Forums Most of our machines are unsupported on Windows 11, why not force it? --------- Run Windows 11 on unsupported machines --------- 1. How to Bypass Windows 11's TPM, CPU and RAM Requirements 2...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com


You're not the only one, by far, that feels as you do. ^^


I bought this $400 motherboard in May 2020, and they only have Win10/11 drivers...

This is the only driver listed under the "Other" operating systems heading...

Image1.webp

So even if I wanted, I couldn't put Win 7/8/8.1 on this motherboard.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8737 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8737 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1

  • At a glance

    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
I don't know. So everyone says no to this proposed app? 😥😢😭
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
JHDHD said:
I don't know. So everyone says no to this proposed app? 😥😢😭
Click to expand...


We're just trying to save you some time.
Your method (Feedback Hub), is excellent, but the idea isn't gonna fly, these days. :(

The corporations don't want your idea to work. If it does... they'll not make as much money. ^^

Matrix - Because we can.webp



Think back to the early 2000's, when some nasty Grinch, thought up DLC for games.
They made bazillions with DLC (downloadable content).

The original, three Diablo II discs cost about $60. They were chapters one thru four.
Then it cost another $60 for the fifth chapter (fourth disc), which was needed to finish the game. ^^

Image1.webp



The hardware folks saw that, and they wanted a piece of the pie.
Now, they are getting it too. ^^
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8737 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26200.8737 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1

  • At a glance

    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
I know it's popular and, to some people, clever to blame the evil corporations for everything, but what company in their right mind wants to keep content around for a 2013 laptop that probably four people still have? If it was that important to one, one should have put a ring on it backed it up.
 

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Windows 11 Pro 25H212th Gen Core i7-1260P64 GB Micron PC4-25600Intel Iris Xe Graphics
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Intel NUC12WSHi7
CPU
12th Gen Core i7-1260P
Motherboard
NUC12WSBi7
Memory
64 GB Micron PC4-25600
Graphics Card(s)
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Sound Card
on-board Realtek HD Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell U3219Q
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB
Crucial MX500 2 TB
Antivirus
Microsoft Defender
pseymour said:
I know it's popular and, to some people, clever to blame the evil corporations for everything, but what company in their right mind wants to keep content around for a 2013 laptop that probably four people still have? If it was that important to one, one should have put a ring on it backed it up.
Click to expand...
It took me until almost the end of this thread to realize what was being ask for was original OEM modified OS ISO file for every manufacturers Windows OS device ever released. I don't see that happening. I could see this as something as a forward looking project. I do not believe it should be MS as responsible for OEM installs ISOs.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 25H2Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
OS
Windows 11 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
EVGA home brew
CPU
Broadwell-e 6850K 4.5ghz @1.36v
Motherboard
EVGA X99 FTW K
Memory
32GB Corsair LPM 3600 C16
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW
Sound Card
Asus Centurion true 7.1 headset. (5 speakers in each earpeice)
Monitor(s) Displays
LG C4 55"
Screen Resolution
4K 144hz
Hard Drives
Various models of SSDs ~10TB No HDDs installed.
PSU
be quiet! BN516 Straight Power 12-1000w 80 Plus Platinum
Case
Corsair 780T modified to dual 200mm intake fans
Cooling
Corsair H110i
Keyboard
Corsair K95 Platinum
Mouse
Corsair M65 RGB Elite
Internet Speed
50Mbs
Let's assume you owned this laptop since 2013. And upgraded to every successive Windows release (bypassing the HW checks) from 8.1, to several generations of W10, and finally to a few generations of W11.

Your drivers would not look like the original versions shipped from the factory. During the time the PC was under support, it might have received updated 8.1 and early W10 drivers. You might be fortunate and later W10 releases could use your early W10 drivers. And even more lucky if W11 accepted your legacy W10 drivers, simply because vendors stopped releasing drivers over a decade ago.

Suppose the system still works. What good is the factory image if it doesn't resemble the current driver set? All the factory image would do is to restore it back to 8.1 conditions. It would not be a path to making it compatible with W11.
 

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Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
Dont let them put you off. It is a good idea. I will support your suggestion if I am able to get into that site.
 

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System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win7,Win11i7-97002x16gb 3600mhz
    OS
    Win7,Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-9700
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x16gb 3600mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i

  • At a glance

    win7,win11i5-84002x8gb 3200
    Operating System
    win7,win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
JHDHD said:
I hope you and everyone else here understands why i am proposing for this new app. And i would really like to have both those computers back to the original factory state.
Click to expand...
If you buy an OEM system it is not Microsoft's responsibility to maintain it, that responsibility falls on the OEM.

Does Microsoft support Windows 10 Pro OEM?

Actually no, it doesn't. Support for OEM versions of Windows is provided by the OEM, i.e., Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, etc. In short, the company that made your computer. It's always been this way. That's the biggest reason why the OEM version of Windows is less expensive than the retail version of Windows.
Click to expand...
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/a...851/does-microsoft-support-windows-10-pro-oem

New computers from major OEMs now come with a cloud-based OEM recovery option built into the bios.

Lenovo said:
Connected System Recovery will contact Microsoft’s servers to download Windows Recovery Environment. This Windows Recovery Environment will then use the information stored in your BIOS by the PC manufacturer to download and rebuild Windows entirely on your device, which involves wiping the device storage and repartitioning it as your PC manufacturer built it.
Click to expand...
https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/so...m-recovery-cloud-bare-metal-recovery-thinkpad

Dell said:
SupportAssist OS Recovery Cloud Restore (Recommended): This option downloads and installs the latest version of the operating system on your Dell computer.
Requirements:
  • An active Internet connection
  • A USB drive with 16 GB capacity
Click to expand...
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/...r-system-using-dell-supportassist-os-recovery

JHDHD said:
I have two computers made 2012-2014....
Click to expand...
JHDHD said:
All i want is the original factory state back and exactly how both my laptops were on day one....
Click to expand...
Are you really sure? On Day One a PC that old would have had an OEM Windows 7 or Windows 8. If that's what you want then the only option would be to get hold of the specific factory restore CD for each PC. Being long out of support by their respective OEMs you won't be able to get that from the manufacturer. If you're lucky someone may have uploaded an ISO to the Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/cdromsoftware
 

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System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
Proposal
To address this gap, I am proposing a new preinstalled application capable of handling bare-metal restores directly, which would be highly beneficial for users dealing with wiped hard drives.
Click to expand...

From the first post. He is not suggesting an oem partition a far as I can tell.

windows system image can do that. the restore program is caled bmrui.exe Bare Metal Restore UI
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win7,Win11i7-97002x16gb 3600mhz
    OS
    Win7,Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-9700
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x16gb 3600mhz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    benq gw2480
    PSU
    bequiet pure power 11 400CM
    Cooling
    cryorig m9i

  • At a glance

    win7,win11i5-84002x8gb 3200
    Operating System
    win7,win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    2x8gb 3200
    PSU
    xfx pro 450
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