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I have an HP laptop that came with Windows 7 installed with a recovery partition which was accessible through the boot menu in the same way you could access the BIOS. I wanted to be able to create an Ubuntu recovery partition that would be able to be accessed and used to reinstall Ubuntu from scratch, if I ever need to, just like an HP or Dell would come with a Windows recovery partition. Is this possible and if so how?

xiota
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Leo McSnarf
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  • I'd file this at brainstorm.ubuntu.com. – nanofarad Oct 24 '12 at 01:01
  • So does that mean that it is not now something that is already possible? – Leo McSnarf Oct 24 '12 at 01:04
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    The "duplicate" question is about a recovery partition that can be used to fix Ubuntu without reinstalling. This question is about recovery partitions that reinstall the operating system. – xiota Nov 01 '20 at 08:39
  • See the accepted answer to https://askubuntu.com/questions/121212/using-a-bootable-live-cd-disk-image-mounted-on-the-hard-drive – ubfan1 Nov 01 '20 at 16:51

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The easiest way to make a partition backup is to use dd with cron. You can create the task that will run automatically in the time you want to.

The idea discribed here: click me

How to use cron: click here

titusjaka
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    I think the author wants to know how to create a partition that you can reinstall Ubuntu from, not how to make backups. – user530873 Oct 24 '12 at 01:15
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    and what's the difference? =) if you make backup with dd the only you have to do is boot with cd/dvd image of ubuntu and restore backup to your partition (/dev/sda1 or the other) – titusjaka Oct 24 '12 at 01:17
  • dd can make an exact copy of the OS which can be later used again, that's what the Windows recovery partitions do, no? and if it is, dd is actually better as it lets you continue where you left off. – Uri Herrera Oct 24 '12 at 01:17
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    The windows recovery partition is basically the windows installation DVD, but on the hard drive. The windows recovery partition is not a backup of what you had before, nor is it a tool to make/restore backups. – user530873 Oct 24 '12 at 01:20
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    Yes user530873... I want a recovery partition to reinstall Ubuntu from scratch, if I ever need to, just like an HP or Dell would come with a Windoze recovery partition. I believe this is something that should be possible and I can't imagine I am the only one who has ever thought of it. Any ideas? – Leo McSnarf Oct 25 '12 at 02:06