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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