Creating Recovery disc....on upgraded used laptop

In two days, (Jan. 2nd) I am receiving a three year old used HP Pavilion dv7-2173cl Notebook which was upgraded to W7 Pro just prior to shipment. I have never acquired a used laptop. Thus I am cludeless on what to expect about creating recovery discs. Is it possible?

If not, what is my alternative in having some sort of resource in recovering OS in case of system collapse/malfunction? I have the implied understanding that upgrading was not through OEM discs(meaning, done online).

BTW...should I have posted this in Seven forum?

OK, I just received this reply from seller:

"you can make a backup disc using win7 tools. the os came from an oem hp disc and windows is activated.the procedure is the same for a used computer as with a new computer foe backing up just follow instructions."

I am not sure I understand this statement.

Look at this Backup & Recovery Guide here: Manuals for HP Pavilion dv7-2173cl Entertainment Notebook PC | HP® Support

Hi Zt,

Thanks.... but the link shows Vista, not W7. Obviously, this unit originally was shipped with OEM Vista which seller upgraded to W7 pro using his OEM W7 disc from HP(I guess from his own PC). He said it's been activated(I hope that means I am legal). Now, how do I proceed from there? I mean how do I proceed to creating Recovery Discs?

You don't. You need to do an Image Backup to an external hard drive or follow these instructions:

If you do not have a Windows 7 installation DVD, or it's not up to the Service Pack level currently installed, you can download a legal copy with SP1 integrated from here:

Windows 7 Direct Download Links

Make sure you get the same version you have, Home Premium, Pro or Ultimate and 32 or 64 bit. Note that Basic or Starter is not available.

I recommend using ImgBurn at 4X speed (or the slowest available) to create the DVD from the downloaded .iso file. Just be careful during the install not to accidentally install some of the bundled junk that comes with it. Always take The Custom Install option.

You can do this on any computer capable of burning a DVD.

YOU MUST HAVE A VALID KEY TO INSTALL THIS .ISO.

The one on the COA sticker on your computer will work.

You can also create a bootable USB Flash drive (4GB or larger) to install Windows 7 from.

1. Download and run Universal USB Installer Easy as 1 2 3
2. Select Windows 7 from the first drop down list, all the way to the bottom
3. Select the downloaded Windows 7 iso file
4. Select your USB flash drive
5. Click Create

For techies or folks who work on computers:

Create Windows 7 Universal ISO With All Editions Selection On Install with ei.cfg Removal Utility.

This will fit on a 6GB flash drive or can be burned to a DVD.

Since the computer was update from Vista to Windows 7, the key on the COA sticker will not help you if you need to reinstall Windows 7. Download and run this little Visual Basic program to get the current Windows 7 Install key. Save it's result somewhere safe.

View attachment ShowKey.zip

I would get your system how you want it set up and then use Macrium Reflect to make an image to save to an external drive.
Keep that image as your default and make another every month or so deleting the older image files at the same time.
I like to have at least 2 files just in case there is a problem with one.
A guide to using Macrium is on my website

Macrium_Reflect_Free_Guide_ilikefree.co