Welcome to CH.
On first post it is important to provide as much info as possible. Recovery partition methods vary by manufacturer. So we need to know the make and model of you computer. Is it a laptop? Is it a Toshiba? It makes a difference.
The recovery discs for Windows 7 and 8 will attempt to repair the present installation and patch over any bad places in the system. But it does not install additional material the comes for the OEM (Original Equipment Mmaker). That material, if present, is in the recovery partition.
What I mean to say is that the recovery partition is not a standard module of Windows. It is an option offered by the OEM.
If you have made radical changes to the computer system, the recovery partition might not be available. It is a non-standard partition. Also, extensive damage to the system may make it hard to use the recovery partition. You have to check with the OEM.
Also, the version of Windows makes a difference. My remarks above apply to methods used by the OEM. Now here is some more information specific to Windows Vista. But I have not tried it and do not know if it works in all cases.
http://daily-grind.net/solved-cant-access-my-recovery-partition-i-dont-have-any-recovery-cds/The author speculates that it should always work. But he did not prove it.
... To make matters worse I didn’t have the recovery DVDs for the laptop. Thankfully, after hours of Goggling and a lot of swearing and frustration I came across a method in an article. This method should be useful for ALL machines with recovery partitions….
Maybe that will help.