First thing - you can't just copy the files in the recovery partition. You would need to clone the actual partition, and the app I would use for that is either Acronis or Macrium Reflect free.
Second thing. Now that you have deleted the HP_TOOLS partition, you don't need to delete the recovery partition. Now that you have only three primary partitions, you can shrink the Windows C: partition to give you enough space to create an extended partition for the Ubuntu logical partitions. Personally, I would never delete the recovery partition, even if I had made a set of recovery DVDs.
Don't forget to use the Windows Disk Management tool to shrink the C: partition, but use Gparted from Ubuntu to create the extended partition.
If you're worried about the wasted 103MB at the end of the drive where the HP_TOOLS partition used to be, I'd suggest you forget about it. It's a tiny amount to lose.
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