How to Create a Windows Recovery Drive

[@muzzaresarf5038]

Excellent informative video, many thanks Leo👍🇦🇺

[@jac3325]

I've learned so much from you today! Thanks for the concise, clear instructions. I'm attempting to make a recovery drive. I have an old recovery thumb drive 16 gb. If it has data on it, will it delete that - or should I delete an old recovery?

[@askleonotenboom]

It should delete, and even warn you that it's about to.

[@Jackie-kk9tq]

Thank you for your video! I tried the second method of creating a Windows installation disk on a USB drive. I booted off of it (windows 10) but it only gave me the option to install Windows, there was no option to repair and access the repair tools Any ideas? Thank you

[@DavidM2002]

Leo, when I bought a new desktop recently, I had a second SSD installed. The idea at the time was that, once I had all of my apps installed, I would clone C:\ to the second SSD so that if C: ever became unbootable or corrupt, I would go into the BIOS and boot from that second SSD. Periodically I would update the clone from C: so that all of the app settings were updated as well. I thought this small additional cost would avoid creating an external recovery drive and would be much faster to get back up and running. Do you see any problem with that ? (P.S., I partition both SSD's so that the O/S is on one partition and data on the other. )

[@askleonotenboom]

I would ABSOLUTELY test it before you need it. It's not uncommon for something important to have been overlooked. (And what that is varies, unfortunately, hence testing it out.)

[@Wol747]

@@askleonotenboom Leo - test yes - but how? Testing it would presumably wipe the OS on C and reinstall Windows - so if the test demonstrated the recovery drive was corrupt you’d have neither the OS nor the recovery drive useable!

[@askleonotenboom]

@@Wol747 I thought your setup was to remove the damaged drive and then boot from #2. If I'm correct, then test doing that.

[@Wol747]

Reply to wrong person! @@askleonotenboom

[@rayt6867]

Hello Leo, do you know if it backups up all the drivers too. Thanks

[@askleonotenboom]

While it's technically not a backup, I do believe drivers are included.

[@robert4you]

Yes, it backups all the drivers as well. When you reinstall Windows this way your PC will be restored to factory settings, as it was when you bought the PC.

[@SpiritintheSky.]

Very good, of course, but I am unable to find the (accompanying?) video "How do I boot from a USB Thumb Drive?" Without it, the recovery drive is of no use. Are you able to help, please?

[@askleonotenboom]

askleo.com/how-do-i-boot-from-a-usb-thumbdrive/ and kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYLSZX2qYp5_qsk

[@SpiritintheSky.]

Thank you, sir. Most useful.@@askleonotenboom

[@user-mf1xc5fe3h]

How does having Bitlocker enabled on the PC effect crreating/using a recovery drive? is that recovery drive secure?

[@askleonotenboom]

The recovery drive does not contain your data so there's really no need for it to be secure.

[@TonyasDynamicDesigns]

Hi Leo, great video! Will you please help me? I am having a major issue with this. I have a 64 GB thumb drive to use, but when I selected to "create a recovery drive", I got a pop up message that said that I can not create one on my PC! I have a brand new HP desktop Omen with Windows 11 on it. Will you please make a video to show us what to do with this error message? I saw someone else make a video to fix this error message by using the C prompt, but I would rather hear what you have to say please as I can tell you an expert! Thank you so much! ~ Tonya in WV

[@TonyasDynamicDesigns]

This KZbinr mentioned going to the control panel to do this and I am not getting an error message that way. What do you recommend? Thank you so much!

[@askleonotenboom]

I've not heard of that error message. Please submit a question over at askleo.com/ask, and after the auto-response you'll be able to include a screen shot in your response.

[@helmshardover]

I've just created a Recovery USB Drive on my laptop (too late to make one for the faulty Desktop...). Inserted into my Win 11 desktop m/c but it doesn't boot automatically from it. and I can see no way to alter the Bios Setup to change that. HELP.

[@larryglatt2548]

Thank you: Questions, does the drive have to be formatted a certain way & why would someone else take more than twice the time to explain this differently but essentially the same result?

[@askleonotenboom]

I believe Windows will format it if needed.

[@pineappleroad]

For me every time I have tried this it said something went wrong (For my main desktop PC I have a USB with Windows installation media on it, which can also (attempt to) repair an existing Windows installation, I’ve never tried using the repair function, but I do know the USB will work for doing a clean install)

[@intheblim]

when it starts i get a message saying insert disk then it starts to create recovery disk - is this ok ?

[@KingD2507]

How is this different from windows installation drive?

[@maltesetony9030]

I have the same question. Why use the recovery drive facility? Why not completely re-install Windows from scratch?

[@ALEDAMAS]

I just needed to rebuild my EFI partition why on a simple error should to reinstall the OS

[@johngraves8561]

Is there a way to verify the copy on the thumb drive? Also, how often should you make this backup?

[@askleonotenboom]

Don't know of a verification method. Typically once is fine, or when you take major updates to Windows.

[@Jackie-kk9tq]

Also once I have the recovery drive. can it be used on different models of computers with different Windows 10? If my plan is just to repair to install?

[@askleonotenboom]

It should, yes.

[@gjoseph1628]

What must be the storage capacity of the recovery drive? Your example here uses a 16 GB drive. Will this size be enough for everybody?

[@askleonotenboom]

Yes. For current versions of Windows anyway. :-)

[@helmshardover]

@@askleonotenboom I was just told by Win Laptop it has to be 32GB. Perhaps I shouldn't have clicked "include system files"?

[@tamyboy1]

Does it also backup drivers ?

[@askleonotenboom]

If "Back up system files to the recovery drive” is checked it should. But remember, this is not a BACKUP. This is a recovery drive. It's not backing up what's on your hard disk, it's creating something you can boot from to recover/repair an existing installation.

[@lionelspencer-ward3527]

And for those whose computers will not boot from a USB drive??? Does this work straight on to a CD drive???

[@askleonotenboom]

Yes

[@Pig69]

you must change boot priority in bios. make usb boot 1st instead of hdd