Recovery Drive - Create with USB Flash Drive in Windows 8

How to Create a USB Recovery Drive in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
If you run into problems with your PC, a USB recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix those problems, even if your PC won't start.

This will show you how to create a bootable recovery (system repair) USB flash drive in Windows 8 to use to boot to the system recovery options that can be used to help recover Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, or Windows RT 8.1.

This is basically the same thing as a system repair disc, but is on a bootable USB flash drive instead.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to create a recovery drive.

Note   Note
A recovery USB flash drive cannot be used to install Windows 8 unless this is an OEM PC that came with Windows 8 preinstalled, and you checked the Copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive box at step 5 below.

If your PC came with Windows 8 and you upgraded it to Windows 8.1, your recovery drive will include Windows 8, and you’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after you refresh or reset your PC.

A created 32-bit recovery USB flash drive can only be created in a 32-bit Windows 8, and used to repair a 32-bit Windows 8.

A created 64-bit recovery USB flash drive can only be created in a 64-bit Windows 8, and used to repair a 64-bit Windows 8.


EXAMPLE: System Recovery Options
NOTE:
After you boot from the recovery USB flash drive, you will need to select your language and keyboard layout (if displayed) for Windows 8, then select Troubleshoot to see the system recovery options.
boot.JPG
Example-4.jpg
(On some newer OEM PC's with Windows 8 preinstalled, you may have the option to reinstall in the OEM manufacturer's tools like below if the Recovery Partition is still in place.)​
oem-recovery.png
Advanced_Options.jpg



Here's How:

1. Connect a USB flash drive that is at least 256 MB (8 GB if copying the recovery partition) in size, then do either step 2 or 3 below.


2. Press the :winkey: + R keys, type RecoveryDrive.exe, press Enter, and go to step 4 below.

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Recovery icon.
A) Click/tap on the Create a recovery drive link, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)​
Drive-1.jpg


4. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.

5. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
If you have a store bought OEM computer that came with Windows 8 preinstalled, then you could also check the Copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive box to be able to use the recovery USB flash drive to do a factory restore/recovery of Windows 8.

If you do not have an OEM recovery partition, then the Copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive option will be grayed out.

warning   Warning
If you checked the Copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive box, then once the Recovery Media creation has completed, you will have an option to delete the recovery partition at step 10 below. On most systems, this partition is about 10G in size.


drive-2.jpg

6. Select a USB flash drive at least 256 MB in size that you would like to make a bootable recovery drive with, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
WARNING: Everything on the selected USB flash drive will be deleted, so be sure to backup anything on it that you do not want to lose first.
drive-3.jpg

7. Click/tap on Create. (see screenshot below)
WARNING: This is your last chance to backup anything on the USB flash drive that you do not want to lose before doing this.
drive-4.jpg

8. The USB recovery drive will now be created. (see screenshot below)
drive-5.jpg

9. Do step 10 or step 11 below for what you would like to do.

10. If you wanted to Delete the Recovery Partition
warning   Warning
It is recommended to NOT DELETE the recovery partition. It has been reported by many that they were unable to restore Windows 8 to the hard drive using the recovery USB drive without the OEM factory recovery partition still intact.

You can free up some drive space by deleting the recovery partition, but you won't be able to refresh or reset your PC again without the recovery drive.


A) If you checked the Copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive box at step 5 above, click/tap on the Delete the recovery partition link. (see screenshot below)​
Delete_recovery_partition-1.png
B) Click/tap on Delete to confirm. (see screenshot below)​
Delete_recovery_partition-2.png
C) Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshots below)​
Delete_recovery_partition-3.png

11. Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)
drive-6.jpg



That's it,
Shawn


 

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Nice one..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 professional x64 + WMC
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 5920
    CPU
    Core 2 duo T5550
    Motherboard
    ACER CHAPALA
    Memory
    4GB DDR2
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    Intel GMA X3100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 X 800
    Hard Drives
    160 GB HDD
Will it work on Windows 7?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Consumer Preview 64-bit, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Ubuntu 11.10 64-bit (Triple Boot)
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 4755G
    CPU
    Laptop
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    Acer Aspire 4755G
    Memory
    DDR3 2GB
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    nVidia GeForce 540M (up to 2,7GB)
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    Default Monitor
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    WDC WD6400BPVT-22HXZT1 (640GB)
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    Default PSU
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    Default Keyboard
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    Optical Mouse
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    ~20Kb/s download and upload (one of slowest in the world)
    Other Info
    This is my second laptop after my old notebook that broke because file system is corrupted and I can't recover it. And my Internet speed is super duper low in other countries. And my income is so low (US$200/month) so I don't have any electronic equipment except this laptop.

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello. When I try to create the Recovery USB I can never seem to reach step 8 (Finish). The green progress bar moves across the screen until it reaches about a half inch from the end, then it seems to freeze up at that point. How long should it take to make the Recovery USB if the "copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive" is checked, and what can I do to solve this problem? Any help here would be appreciated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2000
Hello. When I try to create the Recovery USB I can never seem to reach step 8 (Finish). The green progress bar moves across the screen until it reaches about a half inch from the end, then it seems to freeze up at that point. How long should it take to make the Recovery USB if the "copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive" is checked, and what can I do to solve this problem? Any help here would be appreciated.

Welcome to Eightforums.

What is the Make & Model of the PC.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Hello. When I try to create the Recovery USB I can never seem to reach step 8 (Finish). The green progress bar moves across the screen until it reaches about a half inch from the end, then it seems to freeze up at that point. How long should it take to make the Recovery USB if the "copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive" is checked, and what can I do to solve this problem? Any help here would be appreciated.
How long did you wait? Mine took a long time. It's a lot of data to flash.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 / Win 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo T510 / HP ProBook 4540S
    CPU
    Intel i5-510m / Intel i3-3110m
    Memory
    4GB / 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6"
Hello mbratch,

It only took about 1/2 minute to create mine on a 4GB USB 2.0 flash drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello. When I try to create the Recovery USB I can never seem to reach step 8 (Finish). The green progress bar moves across the screen until it reaches about a half inch from the end, then it seems to freeze up at that point. How long should it take to make the Recovery USB if the "copy contents from the recovery partition to the recovery drive" is checked, and what can I do to solve this problem? Any help here would be appreciated.
How long did you wait? Mine took a long time. It's a lot of data to flash.


It has been going for the last 6 hours now... I have tried this 3 times and each time it has the same problem.
The computer is a (HP 2000-2b22dx)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2000
It has been going for the last 6 hours now... I have tried this 3 times and each time it has the same problem. The computer is a (HP 2000-2b22dx)

Yeah that's a bit long. Mine was quite a bit longer than Brink's 30 seconds, but way way shorter than 6 hours. Maybe 10 mins? I am also copying the whole recovery partition (I suspect Brink is not?). Not sure why it would take 6 hours and not be done. Is it an old flash drive? Are you sure it's good? Have you tried a different one?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 / Win 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo T510 / HP ProBook 4540S
    CPU
    Intel i5-510m / Intel i3-3110m
    Memory
    4GB / 8GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6"
Hello Jason,

It seems like there may be an issue with your USB flash drive. It shouldn't take that long even with the slowest USB flash drive on the planet.

I would recommend to do what mbratch posted above, and try it with another USB flash drive.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I have tried on two of them, both new. 18.8GB is where it is getting stuck at.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2000

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
After I unchecked the 'Copy Recovery Drive' box, I was able to complete in less than a min.

Thank you all for your help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2000
Great news Jason. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
After I unchecked the 'Copy Recovery Drive' box, I was able to complete in less than a min.

Thank you all for your help.

I would try to make the DVD's.

Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows 8) | HP® Support


HP/Compaq said:
NOTE:HP does not include recovery discs in the box with its personal computers as the recovery software comes on the hard drive. You can obtain recovery discs from HP Support or use Recovery Manager software to create a set of recovery discs yourself. HP recommends creating a set of recovery discs when you receive your computer and storing them in a safe place. Support Sent Recovery Discs can take as long as 4 to 6 hours to complete system recovery, but recovery discs that you create often take less time to complete system recovery. For more information about creating a set of recovery discs,
see

Creating Recovery Discs or Saving a Recovery Image to a USB Flash Drive (Windows 8) | HP® Support
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    ME, XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Notebooks x 3

    Desktops x 5

    Towers x 4
Jason,

I agree with Ray (theog).

The recovery USB flash drive created in this tutorial will not be able to reinstall Windows 8. It only let's you boot to the "System Recovery Options" screen.

The HP factory recovery DVD/USB will be able to restore Windows 8 back to factory conditions. It will be handy to have in case something should ever happen to your hard drive, and are not able to use the recover partition.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
HI all;
Just wanna ask about the Win8 recovery drive being created into the USB thumb drive. After creating this recovery drive, say if my laptop's (factory shipped) HDD is to stop spinning and becomes faulty and i decided to replace it with a blank HDD.

Hence, can i use the recovery drive (in the USB thumb drive) together with a blank WIndows 8 DVD to create the same exact factory installed image (i.e.; exactly the same with pre-installed drivers & software, etc with the factory shipped HDD) on the blank new HDD?

I am not a techie...so, hopefully, you guys understand what i am trying to get at.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Wind 7 Home Premium 64 Bits/ Win 8 64 Bits
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaPad Y580
    Other Info
    Be kind...complete newbie here...
Hello cheesum,

Sorry, but no. The recovery USB flash drive created in this tutorial will not be able to reinstall Windows 8. It only let's you boot to the "System Recovery Options" screen to try and repair Windows 8 instead.

For what you are wanting, you will need to create a set of OEM factory recovery discs or an OEM factory recovery USB flash drive instead. If this is for your Lenovo, then this below may help.

Page 27 of your Lenovo Y580 manual - http://www.lenovo.com/shop/americas/content/user_guides/y480-y580-ug-en.pdf


Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi,

I didn't even started, it asks me for a 32 GB device... whats wrong? thanksrecovery.JPG ps I'm sorry for the italian in the screenshot but is the default setting... however is should be quite clear :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64
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