Windows 10: Create Custom Recovery Image in Windows 10

How to: Create Custom Recovery Image in Windows 10

How to Create a Custom Recovery Image used to Refresh Windows 10


Warning This tutorial no longer works starting with Windows 10 build 10130 released on May 29th 2015.

The "C:\Windows\System32\recimg.exe" file has been removed in build 10130, and will not work even after copying the file from a previous build into build 10130 or later.

We can still create a custom reset recovery image.



Information If you're having problems with Windows 10 on your PC, you can try to refresh, reset, or restore it.

By default, here's what happens when you refresh your PC:

• Your files and personalization setting won't change.
• Your PC settings will be changed back to their defaults.
• Apps from the Windows Store will be kept.
• Apps you installed from discs or websites will be removed. Basically all installed desktop apps.

The recimg.exe command line tool lets you configure a custom recovery image for Windows to use when you refresh your PC. When you create a custom recovery image, it will contain the desktop apps you've installed, and the Windows system files in their current state. Recovery images do not contain your documents, personal settings, user profiles, or apps from Windows Store, because that information is automatically preserved at the time you refresh your PC.

Basically, a custom recovery image let's you refresh Windows 10 as usual with your current Windows, but also lets you keep your desktop apps and Windows system files as they were when the recovery image was created.

When you create a custom recovery image, recimg will store it in the specified directory, and set it as the active recovery image. If a custom recovery image is set as the active recovery image, Windows will use it when you refresh your PC instead of the default OEM recovery image (if present) or Windows installation media. All recovery images have the filename CustomRefresh.wim. If no CustomRefresh.wim file is found in the active recovery image directory, Windows will fall back to using the OEM recovery image or Windows installation media when you refresh your PC.


This tutorial will show you how to create a custom recovery image that is set to be used to refresh Windows 10 to the state it was at when the recovery image was created when you refresh your PC.



Note You cannot reset your PC using a custom recovery image. Custom recovery images can only be used to refresh your PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to create a custom recovery image.



Here's How:

1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. In the elevated command prompt, type the command below, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
*Arrow recimg -createimage "Drive letter:\CustomRecoveryImage\Date"




Note Substitute Drive letter in the command above with the actual drive letter you want to save the created CustomRefresh.wim file to.

Substitute Date in the command above with the actual current date and/or time. This will be used as a subfolder in the CustomRecoveryImage folder to be able to keep multiple custom recovery images from different dates to have handy to set to use to refresh with as needed.


For example, I would use the command below to create and save a custom recovery image (CustomRefresh.wim) on my F drive for today (February 19th 2015).

recimg -CreateImage "F:\CustomRecoveryImage\02-19-2015"


3. When finished, you can close the command prompt.



Note This may take a while to finish creating the custom recovery image. At the Writing image line the progress stays at 1% for a bit and then increases slowly until finished at 100%.










That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Refresh Windows 10
• How to Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active to use to Refresh Windows 10
• How to Deregister Current Custom Recovery Image used to Refresh Windows 10
• How to Show Current Custom Recovery Image used to Refresh Windows 10

:)

 

Recovery drive won't boot in windows 10

See, "Use a recovery drive to reinstall Windows"

Recovery options in Windows 10

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows-10/windows-10-recovery-options

Creating a recovery drive

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows-10/create-a-recovery-drive

How to Create a System Image in Windows 10

Create System Image in Windows 10

Custom PC Refresh images in future?

Custom PC Refresh images in future?

This is what I see from an Administrator Command Prompt in Windows 10.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10240]

(c) 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>RecImg.exe /?

'RecImg.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

C:\Windows\system32>RecImg.exe

'RecImg.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

Maybe you need third party software to make a custom image in Windows 10?

Windows 10 - Creating custom recovery image

Windows 10 - Creating custom recovery image

 

Windows 10 - Creating custom recovery image

If Windows 10 has the same Refresh feature as Windows 8.1, that would still rely on a recovery image that Windows has. Which in 8.1 can be customized through the recimg.exe via command prompt. So I'd imagine Windows 10 would still have some means of modifying
the image Windows Refresh would utilize is what I was figuring.

As the article you linked primarily refers to creating a system recovery disk, which would be a different method of recovery than Windows Refresh. If one modifies the image Windows Refresh uses, then Refresh would remove 3rd party software other than what
was included within the customized image.

 

Hello Wolfgang,

This is not the same as a recovery partition.

The image is saved as the CustomRefresh.wim file, and is stored in whatever folder path is specified in the command. This can only be used to refresh Windows with. *Smile

 

"2015-02-19" (YMD) would sort more logically within the folder after next year *Wink

btw there is no quote button for tutorials in tenforums. Is that deliberate?

 

Thanks Shawn. I understand the difference. I was just wondering where they store the factory refresh image.

 

"2015-02-19" (YMD) would sort more logically within the folder after next year *Wink

btw there is no quote button for tutorials in tenforums. Is that deliberate? Well, you can't have the year backwards. *Wink

There's a Reply with Quote option at the bottom right corner of a post for that.

 

Thanks Shawn. I understand the difference. I was just wondering where they store the factory refresh image. There should be OEM recovery partition(s) just like in Windows 8 for that. *Smile

 

Thanks Shawn. I understand the difference. I was just wondering where they store the factory refresh image. There should be OEM recovery partition(s) just like in Windows 8 for that. *Smile OK thanks, that's what I figured.

 

Shawn, is this still valid for win 10? Refresh Windows 8 - Set a Custom Recovery Image as Active

Also, I assume ​that the next build will set it back?

 

But not on the tutorial itself (unless I need my eyes testing). So if I want to quote a bit of the Tutorial and ask a question on it, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do it?

Edit: I notice that over on EightForums, it is much easier and the reply with quote options (with a slightly different name) are visible- maybe a setting is different here?

 

Just do a little copy/paste...




*Cool

 

Yes but being able to reply with quote is better and easier- I just tried a copy and paste and it lost most of the formatting for some reason.

 

Might be your browser. I'm using Chrome. Sorry, only suggestion I have. *Smile

 

Nar, the quote for the tutorial was dropped since to many people quoted the entire tutorial when replying. *Sad