Windows 10: Create recovery drive

I am in the process of setting up my desktop following the directions at “How to set up Dell computer” (https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln127699/how-to-set-up-your-new-dell-computer?lang=en)

Once the desktop loaded, I attempted to Create Recovery Media using these directions (https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln297924/create-windows-10-recovery-media-for-your-dell-computer?lang=en)



1. What you Will Need
To create your recovery media, you will need:

· Your Dell Computer

· A Blank 16GB USB Flash Drive, formatted with the NTFS file system



2. Create Recovery Media for Your Dell Computer
To create recovery media, follow these steps:

1. At the desktop, click the Search the web and Windows box and type "create recovery drive".

2. Select Create a recovery drive.

3. At the "User Access Control" prompt, Select Yes to open the Recovery Drive wizard, making sure to keep the check box next to Back up system files to the recovery drive checked, click Next.

4. Connect the NTFS-formatted USB flash drive to an available USB port, make sure that the drive selected is correct, then click Next.

All data on the USB key will be deleted by this process.

5.



6. When files have finished copying to the drive, click Finish.

7. Remove the drive and store in a safe location.

The process seemed to work but after about an hour or more I got an error message saying recovery drive could not be created. I used 16 GB Sandisk Cruzer Glide USB flash drive. Did I need to format the drive first and if so how do I do this?

:)

 

Create a Recovery Drive?

Hi Kaspaz,

Let us first check the recovery drive creation process that you have done. Below is a step by step process of creating a recovery drive:

• From the taskbar, search for Create a recovery drive and then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.
• When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive
  is selected and then select Next.
• Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next > Create.
  A lot of files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.
• When it’s done, you might see a Delete the recovery partition from your PC
  link on the final screen. If you want to free up drive space on your PC, select the link and then select
  Delete. If not, select Finish.

If you have done the same steps above and the rest of your file is still not showing.
Please post back some details:

• Which drive are you referring to?
• Can you send us a screenshot of what you are seeing?
• Besides creating a recovery drive, have you done any other changes on your computer?
• What is the make and model of your USB hard drive device?
• Have you tried plugging it on another port?
• What is the current version and build number of your Windows 10 Computer? To know these details, follow the steps below:
  • Select the Start button.
  • Type About your PC.
  • Press Enter to find out the version and build number of your Windows 10 PC.

Let us know the result after performing the troubleshooting steps and if your concern was left unresolved, kindly get back to us with the answers to our inquiry, so that we can assist you further.

 

creating a recovery drive!

Hi Michelle,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused. I will assist you with this.

To better understand the issue please let us know

• What exactly happens when you try to create a Recovery drive ?
• Do you receive any error message ?

I suggest you to try the steps below and see if It helps to resolve the issue.

Creating a recovery drive

A recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won't start. To create one, all you need is a USB drive.

• From the taskbar, search for Create a recovery drive then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.
• When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected, then select
  Next.
• Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, then select Next > Create. A lot of files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.
• When it's finished, you might see a Delete the recovery partition from your PC link on the final screen. If you want to free up drive space on your PC, select the link, then select
  Delete. If not, select Finish.

Hope the above information helps. Reply with necessary information and the result to help you further. Thank you.

 

Create a Recovery Drive

Hi Élise,

To aid you with you query, we suggest that you check this
link and follow the steps to create a recovery drive on Windows 10.

Let us know how it goes.