Windows 10: Create Reset Recovery Image in Windows 10

Hello Steve, *Smile

Yeah, the WCT will only have a .esd file.

You can download an ISO from Microsoft TechBench using OPTION ONE in the tutorial below that will have a .wim file instead though.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/9...-download.html

 

That's a fantastically fast response on a Sunday! Thanks

 

You're most welcome. *Smile

 

I've done this thanks. I now have Windows 10 Build 1511 as the recovery image rather than the previous Dell Windows 8.1 image which was on a separate partition. I guess I can now delete that redundant Dell partition?

I ran reagentc /info and it still refers to a custom image location which is not set. Is this a hangover from Windows 8 since I understand the command recimg which is used to create a custom refresh image is not supported in Windows 10? I don't know why this feature was removed since it is potentially useful.

 

If you're not low on hard drive space, I would leave the Dell partition for now to avoid possibly causing issues. If you ever do a clean install in the future, then you could safely wipe them.

Yeah reagentc for a custom refresh image was very useful. Reagentc /info points to the WindowsRE recovery partition for me.

You could create a reset recovery image, but that's no different than just always having your Windows 10 installation media connected.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4...dows-10-a.html

You might also see if this may work for you.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/1...dows-10-a.html

 

Thanks - I just created the reset recovery image as post 32. I think I'll rely on my Macrium Reflect backups if I ever need to do a full system recovery.

 

reagentc /info shows that Windows RE is enabled on a separate recovery partition and a recovery image using Windows 10 Build 1511 built using the above instructions is also available in my C:\ResetRecoveryImage directory. There is no custom image since this appears to be unsupported in Windows 10.

If I select Reset from the repair menu, is the image in C:\ResetRecoveryImage used instead of the WinRE image in the separate recovery partition? If so, then WinRE recovery image seems redundant. Would the WinRE recovery image be used if the image in C:\ResetRecoveryImage was unavailable for any reason?

 

Reset should use the location that reagentc /info shows.

If reset can't find an image, it'll prompt you to insert your Windows 10 recovery drive to continue.

 

Thanks. From your reply I assume Reset will use the latest recovery image defined by the reagentc command i.e. my latest 1511 build in C:\ResetRecoveryImage? See the reagentc command output. The WinRE recovery image will be used as a backup location - is that correct?

 

The WindowsRE image is what you get when you restart the computer into recovery (advanced troubleshooting) mode. It's also the same menu you get when you select the repair option if booting from a Windows 10 install disk (that runs the WindowsRE from the install disk). The OS image is what gets installed ("reset") when you select the reset option from the troubleshooting menu that the WindowsRE presents. WindowsRE is also what drives the create recovery drive process in Windows 10.

1. You have to have the WindowsRE troubleshooting available to use the reset option, so having an OS image set without the WindowsRE present won't do any good.

2. You can have the WindowsRE set and available without an OS image set. You just won't be able to run the reset Windows function from the troubleshooting menu . Also, if you attempt to create a recovery disk without the OS image being set, you won't have the option to "copy system files".

 

Thanks for clarifying this. I now see that the winre.wim file on the recovery partition is only 335MB so it can't be a recovery image. My original recovery image was the Dell Windows 8.1 factory image but that's not useful now I have Windows 10 which is why I've set Windows 10 Build 1511 as the recovery image. I have a Dell factory recovery Windows 8.1 USB anyway. I only wish we had the option of a custom refresh image.

 

I haven't found any way to set the custom refresh image. Now, I have done something different on my Nextbook Windows Tablet, but I don't know if it would actually work or not. It came with Windows 8.1 with Bing installed. I know it is next to impossible to download a standard Windows 8.1 with Bing install ISO so the first thing I did was create an image of the complete 32 GB memory using Macrium Reflect to restore in case Windows 10 failed. Then I did a clean install of Windows 10, which read the product key stored in Bios for Windows 8.1 for activation.

That created the EFI boot partition, the 128mb empty space, OS partition and Recovery partition - which contained only the WindowsRE environment. I made the WindowsRE files readable by doing attrib -h -s on them. Copied them to the SD card. Deleted the recovery partition, shrunk the C: drive partition and moved it to the end of the "disk". Deleted the 128mb empty space. Expanded the EFI boot partition to about 5gb in size.

Then I copied the Windows 10 WindowsRE files to the EFI boot partition and copied the install.wim file for the factory Windows 8.1 from my backup image to the EFI boot partition. Then I set the reagentc OSImage and WindowsRE pointers to the correct folders in my combined EFI Boot and Recovery partition and enabled reagentc.

I know the WindowsRE environment works because that is easy to test. In theory, if I select the reset option from the recovery menu, I should get the factory Windows 8.1 with Bing restored. Haven't tested that yet (I still have my Macrium Reflect image backup). If I want to "reset" Windows 10, I can just an in-place upgrade repair install of my Windows 10 install USB.

 

According to MSDN (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...(v=vs.85).aspx) the /setosimage setting is not used by WIndows 10. If this is the case, please take down this tutorial as it is misleading.

I verified in a VM that windows 10 will in fact do an image-less reset without the /setosimage setting used.

 

Hello Betamax, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

You are mistaken. It's the custom refresh image that is no longer used in Windows 10.

However, you can still set a reset image of your own using this tutorial if you don't want to use the default Windows image that you used in the VM.

 

are you sure? it says right in the box under /setosimage "This setting is not used in Windows 10." It also says "Registers the location of a push-button reset image in an online or offline image."

As far as refresh images go, I think that uses "recimg /setcurrent" and not reagentc. https://www.winhelp.us/custom-recove...windows-8.html

Although MS docs have been wrong before.