Windows 10: Creating a recovery partition using windows media creation tool

Hi all,

I have just received a new laptop, but it didn't come with a recovery partition so I am trying to create one myself.

The OS it's running is Windows 10 Home 64bit.

I have downloaded the Media Creation Tool in order to download the ISO files for the partition but the none in the selection of Windows 10s in the "Edition" drop down menu match mine.

This is the choice:

- Windows 10
- Windows 10 Home Single Language
- Windows 10 N

The selected edition when the "Use the recommended options for this PC" is ticked is "Windows 10".

None of them include "home" apart from the Single Language edition.

If my current OS is Windows 10 Home should I just select "Windows 10" from the menu?

I take it then I won't be asked to enter an activation key?

As you can probably tell I'm a newbie at this so I appreciate all your help and advice!

Mark

:)

 

Windows 10 recovery drive from the web

No, but you can create reinstall media for Windows 10 from the web using the Media Creation Tool. See:

How
to download official Windows 10 ISO files

Windows 10 Recovery Drives are created from the system recovery partition stored locally:

How
to: Create a Recovery Drive for reinstalling Windows 10

The Windows 10 reinstall media created with the Media Creation Tool does the same thing and is more flexible.

 

How do I update my Recovery Partition to Windows 10?

Well, you can't "update the recovery partition" and it's too late to rollback to Win8.1 but you
can create your own Win10 recovery drive!

TUTORIAL: How to create a recovery drive

Create Recovery Drive in Windows 10

(Microsoft's HOW TO) Create a recovery drive

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

Recovery Options (including using a recovery drive to reinstall Windows)

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

Also see
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/media-creation-tool-install

 

If it is a new OEM system it should have the partitions it needs. Could you attach a picture of your Disk Management window showing the partitions?

What kind of Recovery Partition are you trying to create or for what purpose are you trying to create one?

 

A recovery partition on the same drive as your OS is lost if the drive dies. Most round here strongly recommend making a system image of your drive on an external drive - USB HDDs are relatively cheap. The two advantages are that you can replace a dead hard drive and restore the image, plus it will be your personal system that's restored - not a plain-vanilla out-of-the-box fresh install. There are some tutorials on this.

Windows comes with its own imaging software...
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5...dows-10-a.html

...but many prefer Macrium Reflect (free) for reliability.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/6...p-restore.html

Now a USB or ISO install media can be useful at times, but not an essential if you have system images. The edition you want is the one the Media Creation Tool recommends for your PC (if asked, choose 32 or 64-bit to match what you're running now) . The one media will install Home or Pro according to the licence for your PC it finds on Microsoft's activation servers.

 

Hey both, Thanks very much for your replies and apologies for the delayed response.

I have done what you said and created a system image on an external HDD. It worked fine

Thanks again!

 

New systems do not include full recovery partitions. Microsoft and the system manufacturers expect you make your own recovery media.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...recovery-drive

 

Original Windows 10 systems still have recovery partitions. They don't contain an image of the OS but the utilities which came with the system and are installed during a reset.

 

And my statement is still true. New Windows 10 systems do not include full recovery partitions. They only include Windows Recovery Environment partitions. When doing a system reset, the OS is rebuilt from files contained in the Windows\WinSXS folder. Older Windows 7 and prior systems contained full system images in the recovery partitions. The problem with the new recovery system is that if your OS partition gets corrupted, you have to rely upon an external recovery drive to restore your computer.

 

I don't consider you statement correct but whatever...

When you make a recovery drive the OS image is on the Recovery drive. When you check "Backup system files" it creates the image and places it on the recovery drive.

If you do a reset from within Windows it probably builds the image at that time.

What is important here is knowing what type of media you may need for the different versions of a Reset. If you do a full reset from a Recovery Drive without the image you could probably just insert the install media for that build and finish.
But a true Factory Reset needs the Recovery partition with Win 10 OEM systems.

Edit: I just checked my Recovery drive and it does look like the App packages are there. So it should be able to reinstall completely if the drive fails.