Windows 10: Unable to Create a USB Recovery Drive in Windows 11

If "Back up system files to the Recovery drive" is checked the Recovery app will not see the USB flash drive. It will say "The drive must be able to hold at least 32 GB and everything on the drive will be deleted." and the "Next" button is greyed out. If "Back up system files" is unchecked it will recognize any drive whether its a 32GB FAT format or 64/128GB NTFS and create the recovery drive. On the 64/128GB flash drives its creates a new 32GB volume with a FAT format. If I run the Windows Media Creation Tool it has no issue seeing the USB flash drives and writing data to them as well. I've

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Unable to create a recovery drive on Windows 10

Hello Mike,

As you are unable to create a system recovery drive on your operating system we will help you with this issue.

Do let us know the following to assist you better with this issue:

• Have you installed any third-party anti-virus software on your device?
• For how long time does the process stuck with loading circle?
• Were you able to see any error code/ error message with this issue?

Try few of the below troubleshooting steps and check if it helps.

Step 1: Disable the third-party anti-virus software and try to create a recovery drive.

NOTE: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you
have to temporarily disable it to install other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

If the issue still persists, I suggest you to uninstall the third-party anti-virus software.

Step 2: Follow the below steps to create a recovery drive on your device.

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.

Follow:

• 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.

Reference: Create a recovery drive

Hope it helps. Get back to us with an updated status of this issue and required information for further assistance.

Thank you.

 

create recovery drive

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in response.

I suggest you to refer the below support article and check.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/create-usb-recovery-drive

(Steps for 8.1 also applicable for Windows 10)

Let us know if this helps.

 

Unable to create a recovery drive with system files

Sorry to say that I did all that was suggested and still unable to create a recovery drive (USB) if I include the system files. Any further suggestions would be appreciated. JohnB