Windows 10: Unable to create "RecoveryDrive" in Windows 10

Doesn't look like you started with Control Panel. Should look like this:

 

Hi,

Or from within Control Panel's search box for that matter.

Either way, as Topgundcp already pointed out, if windows can't find the recovery environment it won't run.
That happens quite a lot and point to badly organized GPT partitions, missing pointers and god knows what else.

Point is, the Recovery partition is a special partition and when it is not properly defined Windows is at a loss.
Hence the reagentc command to check that etc.

Cheers, *Wink

 

Sorry to say that that path "Control Panel > Recovery > Create a Recovery Drive" is not available on this Windows 10 installation. Another path by going to the "Start Menu", clicking "Settings", then click "Update & Security", next click "Recovery" will only show the three options as seen in my screen shot posted earlier. These choice are, "Reset ths PC", "Go back to Windows 7" and "advanced startup". THERE ARE NO CHOICE TO CREATE A RECOVERY DRIVE from any GUI interface that I can find. The only way to enter into a recovery drive mode is to do a search on "RecoveryDrive" which shows me target find as "RecoveryDrive.exe". This is the executable that is located in Windows\System32. This is the executable that fails, and the original request for help on this post.

 

rwrider,

There are a couple of solutions that will provide you with all you need to recover Windows and/or restore your computer.

A Windows install USB / DVD will do everything that a recovery drive would do. You can make one using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Just make sure to download the exact same Windows version that you have installed.
Windows 10

Once you have a successful, activated upgrade in place from Windows 7/8/8.1, you do not need a product key for Windows 10. During a clean install, when it asks for a product key, just click "skip" or "do this later" and it will activate based upon hardware information previously stored on Microsoft activation servers when you upgraded.

If you want a system image back-up that you can restore later, Macrium Reflect Free will easily make that for you. Obviously, you need somewhere to store the backup, which will be a single file about 80% in size of the used space on your hard drive. Macrium Reflect Free also allows you to create a rescue USB/DVD which you can boot from if you have a hard drive failure and need to restore the image to a blank, replacement HD or SSD.
Macrium Reflect Free


In addition, the ISO file created for the rescue disk by Macrium Reflect Free can be copied to the Windows 10 Install Media USB and can be made to dual boot between Windows setup and Macrium Reflect Rescue using the add ISO function of EasyBCD:
EasyBCD - NeoSmart Technologies

You copy the ISO file itself to the USB - not burn/extract it and setup booting from the ISO file in EasyBCD.

On my rescue/restore USB I can boot into Windows setup which allows me to install/repair Windows 10 Home or Pro, 32 bit or 64 bit, boot into Macrium Reflect Free Rescue, or boot into MiniTool Partition Wizard - all on the same USB flash drive.

To me, messing around with the built-in Windows recovery/image backup is just too much of a hassle.

 

As you should see on my other posts on this thread, I DO NOT have the GUI options to select "RECOVERY" from my control panel. The "advanced" option is missing. I suspect it is missing because the Windows 10 upgrade DID NOT setup my system with one. I am only guessing as this is beyond my level of expertise. This Dell system has a "recovery partition" that was probably accessible when Windows 7 was running. I never needed, or tried to boot to it. However, I have seen other systems that will give that choice by hitting F12 at bootup, and that choice is available to enter "recovery mode". I DO NOT get that choice! Personally, I have helped another friend who upgraded to Windows 10. She had a problem with her video driver. I was able to boot to her "recovery mode" at boot time, and was able to repair her Windows 10 installation.

 

I wish to thank everyone who offered help. To summarize, I have no GUI menu path to initiate a recovery drive within Windows 10, itself, other than find and run the "RecoveryDrive.exe" in c:\windows\system32. This process fails, leaving me without a clue how to proceed forward, and correct the error. Obviously, the Windows 10 upgrade has left the original Windows 7 recovery partition "hanging" with no way that I know of for replacing it with a Windows 10 recovery partition.

It seems that NavyLCDR has given me a process to create a "stand-alone" recovery media. Actually, this is probably the best method, because many things could go bad that would not let one boot to a Recovery Partition.

It just "hacks me off" that Microsoft did such a poor job on this section, while they did a pretty good job of migrating Windows 7 apps into Windows 10, and give us a way to move off the horrible Windows 8.

 

If you are going to add a Rescue ISO to a Windows 10 install USB using EasyBCD - just make sure to do "File - Select BCD Store" first and point it to /boot/bcd on the USB drive. You might have to enable show hidden files/folders in file explorer first to see it. Otherwise you will be messing with your system BCD on your hard drive by default.

 

Finally, I was able to see the "Advanced recovery tools". Microsoft has some corrections to make to this Windows 10 system. You MUST in the control panel select "View by: Large (or small) Icons" in order to see "recovery". It simply does NOT SHOW UP in "Category View".

 

Ah, I never use Category view, always switch to Small icons first time in Control Panel.
Good find!

 

But you can find Create a Recovery Drive from control panel's Category.

Control Panel->System and Security Review your system's status -> Recovery -> Create a Recovery Drive. *Smile

 

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, this path does not exist on this Win10 system.

 

The other option is to check your Task Bar. In the lower right, you should see the various System icons.

There should be a flag icon, either on the bar or in its overflow section (click on the caret between the System icons and the Touch Keyboard). If the flag isn't there, choose Control Panel/System & Security/Security & Maintenance (the heading itself).

The Security & Maintenance box (AKA the Action Center in older Windows versions) has a Recovery icon in its lower right corner. That will start the Recovery Media Creater application -- the one that creates the Recovery disk / stick.

Third options: Search for "Create a Recovery Drive" in My Stuff. (Don't let Cortana give you the Web search, or you'll get a Bing help page.) Choose the Control Panel options, and you're off & running.

 

Following your steps, there is nothing like you explained on the task bar or its overflow. However, going to control panel>system and security>security and maintenance>recovery>create a recovery drive, I see that I can find it from the control panel category view (they did a darn good job of hiding this).

However, it still will not create a recovery USB. There is a change from my first posting. Before, it ran briefly, then blew off with a message that it wasn't able to create the recovery drive. Today, all I get is a green bar scanning forever, never get the page that shows the USB drive letter (or any choices for media).

This doesn't work, period! As I mention before, the Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 was not able to detect the Dell Recovery partitions that were a part of Dell's options at boot-time to enter into a recovery mode for maintenance and repair. These tools would have been for Windows 7, anyway. But, creating, and having a recovery tools is inconsistent in these upgrades. I have other systems I have upgraded to Windows 10. At least one of them will allow at boot-time to enter into a Recovery and Maintenance mode without needing to have created a RecoveryDrive.

I don't understand enough to know how the vendors created the recovery partition. I wish I did so I could correct this. Since working with upgrading to Windows 10, I have seen every combination. Either of these three outcomes I have seen. (1) Windows 7 upgrades to Windows 10 with the ability to enter into the recovery and repair mode (for Win 10) at boot time. (2) Upgrading from 7 to 10 allows me to create a recovery drive to USB. (3) Upgrading from 7 to 10, I cannot boot into the recovery and repair more, nor will the system allow me to create a recovery drive USB.

On this post, I have seen help to create and independent recovery drive from a Windows 10 ISO image. This is what I am going to be forced to do! Or, just forget the whole process and continue imaging my drives with Clonezilla, but that doesn't help in repair possibilities.

 

Perform a repair install Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade