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

The problem is probably that the recovery environment is not set to the proper locations of the recovery files. Here's my story:

Nextbook Flexx 10.1 upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10. Had two recovery partitions - 500mb created by Windows 10, and 5+gb factory with Windows 8.1. Using MiniTool Partition Wizard, I assigned drive letters to both recovery partitions - R: and T:. On the 5+gb Windows 8.1 recovery partition T: was a folder called Windows Images. Inside that folder was install.wim. This is the custom OS install file that is used to completely restore the computer. Your folder might be named something different, but install.wim is the file.

I copied the entire Windows Images folder to my C: drive. Then I deleted the 5+gb factory recovery partition. I expanded the Windows 10 500mb partition into the free space, making it almost 6gb in size. There is a hidden system folder in the Windows 10 recovery partition called Recover\WindowsRE. Inside this folder is windowsre.wim. (I might be mistaken, but the file name is close to that). That is the actual recovery environment. Leave that alone. I moved the Windows Images folder to the Windows 10 recovery partition R:, so now I have Recovery\WindowsRE and Windows Images on it. Then I shrunk the recovery partition to the smallest size it would allow me to, and expanded the C: drive partition into the free space.

Then I pointed the recovery agent to the proper locations in an elevated command prompt:
REAGENTC.EXE /setreimage /path r:\Recovery\WindowsRE

That sets the actual "restart into recovery" function to the WindowsRE path that contains windowsre.wim.

REAGENTC.EXE /setosimage /path "r:\Windows Images" /index 1

That sets the "restore OS" function to the folder containing install.wim. Notice the quotes required, because the folder name contains a space. Index 1 means the first "folder" within install.wim (which normally contains only 1 index or "folder" anyway).

REAGENTC.EXE /enable

Turns it all on.

Now, I have a working Windows 10 recovery environment which when told to restore the OS will actually re-install the factory Windows 8.1 OS. If you don't have reagentc.exe /setreimage to the folder containing the windowsre.wim file, you cannot create a recovery drive. If you don't have reagentc.exe /setosimage to the folder containing the install.wim file, you cannot add the system files to the recovery drive.

After everything is all set up, you can go back and remove the drive letter(s) from the recovery partition(s).

Your create recovery drive function is not working because reagentc.exe is not pointing to the correct locations.

 

I tried to Create a recovery drive and was successful. It did take a while. If your wondering I don't have a recovery partition on my drive.

 

WindowsRE and install.wim do not have to be in a specific recovery partition, but they do have to be on the system and reagentc.exe has to have the correct location of them set.