Everyone that owns a computer should be prepared for disaster, even for the latest operating system, and create a recovery drive in Windows 8. Yes even Windows 8 has errors and having a recovery drive is a handy tool when your computer is down and out. If you can access the Windows 8 troubleshooting options from within your computer then you are lucky, as sometimes your computer will not boot to use the reset at refresh function from within. That is why we need to create a recovery drive so we can access these troubleshooting settings when we cannot get into Windows.
You will need:
- A Windows 8 computer with USB ports.
- A USB Flash Drive, even an old one that is only 1GB. This will create a bootable USB drive that will give you access to Windows Repair options.
- OR a 16GB USB drive if you choose the ‘copy recovery partition’ option. This will make an recovery image of your computer so you can use refresh and reset in Windows 8.
Note: If you do not have a USB flash drive then it will not find one. It will then ask you to connect one. You’ll then see a link at the bottom of the window saying “Create a system repair disc with a CD or DVD instead”. Click on this if you’d like to create a recovery disc instead of a recovery drive.
How To Create a Recovery Drive in Windows 8
So if you do have a USB flash drive that is either clean or has files on it that you no longer need then you can proceed with the instructions below.
1. Insert your USB stick into a USB port in your computer.
2. You will see a message on your start screen saying that there is a removable device inserted. Tip: See what drive letter it is.
3. Now start typing on your keyboard. Type recovery.
4. Search will appear. Click on Settings in the menu below.
5. The settings will appear on the left. Click on create a recovery drive. The user account control might pop up. Agree and continue.
6. On the first screen tick the box next to copy the recovery partition from the pc to the recovery drive. If you want to create a full recovery image. If you only want a small boot USB then un-tick this box.
7. Click next.with
8. Now choose the drive where you want the recovery files to go. Make sure you do not choose your main hard drive.
9. Click next when you are sure you have the right drive. You will now see a screen warning that all your files on this drive will be deleted.
10. Press create to start creating your recovery drive in Windows 8.
11. When it is done just press finish to exit.
Create a Recovery Drive in Windows 8 [Video]
Extra Tips To Create a Recovery Drive in Windows 8
- Be extra careful when selecting the drive for your recovery files as this drive will be formatted first. Do not choose a USB drive or a hard drive attached to your computer with files that you do not want to lose.
- Label your new USB recovery drive with a sticker saying “Windows 8 recovery drive”. That way you will not get it mixed up with all the other stray drives. I know I have about 20 USB flash drives for different purposes.
- Store your recovery drive in a place where you will find it easily in an emergency. There is no point pulling the house apart to find the recovery drive when you need it. I like to tape it to the back of my computer monitor. It is not seen but easy to get to.
- Make two USB recovery drives while you are there. It is easy and you never know when you or a friend might need it.
- I prefer to create a recovery drive that has a copy of the recovery partition on it so I have access to everything I need. This enables me to refresh my pc with this image.
