Windows has become a very robust operating system and difficult to block completely, but to be calmer and be prepared to solve all kinds of problems it is necessary prepare a recovery or repair discto be used to reinstall Windows from scratch or to fix errors that prevent the computer from starting.In the following guide we will show you all the methods for create recovery disc for windows 11 and for windows 10to be used only in an emergency, in case the system no longer starts or is unable to start the integrated recovery system.
READ ALSO -> How to open the recovery console in windows 10
1) Windows 11 and Windows 10 Recovery Disc
To create a recovery disc on Windows 11 or Windows 10 we can use the operating system itself, without downloading anything to the computer and using the system files that we already have as a basis for the recovery disc; this operation must be done before the computer freezes or goes haywire.
To proceed we open the Start menu, type Recovery drivewe start the app of the same name, we tick the item Back up your system files to the recovery drivewe press on Avanti and wait a few minutes until the window appears in which we are asked to connect a USB drive: we choose one for the purpose blank USB stick of at least 16 GB.
Connect the key to immediately start the tool recognition process, then press on Following to confirm the USB stick as the destination of the recovery drive and finally press on Crea to create the key.
Within minutes (depending on drive and system speed) we’ll have our own disaster recovery unit: keep this key in a safe place together with the PC and, in case of problems or blockages, connect it and start the system recovery.
2) Download Windows Recovery Disc
If your PC won’t start or crashes on startup we can’t create a computer-based recovery drive, but we will have to download the Windows installation image from the Microsoft site and proceed with the traditional recovery (clean installation of Windows), also keeping any personal files present on the PC.
To proceed, download the ISO image of Windows suitable for our system from the official links below:
- Windows 11
- Windows 10
The quickest method is to use the key Download the tool now to download the Media Creation Tool di Microsoftso you can quickly create the recovery USB stick.
Alternatively, we can also download only the ISO image of the system (Windows 11 offers the download of the ISO directly from the site, while for Windows 10 the ISO must be downloaded from Media Creation Tool) and use a free and portable program such as Rufus.
Whatever method we use to create the USB stick, we can use it in the same way: connect it to the PC that won’t start or with obvious problems, let’s change the boot orderwe boot from the stick and follow the onscreen instructions to restore Windows.
3) Create system image
An alternative method of repairing the system is to use the system imageswhich work as “ghosting” images of the system at the time of creation: using these images the system will return to the settings, programs and files saved at the time of creation of the image, restoring the correct functioning of Windows.
The system images must be created when the PC is first started or immediately after formatting it, even if nothing prevents us from creating others later: the dimensions of these images will grow dramatically, so it is better to equip ourselves with a external USB hard drive of at least 1 TB or larger.
To create the system image we start the Start menu, type Control Panellet’s open the entry of the same name, let’s go along the path System and Security -> Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and click on Create system image sideways to the left.
In the new screen we choose as hard disk the USB drive connected for the occasionwe press on Avantimake sure to select all the partitions on our disk and then press Next to start the image creation procedure.
Windows images are also accessible without having to restore them, so you can always recover just one file or folder without having to restore everything.
We invite you to read our article on this type of backup how to create a system image on windows for recovery.
Conclusions
To be prepared for Windows startup errors and problems We recommend that you create a recovery disc as soon as possible so that you can use it from the recovery console or use it as a standalone drive for crashed system recovery.
It goes without saying that in the Windows settings it is very important to activate the Windows 10 or 11 automatic backup feature on a secondary disk.
To learn more we can read our guides on how to use system restore in windows 10 and 11 come on how to reinstall windows recovery console (windows RE).