It is always advisable to create a recovery media when you are trying to install a new operating system or upgrading the existing one. Because, in the event of a system failure, you can always boot the computer with the recovery drive or media and try to fix the system. Earlier, in Windows 7, you only had the option to create a recovery media using an optical media (CD-RW or recordable DVD) but this changes with Windows 8. Now, you can use a USB Flash Drive too!

The Recovery Drive can be used to help troubleshoot problems with your Windows PC even if it cannot start. If your PC came with a recovery partition, you can also copy it to the recovery drive so that you can use it to Refresh your PC or Rest your PC.

Create a Recovery Drive in Windows 8

As highlighted above you can use both, USB-based recovery media, as well as disc-based media. We will use USB-based recovery media here.

First, you need to find the Windows 8 recovery media creator. For this, bring up the charms bar, click on Search and in the search box enter the word ‘RECOVER’. Then, switch to the ‘Settings’ view.

Recovery Media Creator

There, a ‘Create a recovery drive’ option will be visible to you. Click on that option. The Recovery Media Creator is a desktop-based wizard that guides you through the process of creating the recovery drive.

Click on ‘Next’ and you will be asked to connect a USB Flash drive with the following notification – The drive must be able to hold at least 256 of MB, and everything on drive will be deleted. The wizard will also provide you with the option to create a system repair disc with a CD or DVD instead. Choose that works best for you.

Select the drive and click Next. See the screen-shot below.

Do note that the Drive must be able to hold at least 256 MB and once you create the recovery drive, everything on it will be deleted. Click Create. Your drive will be formatted.

You will see the process of formatting in progress. Wait for some time!

Once formatted, the wizard will transfer all the essential contents that make up as the recovery material.

You can also always use the link offered there to create a System Repair DVD or CD, should you wish to.

Now whenever you encounter a problem or there is a system failure, you can fix it from the recovery media which contains several useful tools.

If you haven’t created one yet, you want to create one right now…just in case!