How to create a Windows 10 Recovery disc and USB using only Windows 10

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kezug

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I have recently loaded up Windows 8.1 onto a new SSD and then upgraded it to Window 10.

1) I now want to create a recovery disc AND USB so I have 2 means of recovery for what I have installed and setup so far on my SSD.

I want this recovery disc AND USB to simply recover in the event my SSD crashes. If this happens, I want to install the new SSD, and simply boot to this recovery disc or USB to recover and BOOM be right where I am now.

2) After step 1, once I create this recovery disc and USB, I want to test it out NOW to ensure it will actually recover!

I also want to do this ALL via Windows 10...I do not want to do any linux ubuntu crap or 3rd party software please!

However, I am not seeing any instructions on doing both step 1 and 2...I see an awful lot about how to create the recovery, but I fail to see that same information extended to then verifying the recovery to work...I am a technical person...however, I am not seeing an easy set of instructions on this or just have not been successful in finding good information...so I now look to you, please help!
 
Solution
USAFRet
You boot from that Rescue CD, and Restore.
That will take one of your images, and put it on a new drive.

It becomes bootable, becayse you made an image of a bootable drive.
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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I want this recovery disc AND USB to simply recover in the event my SSD crashes. If this happens, I want to install the new SSD, and simply boot to this recovery disc or USB to recover and BOOM be right where I am now.
Click to expand...

You can't use a single DVD to completely recreate the entirety of your C drive onto a whole new SSD.
Obviously, that won't fit.

That Recovery will help fix an ailing OS install.

From MS: Create a recovery drive
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/instantanswers/3a747883-b706-43a5-a286-9e98f886d490/create-a-recovery-drive
At best, you can reinstall Windows from this. Not everything else that is on your drive.

I read your aversion to 3rd party tools....but one of those WILL do what you desire, mostly.
Takes more than a single DVD, though.
 
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mcnumpty23

mcnumpty23

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as said i agree 3rd party tools like macrium free version are superior to what windows 10 can do in this area

though guess you could possibly do it with windows but would be more of a pain than using 3rd party tools

my recovery set up

option 1--i created a hidden partition

then i imaged the whole hard drive to it with macrium--could use windows imaging instead

then i added macrium recovery to the boot menu --no idea how to do that bit in windows

if the pc wont boot to windows i boot to macrium recovery and tell it to load the hidden image--loads much faster than dvvd/usb as its on a m2 drive

option 2 is my other one in case the hard drive fails physically

pretty similar made a macrium recovery usb

then imaged the hard drive and copied that file to the usb

now have a usb thats bootable and has the back up image on it

though you need media big enough to hold your image file to do this--though the image file can be compressed to help
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Using Macrium Reflect, I have multiple images of my C drive.

1. Bare OS install
2. OS + basic load of applications, drivers, OS updates
3. A rolling set of images, imaged every night at 2 AM. Keep for 2 weeks, deleting the oldest as it goes.

C drive of ~140GB consumed, a Macrium image takes about 98GB.
 
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K

kezug

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Ok, I think I see now that what I want is to "image" my SSD that contains my OS and any configurations. That is what I want!

I realize this wont fit onto a DVD, so lets assume I can fit it on a USB or even a "Storage" drive.

How do I Image my SSD?

How do I get it onto a USB drive and also how to recover from USB drive?
How do I get it onto a Storage drive and also to recover from storage drive?

I am ok with using 3rd party tools, but I do not want any Linux or alternating OS involved.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Straight up, no questions asked....Macrium Reflect Free

It will run unattended, on a schedule you set. Daily, weekly, whenever.
You'll need a second drive with sufficient free space.

I have mine set to do a Full image of the C drive, every night at 2AM. Keep for 2 weeks (14 images), deleting the oldest as it goes.

I also have an image of the system as it was brand new, then another image after my basic load of applications an OS updates.
Those are stashed away in their own folder off on a different system.


Sufficient size:
My C drive is ~145GB consumed.
The Macrium image of that is ~98GB.
It leaves off irrelevant stuff. Temp files, pagefile, etc. And does a little bit of compression.

You also create a Rescue CD or USB with Macrium.
If your C drive dies:
Connect the new drive
Boot from that Macrium Rescue CD or USB
Tell it which image to use (last Thursday), and what drive to put it on (the new one).

--------------------------------------
Bottom line...this is an image of the entire drive. It works.
To create that image takes maybe 15-17 mins.
To recover to a new drive maybe 15-20 mins.
 
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K

kezug

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Thank you on the Macrium Reflect suggestion. I did just what you mentioned (Created a recovery USB and an Image to my storage driver).

I tested the recover USB and I see that it loaded and ran the Macrium Reflect software where I could choose an image to restore. However, I hadn;t created my image yet.

I now have my image created of my C: (which contains only my OS) onto my storage drive (D:)

Now my question, I have a large 64GSB USB spare thumb drive. I copied the image on my D: driver to the USB. Is that safe to do? I did this as a back of my image to have it just in case my storage drive should fail.

So, in a safe place, I have 2 USB drives...one with Macrium Reflect recovery and one with an Image. If needed, I can use these 2 USB drives to completely recover to current state (as of the image date) onto a new SSD C: drive should I ever need to.

I then will also have my Storage Drive D: with an image as a secondary location of an image.

I also will put this image onto one of my Seagate Backup Plus drives as a third location.

Does this sound like I did it right? I guess, the right way to test it would be to make massive, unwanted to changes to my C: drive, then boot from USB recovery and restore the image of my choice to see if I get back to my "current state". But is this risky?
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Yes, you can copy that 'image' file to wherever you choose. No effect at all.

I guess, the right way to test it would be to make massive, unwanted to changes to my C: drive, then boot from USB recovery and restore the image of my choice to see if I get back to my "current state". But is this risky?
Click to expand...

Yes, do this. Half of a backup plan is actually creating it.
The other half is actually testing it.

Many times, people create some convoluted backup plan, and then forget about it. Looks good on paper, but...
When things go south and they have to recover...not having tested it, they have no idea of how to actually recover. Or find some 'issue' in the original procedure, and they did not do it right.
 
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K

kezug

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Thank you sir!

I was able to test both images as my recovery (from USB and from secondary storage) via the Macrium Reflect recovery on another USB stick that I booted too!

This works EXACTLY as I needed it too. Although I did have to use a 3rd party software (outside of Windows)...it seemed that Macrium Reflect was easy and free.

Now, final question...when I booted to the Macrium Reflect recovery, I didnt seem to see a "Fix or Repair" windows option...just in case I didnt want to do any image restore, but just a fix option...where is it?
 
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kezug

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Ok, I now have this question and I am getting confused with "ReDeploy" vs restoring an image...

Here is my scenario. Lets say my SSD (which is what was "imaged") fails completely. I buy a new SSD, perhaps larger in size, perhaps even a diff brand. I install the new SSD. However, I then boot to Macrium Reflect recovery USB....I then want to restore an image to my new SSD.

How will I do this?
How does the new SSD then become "bootable"?

Am I missing a step?
Is this called "reDeploy"?
 
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K

kezug

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USAFRet, thank you for your time on all my questions. You really helped me out the past few days and now I have a setup with recovery and imaging solutions that are proven and ready for use in the event I need them.

Thank you!
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Yes, I believe that is correct.
 
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