6 Solutions to Fix Windows 10 Unable to Create Recovery Drive

Some Windows users have reported that they can't create a recovery drive on a USB flash drive or a local drive. If you get the error message, "We can't create a recovery drive. There was a problem creating the recovery drive", it indicates that the creation of a Windows 10/8/7 recovery drive has failed.

Don't worry. Here, we've found practical solutions to assist you. Discover the reasons and solutions for "can't create recovery drive" right now:

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Applies to: Solves the issue where creating a recovery drive gets stuck, fails, and displays the error message "We cannot create a recovery drive."

Why Can't I Create a Recovery Drive?

A Windows Recovery Drive, essentially, is a DVD or USB drive containing a copied version of the Windows operating system. It is commonly used to access a malfunctioning Windows system and promptly restore or recover a failed or crashed Windows 10/8/7.

If you encounter the "we can't create a recovery drive" error, it might be due to any of the following reasons that hinder your success:

1. The option 'back up system files to the recovery drive' requires at least a 16GB USB flash drive.
2. Antivirus software prevents you from creating the recovery drive.
3. The USB flash drive is damaged or the Windows file system is corrupted.
4. Windows is unable to format the entire drive to create a recovery drive.
5. If the winre.wim file is missing or deleted, you will encounter an error message.
6. Cannot create a Windows 10 recovery drive; some required files are missing.

How to Solve the "We Can't Create a Recovery Drive" Error on Windows 10

So, how to fix the "We can't create a recovery drive" error on your computer? Based on the aforementioned causes, we have compiled 6 effective solutions for you:

1. #Solution 1. Prepare another USB flash drive
2. #Solution 2. Disable Antivirus software
3. #Solution 3. Check & repair system file corruption
4. #Solution 4. Check and format the USB drive
5. #Solution 5. Run the DISM tool
6. #Solution 6. Create a USB recovery drive using an alternative method

Solution 1: Prepare Another Large USB Flash Drive

Essentially, creating a recovery drive with Windows system files necessitates having a substantial USB drive. For Windows 10 64-bit, the drive should have a minimum capacity of 16GB.

Note: We recommend using a 32GB or larger USB flash drive to create the recovery drive in Windows 10/8/7.

Step 1. Unplug the old USB drive and plug the new larger one into your PC.

Step 2. Begin recreating a recovery drive to your USB drive in the same manner.

For a step-by-step guide, click and follow this link for assistance: Windows 10 recovery USB Drive.

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Solution 2: Disable Antivirus Software

Sometimes, the antivirus software on your computer might block specific actions. Temporarily disable your antivirus software and attempt to create a recovery drive again to check if that resolves the issue.

Step 1. Open the antivirus software on your computer and disable it.

Step 2. Open Windows Defender and disable the antivirus feature.

Important: If you have successfully created a recovery drive after disabling the antivirus, make sure to re-enable it once you're finished.

Solution 3: Check and Repair Corrupted System Files

Corrupted system files can prevent Windows from accessing your external USB drive.

Attempt to run a System File Checker (SFC) scan to verify and address any file corruption. The SFC scan will examine the computer for damaged system files and rectify them.

Step 1. Press "Windows + X" and then click "Command Prompt (Admin)".

Step 2. In the Command Prompt, type the command sfc /scannow and then press "Enter".

Solution 4: Check and Format USB Drive

To ensure that the USB drive is suitable for creating the recovery drive, follow these steps to check its health status and format the flash drive: 1. **Check USB Health Status**: First, it's important to verify that the USB drive is functioning properly. You can do this by using built-in tools on your operating system or third-party software. For Windows, you can use the "Error Checking" feature in File Explorer. Right-click on the USB drive in My Computer or This PC, select Properties, then go to the Tools tab and click Check. Follow the prompts to scan and fix any potential issues. 2. **Format the Flash Drive**: Before creating the recovery drive, you need to format the USB drive to prepare it for the process. Here's how to do it on Windows: - Connect the USB drive to your computer. - Open File Explorer and locate the USB drive (usually labeled as a drive letter like E:, F:, G:, etc.). - Right-click on the USB drive and select "Format." - In the Format window, ensure that the file system is set to "FAT32" (or "exFAT" if the USB drive is larger than 32 GB) as this is compatible with most systems. - Choose "Quick Format" to speed up the process. - Click "Start" to begin formatting. A warning will appear, reminding you that formatting will erase all data on the drive. Confirm the action if you're sure. - Wait for the formatting to complete, then click "OK." After completing these steps, your USB drive should be ready for creating the recovery drive.

Step 1. Backup all of your USB drive content, and connect the USB drive to the computer.

Step 2. Access "This PC", right-click on your USB drive, and select "Format."

Step 3. Click "File System" and use the drop-down arrow to select FAT32 for the drives.

Step 4. Check "Quick Format" and click "Start".

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Solution 5: Run the DISM Tool

The DISM tool stands for Deployment Image Servicing and Management. You can run this tool via the Command Prompt and attempt the operation again.

Step 1. Press Win Key + X, then click Command Prompt (Admin).

Step 2. Type dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth and then press Enter.

Wait for the process to complete, and you'll see a message saying "Operation completed successfully."

Step 3. Type dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth and press Enter.

It will take some time to finish.

Solution 6. Create USB Recovery Drive Using Another Method

The last but effective method you can try is to create a Windows USB recovery drive using an alternative approach. This involves utilizing a third-party bootable USB creation tool to resolve the issue of Windows being unable to create a recovery drive.

Tools system backup software - Tools Todo Backup can be of assistance. It serves as a perfect alternative to replace the Windows Recovery Drive, enabling you to back up the Windows operating system and subsequently restore the computer at any time from a bootable disk when the OS fails to start.

Watch how to run this user-friendly software and easily create an OS backup plan for your computer, which you can restore at any time:

#1. Backup Windows Operating System

Step 1. Launch the Todo Backup tool on your computer, and click Create Backup on the home screen. Then, hit the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to start the backup task.

Step 3. Your Windows operating system information and all system-related files and partitions will be selected automatically, so you don't need to make any manual selections here. Next, you need to choose a location to save the system image backup by clicking on the highlighted area.

Step 4. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud, or NAS. Generally, we recommend using an external physical drive or cloud to store your system backup files.

Step 5. If interested, you can access customization settings such as enabling an automatic backup schedule for daily, weekly, monthly intervals, or upon specific events, as well as creating differential and incremental backups by clicking on the Options button. Once ready, hit "Backup Now". The Windows system backup process will commence. Upon completion, the finished backup task will be displayed on the left side in a card format.

Once you've created a backup image of your OS, you can proceed to create a WinPE disk on your USB flash drive. If your computer is unable to create a recovery drive, you can attempt to boot your computer from the WinPE disk as an alternative.

#2. Create an Alternative USB Recovery Drive - Bootable Disk

Step 1. Prepare a USB drive that can be written to and read from.

Step 2. Launch and install Todo Backup on Computer B.

Step 3. Locate and click on "Tools" and select "Create Emergency Disk".

Step 4. Select the Boot Disk Location. You can choose to create an ISO file, a bootable USB, or a CD/DVD disc.

Step 5. Click "Create" to begin.

Once you've created this USB bootable disk, you'll always be able to restore your computer to a healthy state.

Resolving the "Can't Create a Recovery Drive" Issue is Achievable - Act Now

On this page, we outlined the primary reasons that might prevent you from creating a Windows recovery drive. Don't worry if you encounter the "We can't create the recovery drive" error; there are solutions available.

We've compiled 5 manual solutions to address this issue. If none of these prove effective, you still have one final option: resorting to third-party system backup software, such as Todo Backup, for assistance.

It efficiently and reliably rescues your system from sudden OS crashes or failure errors at any time.