Recovery drive in Windows 8 is another great features to help user resurrect problems with their PC. Windows 8 facilitates easy ways to create recovery drive and let you free up some space (around 16 GB) by deleting the recovery partition. Creating recovery drive will move all the system repair and maintenance functionality of recovery partition to the USB (your recovery drive) and thus, you'll no longer need the inbuilt recovery partition.
All you need is a USB Drive of capacity up to 16 GB or more to store all the OEM recovery partition content & Windows 8 recovery & maintenance features. Make sure that you haven't stored your valuable files on it as this procedure will permanently wipes off all your current USB Data and make it very fresh. Remember, once you've successfully created the recovery drive, you can't use it for anything else.
Here's how to create recovery drive?
All you need is a USB Drive of capacity up to 16 GB or more to store all the OEM recovery partition content & Windows 8 recovery & maintenance features. Make sure that you haven't stored your valuable files on it as this procedure will permanently wipes off all your current USB Data and make it very fresh. Remember, once you've successfully created the recovery drive, you can't use it for anything else.
Here's how to create recovery drive?
- On the desktop screen at Windows 8 PC, press “CTRL + 'W' ” altogether and type Recovery Drive in the search box.
- Click on the Settings category and again, click on 'Create a Recovery Drive' option from the left side of the window.
- Recovery drive window will now open. Check mark the option stating “Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive” and click Next. Clearly, the recovery partition is much heavier in size and that's why we're ask you to have USB of at least 16 GB capacity.
- On the next step, you'll require to connect the blank USB that we're talking about. You may able to see your USB drive as soon as you connect it to your PC.
Note: 2 GB is required space according to the image above, however it'll ask you for 16 GB space when the “Recovery Option” is selected to be backed up. - On the next screen (Create the recovery drive screen), a warning message will appear to confirm you that everything on the drive will be deleted. Once you assured that you've successfully copied all your data from the USB, can go for “Create” option.
- That's all you've to do for creating recovery drive. Depending on the system specs, this step will take some time and finally comes with confirmation dialog that your recovery drive is successfully created.
