Microsoft has been improving the stability of its operating systems after modifying its software development and distribution strategy. Even so, errors in Windows continue to reproduce randomly with each update that hits the market, causing malfunctions or blocking access to computers in the case of the most serious errors.
Aware of this, Microsoft has been expanding the internal tools available to recover errors and on its support web page it shows the recovery options in Windows. There, the restore points function stands out, which basically works as a “time machine”. It takes snapshots of the group of essential files and the Windows registry when it is working correctly so that, in the event of problems, it can quickly and easily revert the system to that moment.
Windows 11 Recovery Drive
Another solution that we include in this group of internal maintenance and repair tools goes a step further, since it allows us to act externally in situations where the errors are so severe that it is not possible to start the operating system.
We talk about Windows File Recovery, a system recovery created and bootable from USB flash media. For its creation, the system uses the application Recovery Media Creator and it works on both Windows 11 and older systems, 10, 8.1 and 8.
The process of creating this Windows 11 recovery drive is simple as you will see. you only need one flash drive or external USB drive with at least 16 Gbytes of storage capacity. From there the process is carried out as follows:
- Tap on the start button > All apps > Windows tools.
- Click on “Recovery drive”.
- There you can create the drive for restoration and troubleshooting, but if you check the option to back up system files you will also have the option to completely reinstall Windows.
- Select the USB drive to use.
- The application will notify you of the deletion of all the data on the USB.
- The tool will format and copy the necessary utilities. It will take some time, especially if you use media with interface less than USB 3.0.
How and what is it used for?
Windows 11 Recovery Drive will work on the PC you created it on and others as long as it has a recent version of Windows (11 and 10) and uses the same architecture, 32-bit or 64-bit.
Its use is similar to that of a self-bootable rescue medium (either system or anti-virus). To do this, restart the computer with the USB media inserted in any port and (if you have not already done so) enter the BIOS/UEFI to set the flash drive as the first boot drive. This will boot first before the computer’s internal hard drive or SSD as most problems can only be resolved this way, from external media.
Its uses are varied and from there you can:
– Windows Reset. This feature deletes all personal files and settings. It is a drastic method to start over in case of serious problems, slowdowns of the same use or for cases where you are going to give the computer to a third party and want to delete all your personal data. Obviously you must have made a previous copy of them.
– Restore to an earlier point. This USB recovery drive for Windows 10 allows access to restore points, the system protection tool that takes snapshots of the group of essential files and the Windows registry, allowing the user to reverse unwanted changes made to files and Major system settings (drivers, registry keys, or installed applications) that are usually the cause of conflicts and errors.
– Go back to a previous version of Windows. The unit also allows you to uninstall the latest quality updates or features that have been installed and are a frequent cause of problems. It is done from the Advanced Options > Uninstall updates screen.
– Replace Windows and data using an image. Windows 10 can create an image of the entire partition where it is installed along with all the applications and personal files stored there. The system image is a complete copy of the system partition, and there is no differentiation between the system and personal data in the backup file. When you use the recovery drive to recover Windows 10 with a system image, all system and personal data is replaced with what was available at the time of backup. You can access this tool from Advanced Options > System Image Recovery.
– Startup Repair. If you have problems with the system boot itself, you can try before making other changes with the function available in Advanced Options > Startup Repair. The function performs a diagnostic of the PC and presents the repair options identified for your system.
– Start command prompt. The Windows console is another preferred troubleshooting method, although you do need to be familiar with the commands to use. Some suitable for boot problems are Chkdsk, which checks the status of a hard drive/partition/volume and displays a status report to fix drive errors or bad sectors; Sfc that examines the integrity of all protected system files and replaces the incorrect versions with the correct ones from Microsoft.
– Access to UEFI. There are times when the system needs to make certain firmware changes to become usable again. From Advanced Options > Firmware Settings UEFI allows direct access.
Really useful this Windows 11 recovery drive and sometimes essential against errors in Windows. Of course, it is not the only means that you can use and we have already been offering you other external means based on Windows such as Windows Pe or others based on Linux such as SystemRescueCd and the like, which include diagnostic tools and partition repair, against malware , driver and hardware diagnostics, passwords, backup and restore, and a bunch of rescue and data recovery tools.
Have some on hand… in Windows you will need it. Although the stability has been improving in the latest versions, the errors, more or less serious, continue to arrive with each update.
