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18 September 2024  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Follow this expert-approved guide to resolve the 'can't create recovery drive' error and safeguard your important data efficiently.



Table of contents

table iconI. Why does the problem of Unable to create recovery drive appear?
table iconII. How to solve the problem of Unable to create recovery drive in Windows 10?
table iconIII. Use Renee PassNow to backup or transfer data when the system is inaccessible
can't create the recovery drive

I. Why does the problem of Unable to create recovery drive appear?

The Windows system enables users to create a recovery drive using a USB device or CD-ROM drive. This drive can be used to reset the computer, troubleshoot, or reinstall Windows when the system cannot start.
Unable to create recovery drive
In some cases, the creation process for a recovery drive may fail due to reasons such as insufficient storage capacity on the USB drive, virus/malware attacks, drive damage, system file corruption, antivirus software interference, or formatting issues.
After identifying the causes of the “We can’t create a recovery drive on this PC“ issue, let’s explore common solutions.

II. How to solve the problem of Unable to create recovery drive in Windows 10?

1. Turn off the antivirus software

Antivirus software can protect your computer’s security, but third-party antivirus software may hinder creating a recovery drive. To resolve this, disable the third-party antivirus software.
Step 1: Run the computer, click the (Start) button in the lower left corner, and click the (Settings) icon.
settings in Windows
Step 2: In the settings interface, choose (Update & Security), then switch to (Windows Security) and click the (Open Windows Defender Security Center) button.
windows defender security center
Then enter the (Virus & threat protection) interface.
virus and threat protection
Step 3: If you have not installed a third-party antivirus program, disable Windows Defender. If you have a third-party antivirus program, click the Open app option and then disable the security protection function or close the software.
virus and threat protection open app

2. Format the USB drive

Formatting the faulty disk can repair various faults of the device and make it work normally again. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the USB disk to the computer, press the (Windows+X) keys simultaneously, and select the (Disk Management) option from the pop-up list.
open windows disk management
Step 2: Next, find the USB disk that needs to be formatted, right-click on it, and select the (Format) option.
format drive
Step 3: Select the file system FAT32 or NTFS, check “Perform a quick format“, click “OK“, and follow the instructions to complete the formatting process. After the formatting operation is complete, safely unplug and reconnect the device before creating a recovery drive to see if the problem is resolved.
Select the required file system

3. Run the SFC /scannow command

The SFC (System File Checker) tool is a Windows built-in utility, and the SFC command scans all protected system files and fixes detected issues. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer, search (cmd) in the search box in the lower left corner, right-click, and select (Run as administrator) to open the command prompt tool.
run as administrator
Step 2: Enter the command (SFC /scannow) in the command prompt window and press Enter. System File Checker will perform a system scan to fix problematic system files. If it cannot repair the damaged file, proceed to the next step.
Enter the SFC command
Step 3: Type Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in Command Prompt, press Enter, restart the computer, and check if the problem is resolved.
Run the dism command
If the methods mentioned above do not solve the issue of Windows 10 being “We can’t create a recovery drive,” you can use Renee PassNow to backup or transfer data when the system cannot be accessed without a recovery drive.

III. Use Renee PassNow to backup or transfer data when the system is inaccessible

Renee PassNow is a professional system rescue software that can back up or transfer important data in the system, clear Windows account passwords, create new administrator accounts, restore disk/memory card data, recover data after hard disk formatting, transfer disk files, erase or scan disk files, and repair various Windows system problems such as MBR boot record, DBR error parameters, 0xc00000e, Windows system startup failure, black screen, or blue screen.
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Here’s how to use Renee PassNow to create a recovery drive:
Step 1: Download and install Renee PassNow on other computers that can log in and run normally, connect the USB disk to the PC, run Renee PassNow, and select “Create a Live USB” in “Step 1: Select the creation method”. (Note: Ensure important files in the USB disk are saved in other locations before proceeding, as this operation will delete all data in the USB disk.)
Step 2: Select (x64) or (x86) based on system type, click (Download Now) to download the ISO file, then click (Create USB) and (Eject USB) after download.
use renee passnow to create usb to reset passnword
Step 3: Connect the boot device to the computer, enter BIOS, set boot priority to USB disk, save settings, and restart.
select boot order
Step 4: Boot the computer from the bootable USB flash drive, select the (data backup) option, which clones the hard disk to other hard disks. Ensure the backup file storage capacity is sufficient.
passnow data backup
Step 5: Select the source hard disk and destination hard disk, then click “Clone” to back up the computer hard disk files.
Select the hard disk that needs to back up and save data
Step 6: Choose Data Transfer if transferring only important data from the hard disk.
data transfer
Step 7: Click on each disk drive letter (C/D/E/F, etc.) to find the files to be transferred. It is recommended to transfer them to an external disk. Select the source drive (e.g. C drive) on the upper left, the destination drive (e.g. G drive) on the upper right, choose the files from the source drive, and click the Copy button in the middle to transfer data. To delete a file, select it and click the Delete button in the middle, but keep in mind that this action cannot be undone. Operate with caution.
data transfer in Renee Passnow
Tips: If files are lost during data backup or transfer, select the (Undeleter) option on the main interface for data recovery.
data recovery function in Renee Passnow