We recently wrote a post that showed you how to create a system image in Windows 11. A system image is no good unless you can use it to restore your system. You can read that post here. In that post, we said that when you create a system image, it takes a complete backup of everything on your PC’s hard drive – similar to taking a snapshot of your entire drive, system files, and everything. You can then take that image and store it somewhere safe and secure. If you need to restore your computer, use the backup image to do so. To restore a PC using a Windows system image, you’ll need a recovery disk that helps boot Windows into advanced startup options when your PC won’t boot or simply want to restore a system from a back image. It is recommended that whenever you create a system image, you should also create a recovery disk so that you can restore Windows when disaster strikes. Creating a recovery drive will allow you to boot from the USB drive and get to the advanced startup options. From there, you can use the tools to troubleshoot and/or restore Windows from a system image.
How to create a recovery drive to restore system image in Windows 11
As mentioned above, you’ll need a recovery drive to restore a system image in Windows. Whenever you create a system image, you should also create a recovery disk along with it. Follow the steps below to create a recovery drive. Windows recommends that you have at least 8GB drive, 16GB recommended. Insert the drive into the computer USB slot. In Windows 11, click on the Start menu, then search for “Recovery Drive” as highlighted below. Select the app to open. When the app opens, Windows will automatically begin searching your computer for a suitable drive. Once the drive is located, click Next to continue. When will then prompt you that the drive will be formatted and that everything on the drive will be deleted? If the drive contains personal files and data, make sure to back them up first before erasing them. Once ready, click the “Create” button. Depending on the speed of your computer, this process might take hours. After that, the drive should be created and ready to use. Once complete, store the recovery disk and the system image backup in a secure and safe place.
How to recover system image in Windows 11
If you want to recover from a disaster or simply want to rebuild a new PC using the system image, use the recovery disk to boot. The recovery disk will help you boot into Windows Advanced options. The advanced startup options have many tools, including System Restore, System Image Recovery, Automatic Repair, Command Prompt, and Windows Startup Settings. That’s it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to create a recovery disk in Windows 11 to restore a broken computer with a system image. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
