Recovery Drive Creator Cannot Recognize Any USB


Caxtin

Caxtin

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Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584
Dell XPS 8960 / Windows 11 Pro / 64 Bit / 22H2 / ( OS Build 26.100.3194 )

I need to recreate a Recovery Drive USB. However, now I cannot.
I have tried two other USB ports, and also used a different USB drive, still the creator would not recognize a USB.
I can access the USB drives, copy or paste into them.

Cheers
 

Attachments

  • NoRecoveryDrive.webp
    NoRecoveryDrive.webp
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My Computers My Computers

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700, 16 Core(s)Total: 64.00 GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
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    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584
    Computer type
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    Dell XPS 8960
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  • At a glance

    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multi...13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355UTotal Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GBIntel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15-3530
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355U
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    Dell Inc. 0122F5
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    Total Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GB
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    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
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    (1) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Realtek Audio
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    Integrated
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    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe PC SN740 NVMe WD 512GB
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    Integrated
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    Integrated
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    Integrated
    Internet Speed
    143 Mbs Down / 43 Mbs Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome . Firefox
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    Windows Defender
Can you try different bootable media software?
Here's a list of items you can try:
1. Visit Windows 11 Download page, then follow "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" path
2. Try Rufus and see if it will build you a bootable installer
3. If you're running an image backup tool such as Macrium Reflect, Hasleo Backup or AOMEI Backupper, all have "rescue disk" or "rescue media" facilities that create bootable USBs
Let me know if you need more.

HTH,
--Ed--
 

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    Windows 11i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)16 GBIntel UHD Graphics 620
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    Windows 11
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    Lenovo X380 Yoga
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    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
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    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
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    all of em
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    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC

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    Windows 11Ryzen 5800X128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)NVIDIA 3070Ti
    Operating System
    Windows 11
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Asrock B550 Extreme4
    Memory
    128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA 3070Ti
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    built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2xDell 2707
    Screen Resolution
    1980x1200
    Hard Drives
    2XNVMe, multiple HDDs from 3 to 12 TB
    PSU
    Seasonic 650
    Case
    NZXT Flo 6
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    dual-fan air cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Logi
    Internet Speed
    GbE
    Browser
    all of 'em
    Antivirus
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    Other Info
    temperamental UEFI
are you using the built-in windows wizard? (looks like it but want to be sure)

%WinDir%\system32\RecoveryDrive.exe
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Could it be because it's FAT32?
 

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2Intel Core i7-10700K16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
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    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
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    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
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    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
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    #1. LG ULTRAWIDE 34" #2. AOC Q32G2WG3 32"
    Screen Resolution
    #1. 3440 X 1440 #2. 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
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    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
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    Logitech K270
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    Logitech M185
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    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
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    Webroot SecureAnywhere CE 26.1

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    Windows 11 Canary ChannelIntel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-A
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
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    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Caxtin said:
need to recreate a Recovery Drive USB. However, now I cannot.
I have tried two other USB ports, and also used a different USB drive, still the creator would not recognize a USB.
I can access the USB drives, copy or paste into them.
Click to expand...
Have you tried just restarting Windows? That's the first thing I try if Windows starts behaving 'oddly'.

Winuser said:
Could it be because it's FAT32?
Click to expand...
No, the recovery drive creator requires a Fat32 usb.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to lid hinges starting to break up this laptop has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.

    Info for 2021-2026:
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR was a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (1st gen) type 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device. This has now been sold. It has been replaced by my System Eight.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, 1920x1080 touchscreen, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine. As its new home has an existing digital licence for Pro I've been able to upgrade the migrated OS from Home to Pro.

    My SYSTEM EIGHT is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e (5th gen) type 20LN, Celeron N4120, 8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, a supported device for Windows 11. Currently running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Experimental 263xx and 29xxx builds as native boot vhdx.
Ed Tittel said:
Can you try different bootable media software?
Here's a list of items you can try:
1. Visit Windows 11 Download page, then follow "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" path
2. Try Rufus and see if it will build you a bootable installer
3. If you're running an image backup tool such as Macrium Reflect, Hasleo Backup or AOMEI Backupper, all have "rescue disk" or "rescue media" facilities that create bootable USBs
Let me know if you need more.

HTH,
--Ed--
Click to expand...
Thank you!
I have AOMEI Backupper images and a Bootable Media ( USB ) drive, which I tend to re-create after any Backupper update.
Isn't the Backuppper Bootable Media ( USB ) different from the Windows Recovery Drive?
- AOMEI Backupper - 840 MB files in a 2 GB USB drive
- Windows 11 Recovery Drive - 29.2 GB files in a 32 GB USB drive, which I assume this one has Windows and all the small partition information in the OS drive in the computer. I assume creating with a Installation Media with Rufus will just create a bootable USB drive, while the Widows Recovery drive (if created), would have all the OS drive had when I first got the computer.

I use the AOMEI Backupper Bootable Media ( USB ) to restore an image, usually if the media is in an external drive.

I have used the Windows Recovery Drive, to restore my computer to factory state. This drive is what I am trying to re-create. I created one after I got this computer not long ago.

Cheers
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700, 16 Core(s)Total: 64.00 GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8960
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700, 16 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. Base Board.
    Memory
    Total: 64.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio & Integrated NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Three Dell Monitors
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB ATA
    1TB ATA
    2TB ATA
    2TB ATA
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    935 Mbs (Down) 31 Mbs (Up)
    Browser
    Google Chrome. Firefox. Opera.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    TP-Link Gigabit PCI Express Adapter (Ethernet 802.3)
    Sophos TAP Adapter Provider (Ethernet 802.3)

  • At a glance

    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multi...13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355UTotal Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GBIntel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15-3530
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0122F5
    Memory
    Total Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    (1) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe PC SN740 NVMe WD 512GB
    PSU
    Integrated
    Keyboard
    Integrated
    Mouse
    Integrated
    Internet Speed
    143 Mbs Down / 43 Mbs Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome . Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Bree said:
Have you tried just restarting Windows? That's the first thing I try if Windows starts behaving 'oddly'.
Click to expand...
I have completely shut down the PC, restarted, and still the same.
Also, I went further. Say once in six months or so, I tend to create a Windows USB with the "Create Windows 11 Installation Media", and reinstall Windows, which refreshes and 'repairs' my OS. Still, the computer could not see the USB media in any port, or different USB media.

Cheers
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700, 16 Core(s)Total: 64.00 GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / 24H2 / Build 26100.6584
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8960
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-13700, 16 Core(s)
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. Base Board.
    Memory
    Total: 64.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio & Integrated NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Three Dell Monitors
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    1TB ATA
    1TB ATA
    2TB ATA
    2TB ATA
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Wireless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    935 Mbs (Down) 31 Mbs (Up)
    Browser
    Google Chrome. Firefox. Opera.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    TP-Link Gigabit PCI Express Adapter (Ethernet 802.3)
    Sophos TAP Adapter Provider (Ethernet 802.3)

  • At a glance

    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multi...13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355UTotal Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GBIntel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit. 22631 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15-3530
    CPU
    13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1355U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0122F5
    Memory
    Total Memory: 16.00 GB Usable Memory: 15.69 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    (1) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for Bluetooth® Audio (2) Intel® Smart Sound Technology for USB Audio (3) Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Integrated
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe PC SN740 NVMe WD 512GB
    PSU
    Integrated
    Keyboard
    Integrated
    Mouse
    Integrated
    Internet Speed
    143 Mbs Down / 43 Mbs Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome . Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
plug your usb into a usb 2.0 slot and not a 3.0 slot

also - format the usb as ntfs and reboot with it still plugged in. the recovery creation will format it as fat32 when needed
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro
OS
Windows 11 Pro
possibly need a 64 GB flash drive as Windows size is near to the 32 GB drive size.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win 11 ProAMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U24GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Comput...
    OS
    Win 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Vivobook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen™ 7 7730U
    Motherboard
    M1605YA
    Memory
    24GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1596MHz (22-22-22-52)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512MB ATI AMD Radeon Graphics (ASUStek Computer Inc)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1200@60Hz) - P1 PLUS (1920x1080@59Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1200
    Hard Drives
    953GB Western Digital WD
    PSU
    45 Watts
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth.
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

  • At a glance

    Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHzNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    500 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
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