Saving the Recovery Partition
The instructions on this page are intended for users of Windows RT 8 / 8.1 devices which have the original recovery partition still intact.
A copy of a devices original recovery partition can be created using the "Create a recovery drive" tool which is built in to Windows RT, this will create a bootable USB Recovery Drive which can be used to return the device to its original factory state if required.
Creating a USB Recovery Drive
Creating a recovery drive will erase anything already stored on your USB flash drive. Use an empty USB flash drive or make sure to transfer any important data from your USB flash drive to another storage device before using it to create a USB recovery drive.
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.)
Enter recovery drive in the search box, and then select Create a recovery drive.
After the recovery drive tool opens, make sure the Copy the recovery partition from the device to the recovery drive check box is selected, and then select Next.
Note: The check box is greyed out when your device doesn’t have a recovery partition. The recovery drive will include only the recovery tools and a bootable image, but not a recovery image to use for refreshing or resetting your device.
Insert a USB flash drive into your device that's at least as large as the size indicated on the screen.
Select the USB drive you'd like to use for your recovery drive, then select Next.
Select Create. The recovery image and necessary recovery tools will be copied to your USB flash drive, which will take a while, depending on your device and the size of the recovery image.
When the process is done, do one of the following:
If you want to keep the recovery partition on your device, select Finish.
If you want to remove the recovery partition from your device and free up disk space, select Delete the recovery partition. Then select Delete. This will free up the disk space used to store your recovery image. When the removal is done, select Finish.
Remove the USB flash drive. This is now your Windows RT recovery drive, and you'll need it if you ever need to refresh or reset your device. Keep it in a safe place and don't use it to store other files or data.
Source: Microsoft.com
Last updated