Create A Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) Partition

I sometimes see people asking how to repair their Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) partition.
I have even seen people saying that they don't even have one, or they accidentally deleted it.

If only they could simply create a new one.

So, my question is:
Is it possible to create (and enable) a working Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) partition?

 

Hadron,

This works. I had fun working it out. From BootIt UEFI the RE partition was deleted. Booted into Win10 and confirmed the RE wasn't functional.
In BootIt UEFI a 600 MiB NTFS partition was created and the GUID Partition Type was changed from Normal Data to Microsoft Recovery. The partition was named RE.
I had copied WinRE.wim from another computer to a UFD.
Still in BIU, TeraByte Explorer was used to copy WinRE.wim from the UFD to System32\Recovery in the Win10 partition.
Booted into Win10.
reagentc /enable

The RE is now functional. The RE partition was checked and the correct files were in the Recovery folder.

 

Thanks, Brian.

I'll have to boot back into BootIt UEFI and look for GUID Partition Type and TeraByte Explorer.
I found winre.wim in a hidden and locked partition. I mounted an image and got it.

 

After you create the NTFS partition, select it and click Properties. In the Type field, choose Microsoft Recovery.

Click Run on the BIU desktop, tbexplo.tbs
It's all keyboard from here.
You have to Mount a partition (drive path identifier)
To see Hidden files, press CTRL+ o (that's not a zero). Tick (use Spacebar) View hidden files, View system files. Press Enter.

Press F1 for Help

 

Thanks for all that, Brian.

 

A quick summary of using TeraByte Explorer from BIU. Have UFD (containing Winre.wim) plugged in.

Run, tbexplo.tbs
File Explorer
Scroll down with down arrow to Mount/Unmount a drive path identifier
Enter
Arrow down to your UFD partition
Enter
Press Ctrl o
Select (use down arrow and Spacebar) View hidden files, View system files. The items should have an X in the box. Press Enter.
now you should see Winre.wim
select it
spacebar to put an X in the box
Ctrl c
to copy (sometimes you have to press this several times)
You now see Select target for Copy (1 file) and press Ctrl+<V>
arrow down to Mount/Unmount a drive path identifier
Enter
1: will be selected. Press Enter
Arrow down to the Win10 partition
Enter
Arrow down to the Windows folder
Enter
press s and arrow down to System32 folder
Enter
press r and arrow down to the Recovery folder
Enter
The .. partition will be highlighted. Press Ctrl+<V> (Ctrl v)
to paste (sometimes you have to press this several times)
You will soon see Press <Enter> to continue...
Enter
You should see Winre.wim in the folder
Press Esc
Exit explorer

 

Thanks, Brian.

I've saved all that.

 

Or you can use a script which creates the RE partition and copies Winre.wim from the UFD to the Windows folder. It does this in a few seconds.

Code:

add partition 1 0x80 600 7 RE 0 /a=2048
set part type 1 0x04 {DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC}
open fs 0: 0 0x01
open fs 1: 4 0x03
copy file 0:\Winre.wim 1:\Windows\System32\Recovery /y
close fs 0:
close fs 1: 

 

That looks good, Brian.
I don't have a Winre.wim in C:\Windows\System32\Recovery on my computers. Should I?
I have seen some tutorials referring to it being there.

I know in previous Windows installation it was there.
But my Windows 10 and 11 installations don't have it there.

It's in the Recovery partitions though.

 

When you run...

reagentc /enable

... Winre.wim is moved from C:\Windows\System32\Recovery to the Recovery partition.

When you run...

reagentc /disable

... Winre.wim is moved back to C:\Windows\System32\Recovery

 

That explains it.
I would have thought that it would just copy rather than move.

 

This question is still related to the recovery partition.

If I want to browse a restricted image folder like in the Recovery partition, Macrium Reflect has the option to "Enable access to restricted folders".
Drive Snapshot also has this feature called: Assign access rights to explorer.

But I cannot find it in any of the TeraByte mounting tools.
I am sure one of the TeraByte mounting tools must have it, and I have probably used it in the past, but I cannot see it at present.
I thought either TBIHD, TBIMount or TBIView had this functionality.

 

If you use TBIView then hidden/system files are seen by default.

When using TeraByte Explorer...

Press Ctrl o
Select (use down arrow and Spacebar) View hidden files, View system files. The items should have an X in the box. Press Enter.

 

That's even easier, Brian.
No mounting needed.

I was looking for an option to select. That's why I missed it. There is no option as it's on by default.

 

r

That script version is quite good. I certainly need to try that since I on occasion run into a issue where on 8.1 performing a Reset or even Refresh needs path to the Recovery WIM. DISM is my friend. Didn't know that about reagentc either until now.

 

That script is for my test computer. Make sure you get the correct Drives and Partition IDs for your computer.

In BIU, BCD Edit, check
Device
Windows Recovery
Ram Disk DI Device

The Value should be the correct HD and the RE partition. If not, click Edit.
If the RE partition is present then the BCD Edit should be sufficient.

 

I can see that the DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC partition Type ID is the standard for a Recovery/utility partition.

 

Just back on this again.
This would be assuming that Winre.wim is still in Windows\System32\Recovery.
As I said in an earlier post, I don't know why Windows doesn't copy Winre.wim instead of moving it.

Edit: This is for copying Winre.wim in that folder from a UFD.
I misunderstood.

 

Partition GUID Types...

Code:

EFI System partition                {C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B}

Microsoft Reserved Partition (MSR)  {E3C9E316-0B5C-4DB8-817D-F92DF00215AE}

Basic data partition [Normal Data]  {EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7}

Windows Recovery Environment        {DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC}

Linux filesystem data [Linux Data]  {0FC63DAF-8483-4772-8E79-3D69D8477DE4}

Linux Swap partition                {0657FD6D-A4AB-43C4-84E5-0933C84B4F4F}

BootIt Hidden                       {6F422ADF-746F-7449-2048-696464656E2A}

 

Useful. Thanks @Hadron opening this topic.

 

Yeah, it is very hard to find an actual tutorial on creating a proper Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) Partition.
Most of the sites I visited looking for information only showed how to make Windows recovery media, which of course is a different thing altogether.

Thanks again, Brian.

 

Are either of you familiar with this command and it's purpose?

Reagentc /Setosimage /Path c:\Recover /Target C:\Windows /Index 1

 

No.

 

This Microsoft document explains it.

And this Microsoft document explains push-button resets. Here's another Microsoft document explaining push-button resets and state that it is available for Windows 10. The other two documents say not.

 

I probably don't use the Recovery Environment. I've never done a Reset this PC and probably never will. Restoring images is my preference. I assume Reset this PC takes an hour. Maybe. An image restore takes a minute.