Guide to create a USB Recovery Drive for Windows RT

When you want to install Windows 8.1 (Preview) on a Windows RT device, but not sure how to recover back just follow this guide. It can be used for repair also, so having a USB Recovery Drive is always a good option! In my case I use it for a Surface RT 32GB.

To create a USB Recovery Drive for Windows RT, simply use the step-by-step guide below:

1. Plug in a USB drive with at least 4GB of free space to your Windows RT device (Surface).
2. While in Windows Desktop, open Windows Explorer, click Desktop and select Control Panel.
3. From Control Panel, select "System and Security" and then "File History".
4. Next, in the bottom-left corner of the window, tap "Recovery", and then select "Create a Recovery Drive".

 

The recovery wizard will launch and guide through, then it will copy the recovery partition to the USB drive. After that it's possible to delete the recovery partition to clean up diskspace on your Windows RT device (Surface). I didn't do that, just for sure..

With the recovery partition you can repair Windows RT anytime! When Windows RT will not boot, use these steps for repair:

Warning: Be advised that following these instructions will reset Windows RT to factory settings, which means that all data and settings will be wiped out! Proceed with caution.

1. Shut down your Windows RT device (Surface) and insert the USB Recovery Drive.
2. While holding down the "Volume Down" switch, press and release the Windows RT Start button. After a few moments, the device will start and loads the recovery partition.

 

Follow the onscreen instructions to reset your Windows RT device.

The USB Recovery Drive is very handy when your Windows RT device will not boot properly. It can be used to recover back or repair your device (Surface). Hope it helps!