Solution: Windows Could Not Find the Recovery Environment

What Causes the Could Not Find the Recovery Environment Error?

If the Windows Recovery Environment is deactivated, missing, or corrupted, or if the recovery disc is damaged, this error is likely to occur. This can prevent the system from booting properly.

Solutions to Windows Could Not Find the Recovery Environment

If you're planning to restart or refresh your computer because it's slow or to troubleshoot another error, you can complete the solutions below in the order they appear.

Create Windows 10 installation media

If you can't reset your PC using the Settings app's Reset this PC option, you might be able to do so from the Windows 10 Recovery Media environment, using a DVD or USB drive with the software already installed.

Step 1. To upgrade your Windows 10, go to Microsoft's website and download the Media Creation Tool application, then accept the terms and conditions when you open the executable file.

Step 2. To create installation media for another PC, go to the second window and select the option to Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.

Step 3. The bootable drive's language, architecture, and other parameters will be determined by your computer, but you should uncheck the "Use recommended options for this PC" option and select the suitable settings for the PC you're trying to fix the problem on. This will ensure that the bootable drive is configured correctly for the specific computer it's intended for.

Step 4. If you want to store the ISO file on a portable device, choose USB drive. If you prefer to use a physical disc, select DVD.

Step 5. To select the USB or DVD drive from the list of storage media linked to your computer, click the "Next" button after the drive has been detected. This will allow the installation process to proceed with the selected drive.

Step 6. When you click Next, the Media Creation Tool will begin downloading the files needed to create the installation device.

To resolve the resetting issue, start by booting from the installation disc that you likely have with your recovery media. This will initiate the process of truly solving the problem.

Step 1. To install Windows 10, first boot your computer and insert the installation drive. The following steps are specific to Windows 10, so please follow them carefully.

Step 2. A window will appear asking which keyboard layout you want to use. Select the one you want to use. Then, go to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC on the next screen.

Step 3. To reset your PC, select either "Keep my files" or "Remove everything" from the Reset this PC window, depending on your goals. If you want to preserve your personal files and settings, choose "Keep my files.

Step 4. The two options, Keep My Data and Remove Everything, differ in their approach to resetting the computer. Keep My Data will uninstall all apps and reset settings, but preserve personal files, whereas Remove Everything will completely reset the computer, erasing all data.

Step 5. Once the reset process is finished, your computer is ready to be used again. You can now restart your computer and begin using your newly reset machine.

Note: If your machine doesn't start from the installation DVD immediately, you may need to adjust some BIOS settings first. The default booting priority often prefers the hard drive over the installation medium, so it boots from the HDD instead. To fix this, you'll need to change the BIOS settings.

Restore System Files and Settings with Windows Recovery

If your system is experiencing frequent crashes or specific functions are not working, you can restore Windows to a previous state by reverting the modifications made during the update process. This can be done by following the steps to restore your system, which involves reverting to a prior state, effectively undoing the changes made during the update.

Step 1. Open the System Properties box in the same way we did before, and on the System Protection tab, select the "System Restore" button.

If the option is greyed out, it means you don't have any restoration points available to choose from.

Step 2. To start, click Next in the System Restore window and select the restore point you want to restore your system to.

After selecting the restore point, click Next to continue. It's also worth checking which apps and drivers will be removed since they were installed after the restore point was created by clicking "Scan for affected programs." This will give you an idea of what to expect during the restore process. Then, click Next to proceed with the restore.

Step 3.To confirm and complete the system restore process, review the details of the restore point, and then click the "Finish" button to restore your system to its previous state.

System Restore will require a restart of your PC to complete, so save any open files before clicking Finish.

System Restore can't be stopped while it's running and may take a long time, so it's best to do other things while waiting.

How to Use System Restore when Windows 10 PC Won't boot

If your computer won't boot up properly or crashes almost immediately, you can use Windows 10's "Advanced startup settings" to execute System Restore, which can help resolve issues by reverting your system to a previous point in time when it was working properly. To access this feature, restart your computer and press the F11 key repeatedly during boot-up, or press the Windows key + X and select "Restart" while holding the Shift key. This will take you to the "Advanced startup settings" screen, where you can select "Troubleshoot," then "Advanced options," and finally "System Restore" to initiate the restore process.

Step 1. To access the boot menu, turn on or restart your computer and hold down the F11 key as it boots up, or alternatively, hold down the Shift key when restarting.

A blue screen with the words "Choose an option" will appear, prompting you to select a troubleshooting option. From the drop-down menu, select "Troubleshoot" to proceed.

Step 2. Now you'll be sent to the "Advanced options" screen. If you don't see a button with that name, look for one and click it.

Select the System Restore option in either case.

Prepare a WinPE Bootable Disk

WinPE is a small version of Windows that can be used to deploy PCs, troubleshoot operating systems, and perform other tasks while the system is offline.

WinPE is a bootable operating system that can be started from a USB flash drive, hard disc, or other media. It is used by large organizations and OEMs to preinstall Windows on PCs during production, resulting in machines arriving with Windows already installed.

• Download the Windows operating system and once done, install.
• Before installing Windows 11/10/8/7, ensure your hard drive is ready for the installation process. This typically involves checking the drive's free space, partitioning, and formatting if necessary.
• Create Windows images and apply them.
• To recover system files, use recovery tools like Windows RE (Windows Recovery Environment).
• Resolve issues with system boot failure.
• You can use a Linux live CD or USB to manage disc partitions that aren't possible to do in Windows, such as formatting the C drive.
• Provide a platform for third-party disc cloning software to run on.

If the operating system fails to boot or needs to be moved from a backup image to another HDD/SSD, a WinPE bootable disc may be required. This allows running Qiling Backup without system boot partitions in the pre-installation environment and recovering system/data from the backup, with options for creating a Linux-based or WinPE-based bootable CD/DVD.

• Free Download
• Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. Prepare a USB drive which can be written and read.

Step 2. Launch and install Qiling Backup on the Computer B.

Step 3. Find and click "Tools" and choose "Create bootable media".

Step 4. To begin the installation process, you need to select the location where you want to boot the installation media from. This can be done by creating an ISO file, which is a digital copy of the installation media, a bootable USB drive, or a CD/DVD disc.

Step 5. Then click "Proceed" to start.

Conclusion

If Windows is unable to locate the recovery environment while attempting to reset your computer, don't worry - we've got some possible solutions for the problem known as "Windows Could Not Find the Recovery Environment."

It's now your turn. You can try to address the problem using one of these. Other backup options, in our opinion, are less trustworthy and effective than Ease US To-do backup.

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