During the betas, one of the few new functionality Windows Vista Service Pack 1 added was the ability to create a Windows recovery CD with an easy-to-use GUI interface. Up and until then, it was slightly harder but still possible to do so through a command line. Update: To avoid confusion, this is not the type of recovery discs you find in prepackaged computer systems. This recovery disc does not reinstall Windows, it merely offers tools to fix it if it ever becomes unbootable.
Whilst all Vista install DVDs include the recovery functionality natively, it’s probably useful to burn yourself a spare copy to take with you. You can also download an ISO from NeoSmart.net but you might not have bandwidth to spare.
For unknown reasons, the functionality was then pulled out of the final release of SP1. If you look inside your system files, you can still find recdisc.exe which is the utility’s executable, but clicking on it does not launch anything. The shortcut in the Start Menu was also removed, indicating it was removed on purpose.
Out of curiosity, I decided to find out if by copying a version of recdisc.exe from a beta build of Vista SP1 and placing it in SP1 RTM would work. Thanks to Chris123NT for digging up a copy, it did work. If you also want to make it work, there’s a bit of file permissions involved, so here’s how.
Step 1. Download a pre-final release of recdisc.exe (x86 version) or (x64 version).
Step 2. Open your system32 directory. Start menu, type “%systemroot%\system32″ and click Enter.
Step 3. Find recdisc.exe, right click on it and click “Properties”.
Step 4. Select the “Security” tab and click “Advanced”.
Step 5. Select the “Owner” tab and click “Edit…”.
Step 6. Select “Administrators” to change the owner to, click “OK”. Click “OK” again on the dialog.
Step 7. You should be back at the file security settings dialog. Click “Edit..”.
Step 8. Select “Administrators” and then tick the checkbox under the “Allow” column and “Full control” row. Then click “OK”. Click “OK” again to finish.
Step 9. Rename this file (press F2) to something like “recdisc.old” to keep a backup of the original file in case you need to restore it in the future.
Step 10. Copy the “recdisc.exe” file you downloaded earlier. Double click on it to run.
Comments for "Recover “Create a recovery disc” on Vista SP1 RTM"
Byron
I really wouldn’t recommend doing this. This wouldn’t have been removed if there weren’t some major issue with it that was found too late to fix. Long, you might be exposing people to some sort of major issue here - I’d recommend adding a disclaimer to that extent.
Max
Strange that it was removed before RTM. I suspect this may be “reactivated” later or updated …
Cullen D
Byron, my guess is OEMs bitched that people wouldn’t buy recovery discs (yes some make you BUY them) or that you wouldn’t use their proprietary tools, so MS took it out.
someone
Not necessarily. MS always loves to remove features. It may be planned for 7.
bernard
wonder how long before the A-team strikes for the recdisc.zip download
Long Zheng
@bernard: At least after Easter break
Trent S
Im really starting to question Long’s creditability as a safe user, this is seeming more like a hack, or a work around.
I dont come here to visit that, i got to tweak xp to see stuff like that
Long Zheng
@Trent S: I never said I was a safe user, in fact I love to fiddle with system files and configuration files. Most things I post here though are procedures that are pretty safe by Windows-tweaking standards. Having said that, I don’t imply each and every one of you should do everything I say so if you feel this is not appropriate for you, then please don’t.
Garion
Now, if only this existed for Windows XP
Namiie
One reason I can think of why MS removed such feature is the fact that it may hurt MS or OEMs. Let say the recovery disc is created from an ACTIVATED OEM machine, then by applying on other pc, you get the same activated state. Wouldn’t that defeat their anti-piracy strategy and SP1’s purpose (cut down on exploits).
Long Zheng
@Namiie: The recovery discs are created using your install discs and do not contain any customization or activation information. They are purely technical diagnostic and recovery tools.
Chustar
CRAPWARE! That’s why the recovery option was taken out. If you recover your computer with an OEM copy, it also reinstalls the crapware, while I’m guessing it doesn’t do so with this one. Question, can’t you use this disc to recover a computer than never had vista in the first place?
Long Zheng
You guys are mistaken. This isn’t the recovery disc type that lets you reinstall Windows. All this does is offer you a bunch of utilities which can help fix Windows if it ever becomes unbootable.
tong
Will these feature be back as part of Ultimate Extras?
Albert
Whoa Long, you should consider writing up computer manuals. I would do it too because I like to, but you even put little tricks for new users (Rename: F2, Opening the System32 Directory, etc.). Kudos, and it worked like a charm.
Freak180
You guys are acting noobish! Is it best for the people who dont have the vista CD! Once you create the disc, you can restart your pc, and then a little menu will appear saying, press any key to continue (something like that), then it will take to a menu to repair your PC, by either system restore, backing up files and etc, Thats all it does! But if you already have a Vista cd then you dont need to create one really, It already does all above. Long, thanks for the file! Surely it will be very useful for me
By the way I’m new to this blog!
shlub
This is for a recovery option in case your system fails. I don’t see how this negatively affects the OS in any way, shape, or form. If/when my system dies I want every recovery option available.
Yert
I remember the days when you needed the Windows 98 install disk to do any work with USB devices. I also remember that disk being few and far between for OEM computers. When will you be able to make a backup Windows install disk with the click of a button that doesn’t install OEM crapware or get the disks with the computer without extra cost, and at a level of ease that gets computer illiterates able to do it?
All well. A recovery disk is something that everyone needs, and not from the OEM, you need it from the OS maker.
Namiie
Sorry for mistaking. I own a HP dv2000 laptop and so I thought this is the same thing as the Recovery Disc that asked to be created by HP. Well I guess this is still useful for normal users.
Brett
Where do you find all the icons that you use as photos for these articles? Are they grouped somewhere in the Windows folder where I can access them? Is there another way to get a hold of them?
Brendon Davis
You are looking at this all wrong…. They pulled this out of Vista SP1 so that they would sell more ‘Windows Home Servers’…. Home server lets you backup your entire hard drive and even do point-in-time restores of the entire volume.
Mary
I tried using this. I got the permissions changed OK. Then copied the downloaded file to the System32 folder. Neither double click or Run as Administrator will work, though.
I get an error that the device failed to accept the command within time?? It does show the disk create menu next but no CD or DVD burner is shown and it cannot find it so I get another error.
I was able to create a successfully bootable disk using NeoSmart’s ISO. I had to juggle to get the CD to be bootable. Using NTI you can check Bootable Disk AND burn an ISO. I Nero I could not find a way to do both at the same time and the disk was not bootable.
GRTerrero
A funny little thing happened on the way to the folder…LOL…that is, the system32 folder. The recdisc.exe utility was ALREADY there. I upgraded to SP1 via Windows Update last week. Apparently it came WITH recdisc.exe, albeit, a slightly larger file size than the one posted here.
Has anyone come across the same situation?
Chakkaradeep
I remember the Beta people telling me that since most of the OEMs dont give a Windows Vista Disc, there was no point of having this feature and most of the people who complained that they werent able to produce a Recovery Disc were the people who had the Recovery Partition given by the OEM instead of the Recovery Disc. This is really bad that OEMs are not ready to supply a disc with them. I like Dell for that matter, they do supply discs
Raymund Dobay
I have replaced the disabled build of recdisc.exe (18000-1840) with the earlier version and now it does work but in an extremely funny way:
First it says “you can create a recovery disc if you don’t have an installation disc…, insert a blank SD or DVD”
When I do so and click “continue ” a window pops up “Insert the Windows installation disc to create a recovery disc”
If I insert an installation DVD into my DVD drive it starts working and then asks for an empty disk again to
write the recovery disc which works actually fine.
But why does it ask for an installation disk at all what I’m not supposed to have, once I decide to create
a recovery disc.
And why should I create one once I have an insallation DVD to repair Vista from?
Any ideas?
Edil
I get into this page looking for a way to obtain a Vista Ultimate with SP1 disk. I purchased Vista Ultimate without SP1. After installing SP1 I went to Windows features dialog from control panel and it came blank, no list of options.
Searching on the Internet I read that to solve the problem you have to re-install or upgrade since there is a known bug but there is no fix yet. Problem was that when I inserted the DVD it the update option came disable and it said that I needed a newer version of windows i think it was because my laptop having SP1 but not the DVD.
Is this process going to provide me a repair disc with sp1?
Beau
Downloaded before the ninjas come
Works here.
olino
Dear Long,
Tried the method,(as an adminstrator) and the process won’t let me save the changes, after I click Ok aa box says it eill make the changes and then one pops up saying that i don’t have permissions to do it.
Did i miss something, I followed the instructions.Any thoughts on it?
Thank you,
Olino
Don Williams
I have Vista Ultimate 32 W/SP!. followed the directions faithfully and it works fine. Thanks a lot.
Don Williams
kctobyjoe
finally got it to work after a little maneuvering hope i never have to use it now
hopefully better than new convoluted! ghost!!!
hooper
It asks me to insert the Windows Installation disc.
If my computer had come with an installation disc, I wouldn’t need this hack in the first place.
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