windows 11 recovery drive not detecting usb

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I have the same issue. Brand new Dell G15. Brand new 32GB flash. Formatted to FAT32. Scanned, and found no errors. Create program does not recognize it in either port. (Windows updates up-to-date).

Thoughts? (other than "Windows is ****"?)

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elevenforum.com › windows support forums › general support

I have the same problem with my laptop Dell XPS 15, the usb flash is recognized by it, but not when creating the recovery drive.

Eleven Forum

Recovery Drive Creator Cannot Recognize Any USB | Windows 11 Forum

March 6, 2025 - Firefox ... plug your usb into a usb 2.0 slot and not a 3.0 slot also - format the usb as ntfs and reboot with it still plugged in. the recovery creation will format it as fat32 when needed

Discussions

Windows recovery USB drive not working

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r/computerhelp

6

3

June 17, 2024

XPS 8960, can't create Windows 11 Recovery USB drive

You're better off using the Microsoft ... bootable USB when you need it that will clean install Win 11. The Dell factory image will likely be way out of date if you should ever want/need to use it. You can always download any drivers not installed via Windows Update and any software Dell installed from the XPS 8960 Support page. ... The term "recovery USB drive" ... More on dell.com

dell.com

3

0

December 21, 2023

Create a Recovery Drive does not recognize my USB flash drive.

Create a recovery drive does not recognize my USB flash drive. The flash drive appears in file explorer and is formatted and is 64GB. I have tried several drives and get the same problem. Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup More on answers.microsoft.com

answers.microsoft.com

25

89

March 16, 2024

Create Recovery Drive does not recognize USB flash drives

Hi u/u2nyr , thanks for posting to r/WindowsHelp ! Don't worry, your post has not been removed. To let us help you better, try to include as much of the following information as possible! Posts with insufficient details might be removed at the moderator's discretion. Model of your computer - For example: "HP Spectre X360 14-EA0023DX" Your Windows and device specifications - You can find them by going to go to Settings > "System" > "About" What troubleshooting steps you have performed - Even sharing little things you tried (like rebooting) can help us find a better solution! Any error messages you have encountered - Those long error codes are not gibberish to us! Any screenshots or logs of the issue - You can upload screenshots other useful information in your post or comment, and use Pastebin for text (such as logs). You can learn how to take screenshots here . All posts must be help/support related. If everything is working without issue, then this probably is not the subreddit for you, so you should also post on a discussion focused subreddit like r/Windows . I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com

r/WindowsHelp

3

December 31, 2023

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🔥 How to Fix a Plugged-In USB Drive Not Showing Up in Windows ...

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Microsoft Answers

answers.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › forum › all › windows-11-recovery-will-not-create-a-recovery › a7c664bc-1d6b-4cb3-96fd-981d9dca20d1

Windows 11 Recovery will not create a recovery drive if " ...

reddit.com › r/computerhelp › windows recovery usb drive not working

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31

My current Windows 11 version is KB5034123. Windows RE status was enabled. I guess I'm wondering why you suggested going through several steps when this is a known problem. Why didn't you just tell me that Recovery Media Creator doesn't work. Since this problem has been known for a very long time including in Windows 10, why doesn't Microsoft fix it?

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I've found if you turn off Microsoft Defender Virus protection and other Virus protectors that I can make Recovery FlashDrive.

r/computerhelp on Reddit: Windows recovery USB drive not working

June 17, 2024 -

I dusted off an old laptop I bought secondhand and did a reset as I had no password for the existing account. I got a sandisk 64gb USB (USB 3.0 but backwards compatible with USB 2.0) as a recovery drive

Problems:

For some reason windows does not detect the USB drive I set up for recovery and I see no obvious way to force it to sense it (I have put it in every port)
I get a THREaD_STUCK_IN_DEVICE_DRIVER error on restart
I am working with no admin account or any account
Safe mode does not work

Did I brick my computer?

1 of 2

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2 of 2

If it's an old laptop, what OS are you trying to recover? What brand of laptop? How old we talkin?! I would suggest installing the latest OS it can handle by using the Windows Media Creation Tool. Not sure what recovery you have setup on the USB that's causing issues. Is it an old recovery you created when you first got it? Edit: If it had Win 7 and can handle Win 10, you will have to purchase a license. I do not recommend installing 7 at all. It also depends on the hardware it's rocking. It will not meet the requirements for Win 11.

Dell

dell.com › dell community › desktops › xps desktops

XPS 8960, can't create Windows 11 Recovery USB drive | DELL Technologies

December 21, 2023 - You're better off using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB when you need it that will clean install Win 11. The Dell factory image will likely be way out of date if you should ever want/need to use it. You can always download any drivers not installed via Windows Update and any software Dell installed from the XPS 8960 Support page. ... The term "recovery USB drive" has a variety of meanings.

Super User

superuser.com › questions › 882749 › windows-recovery-creator-cannot-see-my-usb-drive

Windows Recovery Creator cannot see my USB drive - Super User

February 26, 2015 - The USB drive is USB 2.0. ... I have run into this issue as a retail service tech. I found that in some cases the recovery drive needs to be formated as NTFS before it is accepted a usable drive to write the recovery data to. This may have been manufacture specific. I would give that a try. If it dows not work, you call always format the flash drive back to fat32.

EaseUS

easeus.com › partition master › how to fix usb flash drive not showing up in windows 11🔥

Full Guide to Fix USB Flash Drive Not Showing Up in Windows 11

2 weeks ago - Connect the USB drive, check if it appears in File Explorer, open Disk Management, assign a drive letter, and perform initial checks for physical damage. ... Cedric Grantham is a senior editor and data recovery specialist of EaseUS.

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Eassos

eassos.com › how-to › USB-not-working.php

USB Not Working on Windows 11/10? Here're 7 Methods to Fix It

January 3, 2024 - Method 1: Restart your computer Method 2: Try plugging the USB drive into a different USB port Method 3: Change power management settings Method 4: Update device drivers Method 5: Turn off fast startup Method 6: Install Windows updates Method ...

Microsoft Answers

answers.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › forum › all › create-a-recovery-drive-does-not-recognize-my-usb › 5fc4dd7c-653b-405f-be6d-cb56ad50de0d

Create a Recovery Drive does not recognize my USB flash ...

reddit.com › r/windowshelp › create recovery drive does not recognize usb flash drives

1 of 5

9

I have the same issue. Brand new Dell G15. Brand new 32GB flash. Formatted to FAT32. Scanned, and found no errors. Create program does not recognize it in either port. (Windows updates up-to-date).

Thoughts? (other than "Windows is ****"?)

2 of 5

0

Hello, ManjeetSM

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

Hello, I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing an issue where the Create Recovery Drive feature of Windows 11 is not recognising a USB flash drive.

Here are some of my suggestions you can refer to:

Make sure the USB flash drive is properly formatted:

Open File Explorer, right-click on the USB drive, and select "Format". Select the appropriate file system (usually FAT32) and click Start to format the drive. Note that formatting will delete all data on the USB drive, so make sure to back up any important files beforehand.

Try using a different USB port:

Sometimes there may be compatibility issues with certain USB ports. Unplug the USB flash drive from the current port and insert it into another port on your computer.

Test the USB flash drive on another computer:

Connect the USB flash drive to another computer and check if it is correctly recognised. If it works on the other computer, the problem may be related to the current computer's settings or hardware.

Update the USB driver:

Outdated or corrupt USB drivers can cause recognition problems. Visit your computer manufacturer's website or the USB drive manufacturer's website to download and install the latest drivers for your USB port.

In addition, you can also let us know if there were any errors reported when you created it. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Thank you for your time and effort to work on this topic.

Best wishes

Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

r/WindowsHelp on Reddit: Create Recovery Drive does not recognize USB flash drives

December 31, 2023 -

I am trying to create a recovery drive for a brand new Dell computer running Windows 11 and keep getting this error with different flash drives: "Connect a USB flash drive. The drive must be able to hold at least 32 GB, and everything on the drive will be deleted."
https://pixeldrain.com/u/ieqvdiHE

i've tried formatting the drive exFat, and NTFS, neither work.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Al

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Hi u/u2nyr , thanks for posting to r/WindowsHelp ! Don't worry, your post has not been removed. To let us help you better, try to include as much of the following information as possible! Posts with insufficient details might be removed at the moderator's discretion. Model of your computer - For example: "HP Spectre X360 14-EA0023DX" Your Windows and device specifications - You can find them by going to go to Settings > "System" > "About" What troubleshooting steps you have performed - Even sharing little things you tried (like rebooting) can help us find a better solution! Any error messages you have encountered - Those long error codes are not gibberish to us! Any screenshots or logs of the issue - You can upload screenshots other useful information in your post or comment, and use Pastebin for text (such as logs). You can learn how to take screenshots here . All posts must be help/support related. If everything is working without issue, then this probably is not the subreddit for you, so you should also post on a discussion focused subreddit like r/Windows . I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

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Same issue! Alienware m18 I9 13th geb Nvidia Rtx 4090 32gb ram Windows 11 Computer recognizes the usb stick but once inside create recovery drive then it does not find it? Usb stick 64gb sandisk

Microsoft Community Hub

techcommunity.microsoft.com › microsoft community hub › communities › products › windows › windows 11

Creating Windows USB Recovery Drive. 32GB Requirement | Microsoft Community Hub

Went to create a recovery USB drive on windows 11. After a while I was prompted to insert a USB drive of at least 32GB which I duly did but the "next" button stayed greyed out. After checking my USB drive I can see that there is actually only 28.8Gb available.

EaseUS

easeus.com › usb data recovery › fix usb drive not showing up in windows10/11 | 8 excellent ways

USB Drive Not Showing Up? Find Windows 10/11 Fixes Here

05:19

Restoring the computer to an earlier date should also help you solve the USB drive not detected issue. You can easily restore your Windows with the System Restore option. Step 1. Open the Control Panel window and click "Recovery". Step 2. Click the "Configure System Restore" option. Step 3. Click "System Restore" and follow the instructions. Anyway, System Restore Windows 11 is the last method for Windows to fix USB flash drives showing issues.

Published 3 weeks ago

JustAnswer

justanswer.com › computer › syqbv-cannot-create-recovery-usb-windows-11.html

Cannot Create Recovery USB for Windows 11? Expert Help Guide

August 29, 2025 - No—once you’ve created a recovery USB, you generally only need to make a new one if: • You upgrade to a major new Windows release (for example, moving from Windows 11 22H2 to 23H2). • You want to ensure the recovery drive matches your current system image.