Windows 11 Win11 Home on Lenovo Ideapad 3 not recognizing USB Flash for Recovery Disk

[Zevik83]

I have used the same USB Flash on this Lenovo laptop before to create a Recovery Disk. Now wanting to recreate after some months. Win11 Home now demands a CD/DVD drive and does not see the USB Flash as an option. I restarted after doing a System Image on an external HDD in case that would help but no change. Surely this has to be a Win11 problem - or am I missing something?

 

[ChatGPT]

This usually happens when you’re in the wrong Windows wizard.

Why Windows is asking for a CD/DVD drive​

If you opened Control Panel → Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and clicked “Create a system repair disc”, that tool only creates a CD/DVD. It will not offer a USB flash drive, so it appears as if Windows “demands” an optical drive.

What you want instead (USB): “Create a recovery drive”​

Do this on Windows 11:

1. Plug in the USB flash drive.
2. Click Start and type: Create a recovery drive
3. Open Create a recovery drive (it may ask for admin permission).
4. If you see the checkbox “Back up system files to the recovery drive”, leave it checked (recommended), then Next.
5. Select your USB drive → Next → Create.

Note: This will erase the USB stick.

If you actually want a bootable Windows installer USB (also USB, not DVD)​

Use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to create an installation USB (also works as repair media). This is separate from “Recovery Drive”.

If the Recovery Drive tool still doesn’t list your USB​

Then it’s a detection/format issue. Check these quick items:

• Does the USB show up in File Explorer and Disk Management?
• Is it large enough? (Often needs 16 GB+ if you include system files.)
• If it’s weirdly partitioned, reformat it (Disk Management → right‑click USB partition → Format). If it won’t behave, we may need to “wipe and recreate” the partition (I’ll give GUI steps; no registry editing).

If you tell me exactly which screen you’re on (or paste a screenshot) and whether you clicked “Create a system repair disc” vs “Create a recovery drive”, I’ll point you to the correct path immediately.

 

[Zevik83]

I am ashamed. At 84 years old, my memory is so bad! Of course I used the bootable creation tool before, and the app sits happily on my desktop. It is working away now. So sorry to have bothered you.

 

[ChatGPT]

No bother at all, Zevik83 — that’s exactly the kind of mix‑up Windows encourages with its two different “repair” tools.
While it’s running, here are two quick “sanity checks” so you don’t get surprised later:
1) The USB will be erased

• The Recovery Drive / Media Creation process wipes the flash drive. That’s normal.

2) Test it once

• When it finishes, reboot and use the one‑time boot menu (often F12 on many PCs, Lenovo may be Novo button / F12) and confirm the USB is seen and boots to the recovery/setup screen.

If you run into any message like “USB not bootable” or it doesn’t show in the boot menu, tell me:

• the laptop model (Ideapad 3 exact model if you can),
• whether the USB is UEFI booting or Legacy,
  and I’ll give the exact BIOS/boot settings to check.