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[VAIO_PC] Precautions for when creating recovery media

Creating USB Recovery Media

– Important points to consider when creating USB flash recovery drives
– Using USB flash memory to create a recovery media

Applicable Products
VAIO PC General

Table of Contents
Using USB flash memory to create recovery media
Important things to consider when creating USB flash recovery drives

Creating Recovery Media using USB flash memory

  • Recovery media is created using the FAT32 format, which corresponds to USB 2.0.  When creating a USB recovery flash disk, it is important to use USB 2.0 flash media. As some versions of Windows do not load the USB 3.0 drivers during startup, your machine may not be able to see the system image if you are trying to use a USB 3.0 recovery flash disk.
  • The required capacity of your USB flash memory varies depending on the model.  Please make sure that your flash drive meets one of the following standards.  For the VJP111*/1311* series and the VJF151*/152* series, you drive needs to have at least 8GB of space and no more than 32GB.  For the VJZ13A*, VJZ12A*, and VJP132* series, your drive needs to have at least 16GB of space and no more than 32 GB.  The capacity of your flash drive will most likely be confirmed during the process of creating your recovery disk.
Please Note: 
  • When creating a recovery medium, it is advisable to back up your data in advance as all of the data on the USB flash memory will be deleted.
  • Before creating recovery media, run a ScanDisk error check on your flash drive.  You can get more
information about running ScanDisk in following links:
Checking for disk errors (ScanDisk) [Windows 8.1/10]
  • Format your USB flash drive for FAT32 file storage before creating your recovery disk.
  • As the your PC does not come with recovery media it is recommended that you create it immediately after purchase. Failing to do so before installing security software may cause you to be unable to create the recovery media at a later time as some security software encrypts HDD and SSD data which will cause the data to be unreadable. 
  • When creating recovery media, set your computer so it does not move into hibernation or sleep mode.
  • Temporarily disabled security applications to avoid causing conflicts with your creation of recovery media.
  • You can use the recovery media that you create on other machines. 
  • If you do not have enough free space on your hard drive, you won’t be able to create your recovery media.
  • When you are creating recovery media, ensure your machine is plugged into the AC adapter and not relying on battery power alone.
  • If your USB flash memory is equipped with a security feature, it may be recognized as multiple drives or partitions.  If this is the case, your ability to save may be limited.
  • For more information, please refer to the instruction manual of the USB flash drive.
  • When you create recovery media, we recommend that you have a greater capacity than the minimum that is required.
  • If the recommended minimum amount of storage space is not available when you are creating your recovery media, creation may fail due to the capacity of your media not being large enough.