How to Create Emergency Boot Disk for Windows 11/10/8/7: 3 Ways

What is an Emergency Boot Disk?

An emergency boot disk, also called a repair disk or recovery disk, is a bootable USB drive, CD, or DVD that contains essential system recovery tools. It's designed to help you access a non-working or unbootable Windows system, allowing you to troubleshoot and fix issues like:

• Boot failure errors (e.g., system crashes, MBR corruption)
• Missing or corrupted system files
• Hard disk failures
• Windows stuck in a boot loop
• Virus/malware attack preventing login

Instead of relying on your PC’s internal boot drive, this external bootable medium boots into a recovery environment. From there, you can repair the Windows OS, recover files, or restore backups, even if the installed operating system is broken. With systems becoming more vulnerable to unexpected failures, creating a Windows emergency boot disk should be a part of your disaster recovery plan.

How to Create Emergency Boot Disk for Windows 11/10/8/7

There are 3 ways to create an emergency boot disk for Windows 10/11 or other Windows systems, and each has its strengths. Let's explore the most efficient, feature-rich, and widely compatible methods below.

Way 1. Create Windows Emergency Bootable Disk using AOMEI Cloner

If you're looking for an easy and powerful solution for creating a bootable disk, AOMEI Cloner is a great option. It supports all Windows versions, including 11, 10, 8, 7, XP, and Vista, and all Windows Servers. And it allows you to create USB or CD/DVD boot media, for legacy BIOS & UEFI mode.

AOMEI Cloner

Best Emergency Boot Disk Creator

• This software comes with 3 options for emergency boot disk creation: Burn to CD/DVD to create a bootable CD/DVD, USB Boot Device to create a bootable USB, and Export ISO File for make a bootable ISO file.
• It works to create an emergency boot disk for Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS, etc., to start a crashed computer easily.
• Also, it offers various cloning features, like cloning C drive to SSD and cloning Windows to USB, for you to clone your boot drive or Windows OS in WinPE.

Free Download
Win 11/10/8/7/Server

100% Secure

Follow the guidelines below to create a Windows 11 emergency boot disk with ease:

Step 1. Connect your USB or CD/DVD to computer in advance.

Step 2. Download and run AOMEI Cloner on a working PC. Click on Tools > Create Bootable Media.

Step 3. It will check the Windows PE option automatically. Click Next. Then, select the target bootable media as need (here we take USB Boot Device as an example), and click Next to create a bootable disk.

Way 2. Create Emergency Bootable Disk with Recovery Drive

The Recovery Drive tool is a built-in Windows feature that lets you create a recovery USB. It backs up essential system files that helps restore your device to its factory settings. To use this tool, you need a USB drive with at least 16 GB capacity to make sure that it can hold all system-related files and recovery tools. Now, let’s take a look at steps to create a Windows 10 emergency boot USB with Recovery Drive:

Step 1. Plug in your USB drive to the computer that you want to create an emergency USB boot disk. Type recovery drive in the Windows search box and select Create a recovery drive to open the Recovery Drive program.

Step 2. Tick the box next to Back up system files to the recovery drive and click Next.

Step 3. Pick the target USB flash drive on the Select the USB flash drive screen, and click Next.

Step 4. Tap on Create and wait while Windows copies the necessary files to make a Win 10 emergency boot disk.

Way 3. Create Emergency Boot Disc via Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is another Windows native utility that can help you create an emergency boot disc. Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Navigate to Start -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click on Create a system repair disc on the left sidebar.

Step 3. Insert a blank CD or DVD. Note that this option only supports CDs or DVDs, not USBs.

Step 4. If the CD/DVD disc is not detected automatically, select it manually. Then, click on Create disc to begin the emergency boot CD/DVD creation process.

How to Boot from an Emergency Boot Disk

Once you've created your emergency media, here’s how to use it to boot your computer from it:

Step 1. Insert the emergency boot disk (USB or CD/DVD) into your unbootable PC.

Step 2. Power on the computer and enter BIOS/UEFI by pressing a specific key (usually F2, DEL, ESC, or F12) during startup.

Step 3. Navigate to the Boot tab or menu, and set the USB or CD/DVD as the primary boot device.

Step 4. Save changes and exit BIOS. Then, your system will boot from the emergency disk.

Bonus Tip: Ultimate Boot CD

Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) is a free, bootable utility disc that contains a comprehensive collection of diagnostic tools and utilities for troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining PCs.It allows users to run a variety of diagnostic tests, including CPU and memory tests, and contains utilities for virus scanning and other rescue tasks. It can helps to diagnose or recover computers that can't boot or are experiencing hardware/software issues.

To use Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD), you can download the ISO from the official UBCD website > burn the ISO to a CD/DVD or use tools like Rufus to create a bootable USB > boot from the media by changing your BIOS/UEFI boot order > navigate and access the UBCD's menu to access various utilities.

FAQs about Emergency Boot Disk

Q1. Can I create a Windows 10 emergency boot drive from another computer?

Yes, you absolutely can. Whether you're using AOMEI Cloner or the Windows Recovery Drive tool, you can create an emergency boot disk for Windows 10 on a functioning PC and use it on the troubled one.

Q2. What to do when no boot disk is detected?

Check if the USB or disc is properly inserted. Restart and ensure it is selected as the first boot device in BIOS. Also, verify that your media is bootable.

Q3. Can I recover Windows without a boot disk?

It’s possible in some cases to use Safe Mode or Startup Repair if your system partially loads. However, having a Windows emergency boot disk drastically increases your recovery options and success rate.

In the End

A sudden boot failure or black screen may leave you feeling helpless or panicked. With an emergency boot disk in hand, you would have everything in control. With AOMEI Cloner, you can not only create a bootable USB or CD/DVD, but also clone hard drive with a bootable drive to migrate a new drive without reinstalling.