How to Create and Use Windows Server 2016 Recovery Disk

The recovery disk is a bootable media (USB or DVD) loaded with a self-running operating system and several diagnostic tools, such as system startup, system restore, system image recovery, command prompt, etc., to deal with a damaged operating system, missing or corrupted system files, diagnose hardware issues, fix disk errors, etc.

In addition, there are many custom third-party packages for various uses, such as creating a system image backup and recovering deleted files in the event of a system crash. You can choose to create a Windows Server 2016 recovery disk depending on your purpose.

Why Should I Create a Windows Server 2016 Recovery Disk Manually?

In the old days, when you bought a new computer, the manufacturer included an installation disc. Usually, it is a CD/DVD. It’s a kind of recovery disk that can be attached to an optical drive. But starting in the mid-2010s, computer manufacturers began to stop including optical disc drives with their products due to the following reasons:

• The growing popularity of fast and high-capacity USB.
• People started pursuing thinner, lighter, more portable computers.
• A standard 12-centimeter diameter disc added significantly more bulk to a computer.

However, taking into account their needs in specific situations, manufacturers provide users with a preinstalled recovery partition to factory reset their computers. Microsoft offers ISO files to create a Windows Server 2016 recovery disk for repair or troubleshooting. For data recovery or other specific needs, consider using a third-party package.

Way 1: Create a Windows Server 2016 Recovery Disk from ISO

Here we will introduce you to the official method to create a Windows Server 2016 recovery disk from ISO using CMD. It sounds technical, but with the simplified steps, you can easily follow.

Step 1. Download the Windows Server 2016 ISO file from the official Evaluation Center and mount it with an available drive letter. Here, take g: as an example.

Step 2. Insert a USB drive into Windows Server 2016 and be sure it’s recognized.

Step 3. Press Win + X and select Command Prompt (Admin). Then, type the following commands to prepare your USB drive. Here take e: as the drive letter of this USB drive.

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk x (replace x with your USB drive number)
• clean
• create partition primary
• select partition 1
• active
• format fs=ntfs quick
• assign

Step 4. Type the following commands to make the USB drive bootable and copy the installation files of Windows Server 2016 to your USB drive. Replace the drive letters of both ISO files and the USB drive.

• cd boot
• bootsect.exe/nt60 e:/
• xcopy g:\*.* /e/h/f e:\

Way 2: Create Windows Server 2016 Recovery Disk from USB 🔥

If you don't have any backup, try a reliable data recovery software - AOMEI FastRecovery to retrieve data in the event of a system crash. Here are some unique advantages and highlights:

Now, free download this media creator for servers and follow the steps below to create a Windows Server 2016 recovery USB:

Step 1. Prepare your USB drive and connect it to your Windows Server 2016. Open AOMEI FastRecovery after installing. Click PC Crashed Recovery in the lower right corner.

Step 2. Under the USB Boot Device menu, select the prepared USB drive.

Step 3. Click Create and then Yes to format and create a Windows Server 2016 recovery disk. It may take a few minutes, just wait patiently.

How to Use Windows Server 2016 Recovery Disk

After creating a Windows Server 2016 recovery disk, you can use it to repair your computer, troubleshoot issues, retrieve data in case of a system crash, etc.

• Try system image recovery to restore your computer.
• Try AOMEI FastRecovery to retrieve data from hard drive that won't boot.

Case 1: Restore Windows Server 2016 from System Image 

Restoring system image in Windows Server 2016 using a Microsoft recovery disk is straightforward if you have a working backup image. If not, try third-party data recovery packages in the next part. The following are the steps.

Step 1. Plug the Windows Server 2016 recovery USB into your server and be sure it’s recognized. Restart your server and boot from the USB drive. Click Next in the initial Windows Setup window.

Step 2. Click Repair your computer.

Step 3. Click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Image Recovery. 

Step 4. Select Windows Server 2016. Then, type your username and password to access your images.

Step 5. In the Re-image your computer window, check Use the latest available system image (recommended) option and click Next.

Step 6. Click Finish and Yes to confirm you want to restore system image in Windows Server 2016. Wait patiently, this may take some time depending on the image size.

Case 2: Retrieve Deleted or Lost Data in Windows Server 2016 

With powerful scanning technologies and a user-friendly interface, restoring data using third-party data recovery packages - FastRecovery is just as easy. Here's how:

Step 1. Insert the Windows Server 2016 recovery USB created by AOMEI FastRecovery and boot from it. After loading, you will see all the recovery options.

• To recover deleted or lost data, click Deleted Files Recovery.
• To recover entire disk data, especially for hard drive with multiple partitions, click Disk Data Recovery.

Step 2. Hover the mouse over the Windows Server 2016 system drive and click Scan to start the quick scanning process to find and display all the recoverable data. 

Step 3. Under the Type section, specify a data type and click Recover. Or check all the data types for recovery. Double-click to preview them if you are not sure. 

Except for recovering data in Windows Server 2016, you can also use it to recover deleted files in Windows 11, 10, 8/8.1, 7, etc.

Conclusion

This article offers users two simple and easy-to-follow methods to create a Windows Server 2016 recoverydisk. Note that they are both intended to protect your server, but the usage is completely different.

Of the two methods, the official tool is to repair your computer, troubleshoot, or reinstall Windows. To get your computer back to normal without losing data, you can use system image recovery or system restore, but they require you to create them beforehand.

However, the third-party data recovery packages work well to retrieve data without backup. We highly recommend AOMEI FastRecovery because it has many shining points, such as powerful scanning technology, a simple interface, extensive data types, and misfortune scenarios, etc.

FAQs

1. How do I recover deleted files on Windows Server 2016?

If you can back up files in Windows Server 2016 using Windows Server Backup, try to restore files from a previous backup image.

• Open Server Manager. Click Tools > Windows Server Backup.
• Right-click Local Backup and select Recover.
• Then, select a backup location, such as another location, specify the location type and path, and backup date.
• Select Files and folders to recover and follow the on-screen instructions to recover deleted files in Windows Server 2016.

2. Does Windows Server 2016 have restore points?

There is no such thing as restore points for servers. So you cannot create a system restore point in Windows Server 2016. Fortunately, it has a similar feature named system state backup in Windows Server 2016 to help you.

3. How do I run chkdsk on Windows Server 2016?

• Click Start, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.
• In the Command Prompt window, type chkdsk drive letter: /f /r /x. Press Enter to scan and repair any disk errors.

4. How to repair Windows Server 2016 startup?

• Start your installation disc or recovery disk to access the recovery environment. Click Next in the initial Windows Setup screen.
• Click Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. It will restart your server and try to repair the startup issues.

5. How do I free up disk space on Windows Server 2016?

You can try the following methods to free up disk space:

• #1. Delete useless large files
• #2. Uninstall programs if you don’t use them anymore
• #3. Run disk cleanup
• #4. Turn off hibernation
• #5. Transfer files to a cloud storage, such as OneDrive