You will learn how to fix the Windows RE image was not found error in 6 effective methods, i.e. enable the recovery environment, set the image file path, copy winre.wim file from installation media, etc. Scroll down to learn more.
“I'm trying to factory reset my computer, but it does not allow me (Recovery environment not found). I tried using "reagentc /enable" but was hit with a Windows RE image not found. When I tried advanced startup, my troubleshooting was missing options and only contained UEFI Firmware settings and startup settings. Please help for I am struggling on my own, Thank you.”
Don't be too nervous, you are in the right place to learn info about this error and how to fix it with effective solutions. All the errors indicate the whole recovery partition or the winre.wim file is deleted by mistake. Also, the system reserved partition is too small to fit winre.wim file, the WinRE is disabled, etc., can result in this error as well. Anyway, there are 6 effective methods in the following.
The winre.wim file is the recovery environment stored on the hard drive or SSD to upgrade, repair or factory reset your computer as needed. Usually, located at C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder in Windows 7 or system reserved partition/OEM recovery partition in Windows 8/8.1/10.
In general, you cannot directly see this file in the recovery folder, because it’s a protected operating system file that can lead to many potential errors, such as
Here are 6 useful methods to help you fix this error. It is recommended to enable the Windows 10 recovery environment first. The simplest reason for "reagentc.exe the Windows RE image was not found" is that the WinRE is disabled in Windows Settings.
If you don't want to enable the recovery environment using software, try the reagentc CMD.
Step 1. Run cmd as administrator. Then, type reagentc /info toget the Window RE status.
Step 2. If it’s disabled, type reagentc /enable to enable the recovery environment.
You can choose to create a Windows recovery environment with trust and reliable 3rd-party software like AOMEI Backupper Professional to fix reagentc.exe the Window RE image was not found error. Then, use it to restore your computer and make it bootable.
The tool currently does not support systems before Windows 7.
The tool currently does not support a system installed on a dynamic disk.
Now, let’s start to create a Windows 10 recovery environment as an example.
Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Professional, install, and launch it.
Easiest Windows RE image creator for personal use.
Step 2. Then, click Tools and select Recovery Environment under the Common Tools line.
Step 3. In the Recovery Environment Settings window, tick the option Enable the boot option of AOMEI Backupper recovery environment.
Step 4. Then, set the standing time on this boot menu, it’s 8 seconds by default. You can change it per your needs. Then, click Next.
Step 5. Click OK when you are told, "The boot option will take effect at the next system startup after created". Then, it will start the creation automatically, you just need to wait.
Step 6. Restart your computer and then you will see two boot options. One is the operating system of your computer (e.g. Windows 10), and the other is Enter into AOMEI Backupper.
Now, you may already create a recovery environment for your computer. Then, it’s time to create a system image or disk image that can help you restore Windows 10 backup to new hard drive in the event of a disaster. It will be better if you can schedule backup system or disk, this will keep track of changes made later.
If your system goes wrong without any prior backup, you can create a bootable media and system image on another working computer, then use the "Universal Restore" feature to restore system image with different hardware. Learn More >>
If you don't have a recovery partition, try to recreate it along with the recovery environment. You can check this in the Disk Management.
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator. Then, type the following commands to create a recovery partition.
Step 2. Create a Windows 10 installation ISO image file. Go to the Windows 10 download page and download MediaCreationTool. Then, run MediaCreationTool.exe and select Create installation media for another PC and ISO file during the process. Note it requires5GB of free space.
Step 3. Create a folder (e.g. installs) on C: drive. Then, right-click the ISO files, and mount it in there.
Step 4. Type the command lists available Windows 10 installations in an ISO file (like Pro, Home,etc). Replace install.esd file with the appropriate path.
Dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:C:\installs\install.esd
Step 5. Convert esd to wim format. Type the following command and replace the install.esd file with the appropriate path, index value(from the previous command), and target wim filename.
Dism /Export-image /SourceImageFile:C:\installs\install.esd /SourceIndex:6 /DestinationImageFile:C:\installs\install.wim /Compress:max /CheckIntegrity
Step 6. Type the following command to list the installtion ISO image file and index.
Dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:C:\installs\install.wim
Step 7. Mount wim file. Type the following command and replace the install.wim file with the appropriate path, index value, and mount directory - it must exist and must be empty.
Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\installs\install.wim /index:1 /MountDir:C:\installs /Optimize /Checkintegrity
Step 8. Copy reagent.xml and winre.wim from the mount directory to C:\Windows\System32\Recovery.
Step 9. Type the following command to dismount image.
Dism.exe /UnMount-Image /MountDir:C:\installs /Discard
Step 10. Type the following command to disable and enable the Windows 10 recovery environment.
Another case is the Boot Configuration Data Store (BCD) does not contain entries to boot in recovery mode, so you can check the BCD entries to confirm.
Step 1. Run cmd with priority permission. Then, type bcdedit /enum all to access the current BCD entries.
Step 2. Scroll down to the Windows Boot Loader section, find the identifier={current}, and then the recovery sequence. Please remember the GUID value of recovery sequence attribute.
Step 3. Find the Windows Boot Loader having the identifier value with the same GUID of recovery sequence attribute. Please be sure the description is Windows Recovery Environment and the device and OSdevice are the same.
Step 4. (Optional) If the device and OSdevice do not have the same path, then you need to set the path for this file and boot WinRE as the recovery environment. Type the following cmd and hit Enter to execute.
bcdedit /set {current} recoverysequence {FoundGUID}
In addition, you can attempt to copy winre.wim file and set it to the correct path.
Step 1. Locate the wine.wim file on your computer. Run cmd with administrator priority, type dir /a /s c:\winre.wim, and hit Enter.
Step 2. If it is in the C: drive, use the following command to access this file and copy it to a default location.
Step 3. Replace the winre.wim file path with the one in the recovery agent configuration. Copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt window.
Afterward, type the reagentc /enable and reagentc /info commands respectively to enable the recovery environment and check its status.
If there is an installation disc, you can try to restore winre.wim file from it.
Step 1. Make hidden and system files available using Folder Options. You need to show hidden hidden files, folders and drives, uncheck Hide extensions for known file types, and Hide protected operating system files(Recommended).
Step 2. Copy the full path of winre.wim file. Go to the installation disc -> Source folder, hold the Shift key, and right-click the winre.wim file, then choose Copy as path.
Step 3. Run CMD as administrator and type the md c:\test\ to create a folder named test on the C: drive. Then, mount the image file in there.
In Windows 7:
In Windows 8/8.1/10:
Step 4. Copy the winre.wim file from the created folder to C:\Windows\System32\Recovery folder. If you are asked to authorize this folder, click Continue to move on.
Step 5. Set the path for winre.wim file. Please type the following cmd and run it in the Command Prompt window.
Step 6. Unmount the install.wim image file and enable the recovery environment. Be sure the status is enabled.
In Windows 7:
In Windows 8/8.1/10:
Type reagentc /boottore in the command prompt window and press Enter. Then, restart your computer, it will boot into the Windows recovery environment automatically. (This only happens once after you use this command.)
After fixing the windows re image was not found in windows 10 error, you can continue to factory reset or restore your computer with recovery tools provided by it.
Step 1. Be sure you have a working backup created by built-in tool Backup and Restore(Windows 7), and connect it to your computer. If you don’t have one, please create a complete system backup in Windows 10 with a working computer.
Step 2. Go to the Settings icon -> Update & security -> Recovery. Then, click Restart now under the Advanced startup section.
Step 3. Then, you will access the recovery environment, it’s a blue Choose an option screen. Click Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options- > System Image Recovery.
Step 4. In the Re-image your computer window, select Use the latest available system image and click Next. Then, follow the prompts to restore the image file step by step.
This method works well, but you may still receive the system image restore failed error in the following two situations.
The target disk is smaller than an original hard drive.
You restore system image to a new computer with different hardware, such as motherboard or CPU.
If you are experiencing this situation, consider using a third-party recovery environment to restore your computer to an earlier date. Read on below for detailed steps.
Step 1. Connect the backup drive containing system image and new hard drive to your computer and be sure it can be detected.
Step 2. Restart your computer to the recovery environment. Click Enter into AOMEI Backupper and then you will see its main page.
Step 3. Click Restore -> Select Task to find your system image and choose it.
Step 4. Select the system backup of your computer and click Next. If you don't find any backup image, click Back and choose "Select Image File" instead.
Step 5. Select restore this system backup -> Restore system to other location and click Next. If you schedule full/incremental/differential backup, you can specify the backup image you want to restore.
Step 6. Select the new hard drive as a backup destination and click Next. After that, click Start Restore to perform this task.
SSD Alignement: It can accelerate the reading and writing speed of the SSD disk. Thus, if your target disk is an SSD, please remember to tick this option.
Universal Restore: Restore system image to dissimilar hardware with a secure boot. It's an advanced feature for some system recovery dilemmas. For example, if your computer crashes without any preparation, you restore it with an image created on another computer.
That’s all for the Windows RE image was not found error, you can choose to fix this error with given solutions or directly create a new recovery environment from scratch, then restore your computer with the help of a system image or disk backup.
If you use the built-in recovery partition or winre.wim file, it requires a backup image created by a built-in backup utility. While for AOMEI Backupper, you need a backup image created by itself. Its advanced version can do more for you, for example, move Windows 10 to new computer with different hardware.
