Windows Recovery Environment

Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is a diagnostic tool based on Windows PE used for troubleshooting serious system errors that prevent booting into a proper Microsoft Windows environment. It is the successor to the Recovery Console, a command-line tool included from Windows 2000 till Windows Server 2003.

It was introduced with Windows Vista as a tool available on the setup disc, however, since Windows 7 it is installed by default with the rest of the operating system to a hidden partition. This allows the boot loader to automatically start the recovery environment whenever it deems it necessary.

Windows Vista and 7
The earliest available build to have an early form of Recovery Environment is Windows Vista build 5112. To access it, boot off from the installation media, and select "Repair problems with Windows startup". However, at this time, only "Startup Repair" is available and will directly launch when launching from the Autorun prompt.

Build 5231 introduces a tool selector with Startup Repair, Registry Editor and Command Prompt and a selector between Windows installations upon launching WinRE.

In build 5259, the tool selection options were changed to no longer include the Registry Editor, instead featuring a support center, the System Restore application and Windows Complete PC Restore (originally named "Windows Backup Disaster Recovery" at the time); the Command Prompt option would additionally be removed in build 5270. The option to start the Recovery Environment is not included in eHome OEM builds, as the installation media features a different Setup autorun application.

The tool selector was overhauled in build 5308, featuring a list of applicable options with icons next to them. In addition, the Microsoft Support option would be removed in favor of reintroducing the Command Prompt option, as well as introducing the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. Later versions of the Recovery Environment would feature updated icon designs that conform to the operating system's Aero design.

In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the Recovery Environment is only available as an option on the installation disk. It included options such as Windows Complete PC Restore, Windows Memory Diagnostic and Command Prompt, with the client version further adding Startup Repair and System Restore. Windows 7 (and by extension its server counterpart) was the first version of Windows to install the Recovery Environment onto the hard disk, which would be present within the System Reserved partition. The earliest available build to feature this capability is build 6519.

The Recovery Environment in these versions feature a screen with the setup background and a window that uses the Windows Classic theme. It has buttons to shut down or restart the computer on the bottom right and displays links to recovery tools that run as separate windows (like Command Prompt) or on separate screens (like System Restore). When accessed from the installation media, the user is asked to pick an applicable Windows installation from a list in order to utilize the tools needed to recover the operating system.

Windows 8 onwards
Windows 8 introduced a redesigned Recovery Environment based on the Metro interface. Recovery tools now include Refresh your PC and quick access to the Advanced Boot Options (known as Startup Settings) and UEFI settings. It refreshed the interface by featuring a new full screen that follows the Metro design language, and divided the environment into several pages. The home or start page features four links: one to restart the computer into the OS, another to see troubleshooting options, another to shut down the computer, and another to boot to another operating system, which only shows if there are multiple installed. Another link was also added in Windows 10, which is present only when entering from the OS and allows the user to boot into any detected external media with additional options without modifying the BIOS boot order. The Troubleshooting page has two elements: a link to Refresh this PC (Windows 8 and 8.1 only), another to Reset this PC, and another to the Advanced options page, which contains the rest of the tools.

As pages now are full-screen rather than windowed, they lack a theme. However, tools that open in extra windows now use the Windows Basic theme instead of Classic, being one of the few times it can be spotted in the Windows 8.x and subsequent OS families since its removal from desktop use.

The new design would remove the installations list when booted from installation media, in favor of automatically diagnosing any existing copies of Windows that were installed to the device. The Startup Repair design would be largely modified to bear a boot-like sequence whilst inspecting the device for issues and performing repairs where possible.

Windows 10 added an option on the main page to boot to a CD, DVD or flash drive. The Refresh and Reset options would be merged into one, offering the option to either keep or remove personal files entirely. An option to roll back to the previous version or Insider build was also added to the Recovery Environment with the release of Windows 10. Since Manganese build 19536, the user no longer needs to enter the credentials of an administrator account if entering through OS-related methods. The Recovery Environment would receive minor UI changes in Windows 11 build 25115 to align with the design principles of Windows 11.

The Windows Server family from Server 2012 onwards use the Metro interface for the Recovery Environment (much like their client counterparts), although the Troubleshoot option directly sends the user to what the Advanced Options are in the client versions. The Reset, Startup Repair and System Restore options, as well as UEFI firmware settings, are not available in the Server 2012 family.