Best Data Recovery Bootable USB: Recover Data Without OS

Help! Need USB Bootable Data Recovery

What Makes Data Recovery Bootable USB Important?

A bootable USB data recovery tool is a USB drive that containsa small operating systemand data recovery software. Unlike regular software installed on your computer, it can run independently of your main operating system. This is particularly useful when your computer fails to boot, crashes, or the OS becomes corrupted, preventing access to your files.

• Recover data without OS access: Even if Windows or macOS won’t start, you can still retrieve files.
• Safe and non-destructive: Since the tool runs independently, it won’t overwrite or further damage your files.
• Portable and convenient: Can be used on multiple computers in emergencies.

Best Software to Create Bootable USB For Data Recovery

If you’re looking for a free and user-friendly data recovery tool that can boot from a USB and recover files from a Windows computers, MyRecover is a great option. It is an easy-to-use Windows data recovery software designed to help users recover lost or deleted files from HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card, cameras, and more in Windows 11/10/8/7 and all Server systems.

It includes a feature called "PC Crashed Recovery", which allows users to create a bootable USB drive containing the MyRecover software. You can then use this USB to boot a problematic computer—whether it has no OS or a crashed OS—and perform data recovery using MyRecover in the WinRE environment.

Part 1. Create A Bootable USB

Step 1: Prepare a blank USB drive and connect it to a working computer: make sure it doesn’t contain important data, as the process will format the drive (👉you might want to learn how to recover files from formatted drive) .

Step 2: Download and install AOMEI MyRecover: get it from the official website and install it on the working computer as well.

Step 3: Launch AOMEI MyRecover and choose the "PC Crashed Recovery" option.

Step 4: Select "USB Boot Device" and click "Create."

Part 2. Boot the Target Computer from the Bootable USB

Insert the bootable USB into the computer that cannot start. Turn on the PC and access the BIOS/UEFI setup by constantly pressing the correct key (commonly F2, F12, DEL, or ESC—watch the screen for the exact key prompt).

In the Boot menu, change the boot priority to boot from the USB drive first. Save changes and restart the computer.

Part 3. Recover Files in WinRE Environment

Step 1. When your computer boots from the bootable USB drive, you will enter the main interface of MyRecover software. Select the drive or partition where your lost data was stored and hit "Scan" to start searching.

Step 2. Once the scan finishes, browse through the detected files. Tick the items you wish to restore and press "Recover" buttonto proceed.

Step 3. Select a safe destination (ideally on another disk or external device) to keep the recovered files.

More About Bootable USB Drive

The above is about how to create a bootable USB drive for file recovery. Actually, a bootable USB can also serve other purposes, such as acting as a portable OS drive, or an OS installation /rescue media.

Portable OS Drive

A portable OS drive contains a full operating system (like Windows or Linux) installed on a USB. You can plug it into different computers and boot directly into your personalized system without using the computer’s internal hard drive.

👉How to create:

Step 1. Prepare a USB drive (at least 16–32 GB).

Step 2. Use Windows official tool named "Windows To Go" (removed in Windows 10, version 2004 and later operating systems) : Download the Windows 10 ISO file and open Windows To Go from the Control Panel. Select a certified USB drive, add the ISO as the installation source, set a BitLocker password if needed, and start the creation process. Wait a few minutes until the portable system is ready.

Step 3. Or use third-party tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant to install the OS image (ISO) onto the USB, if the "Windows To Go" feature is not available on your system, or you just want an easier process.

Step 4. Once complete, you can boot any PC from this USB to use the portable OS.

Installation / Rescue Media

An installation media is a bootable USB that contains the setup files for an operating system. It allows you to install or reinstall the OS on a computer, perform a clean installation, or repair an existing system.

👉How to create:

Step 1. Prepare a USB drive (at least 8 GB).

Step 2. Download Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft’s website, run it, and select "Create installation media" (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file).

Step 3. Choose your language, edition, and architecture, then pick the USB drive as the destination. The tool will download Windows and make the USB bootable.

Step 4. Once complete, you can boot your PC from this USB to install Windows.

Step 5. Or you can repair the Windows using the setup wizard that launches automatically after startup.

Final Thoughts

Creating a bootable USB drive is not only essential for data recovery when your system won’t start, but also highly valuable for other purposes like running a portable OS on any computer, installing or reinstalling Windows through installation media, or fixing system issues with a rescue media.

To create a bootable USB for data recovery in emergencies, MyRecover is a nice option. It is able to recover data without accessing operating system. It also offers a higher edition (Technician), especially designed for businesses and MSPs to provide billable service for their clients.