Trying to set up a recovery drive and backup system files

The Recovery drive procedure has always been temperamental.

I suggest you search in the tutorial thread for suitable guidance and post there if you need to.
- it has pages & pages of posts from other members so use the Search thread facility at the right-hand end of the green bar right near the top of the tutorial page.

I'd like to check one thing but I am probably reading too much into your choice of words. Where you said, "I am in Administrator mode", did you simply mean that you had accepted the UAC prompt [step 4 of the tutorial] or did you mean something else?
- accepted the UAC prompt [step 4 of the tutorial] - OK
- something else - please explain what you did mean.

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You'll get lots of people suggesting that you use system images instead and suggesting that you choose Macrium Reflect [free edition] for this.

Other utilities are available but this one is so commonplace that you can get plenty of help for it.

Backup and Restore with Macrium Reflect - TenForumsTutorials
Macrium Software Macrium Reflect Free
Macrium USB - TenForums
Macrium Reflect KnowledgeBase - user guide [version-independent link]

It can also make bootable system images. This facility is called viBoot and it requires Win10 Pro.
Macrium viBoot - Macrium KB
Macrium viBoot - Create Virtual Machine using Macrium Image - TenForumsTutorials

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While you're thinking about backups, consider Backup and Restore Device Drivers - TenForumsTutorials as well.

All the best,
Denis

tollbooth said:

I am trying to follow these steps to set up a recovery disc onto a 128-GB flash drive. I am in Administrator mode. If I check the "back up systems files to the recovery drive" option, selecting to proceed, and waiting for a few minutes, the recovery drive creator won't let me go any farther. If I uncheck it, it just asks me for 1 GB of space, and I can proceed easily.

Is it really possible that I have at least 128 GB of system files? If I do, is there a way to safely trim them down? Or am I going to have to settle for creating a recovery disc without the system files?

(Windows 10 Home version# 1903)

A 32GB flash drive should be more than sufficient for a recovery drive. Format it to FAT32 ( if already not formatted to FAT32) and then try to create your recovery drive.

Do you get any error message? Post the error message.

Did you repartition/meddle with your system drive anytime? On an elevated command prompt type
reagentc /info press enter and check whether it is enabled.