Can't create recovery drive on this PC

That option may necessitate you returning your machine to Factory Settings that you had at "Day One".

Most new machines come with a recovery partition allowing you to go back to the time of purchase, you will have to check your user guides (or the manufacturer's Web Site) for instructions.  Choosing that path requires you to save all valuable data first.  Unfortunately upgrading to Windows 8.1 may lose such Recovery Partition.

Windows 8.1 Update Leaves OEM Owners With Broken Restore Function

http://www.technologytell.com/gadgets/133905/windows-8-1-update-leaves-oem-owners-with-broken-restore-function/

Warning! If You Upgrade to Windows 8.1 Through Windows Store, You May Loose The Ability to Refresh and Reset

http://mcakins.com/2013/10/18/warning-if-you-upgrade-to-windows-8-1-through-windows-store-you-may-loose-the-ability-to-refresh-and-reset/

This (following) might need to be done if you want to fix the problem on your own machine as I believe that all of the above recovery options will fail because of your current fault of "missing files".

This is what you might need to do.  It might reinstall the missing files.

Try contacting your OEM for the Windows 8 Recovery Media.  For a small charge they should be able to supply you with a copy on DVD or USB.  This will allow you to reinstall Windows 8 to factory settings as of day one.

The above would be the same procedure as if you had corrupted, lost, or replaced, a faulty hard drive, which often happens.

Perhaps this is a workaround too?

Create installation media for Windows 8.1

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media?ocid=tp_css_createmedia

There has to be a better way than to use another PC to create my recovery USB drive.

I want to repair the problem and then create the drive on my own machine.

Try creating a Recovery Drive on another working machine of a similar operating system.

You are only trying to create a bootable USB drive, or DVD, to boot from on the occasions that Windows fails to start.****

This is all a Recovery Drive will allow you to do.  Create Recovery Drive and use that to boot from in a faulty machine and try accessing the advanced startup options/safe mode.

How To Access Advanced Startup Options in Windows 8, 8.1, or 10.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/open-advanced-startup-options-windows-8.htm

You can access the advanced startup options/safe mode menu by:

Depressing the Shift Key while clicking on Restart at the Login Screen (Bottom right corner).

Manually shutting down (forcibly) three times in a row will bring you to the same screen.

Hi Carlos J. S. A.,

Thanks for posting in Microsoft Communities. Follow these steps and check:

Step 1: Connect a USB drive to the computer and backup all data before proceeding to the next step as the drive will be erased during the process.

S tep 2: Switch to desktop mode. Press Windows + R keys to launch Run dialog. In the dialog type control.exe and then press enter key to launch the Control Panel.

Step 3: Click on change View by to Small Icons to view all tools and options. Click on Recovery to launch Recovery window.

Step 4: Next, click on Create a recovery drive option. Click Yes for the User Account Control prompt to launch Create a recovery drive wizard. If you are asked to enter the admin password, please do so.

Step 5: Click Next button, the wizard will scan the computer for all connected USB drives.

Step 6: In the following screen, select the USB drive that you wish to use as recovery drive and then click Next button, and finally click Create button. Windows will transfer required files onto the drive and the recovery drive should be ready.

Let us know if you need further assistance. We will be happy to help you.

Thanks.

I have already done this and I get "We can't create a recovery drive on this PC

                                                          Some required files are missing."

You tell me.  I'm looking at a requester/window that says "Some required files are missing. To trouble shoot your problems when your PC can't start, use your Windows installation disk or media".  It doesn't say what file are missing.  I need someone to tell me what files are missing and how I can restore them.