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VSS_E_ASRERROR_RDISK_FOR_SYSTEM_DISK_NOT_FOUND
No suitable recovery disk can be selected for the system disk. Windows cannot find a disk that it can use to recover the original system disk. The documented guidance calls out three important branches: an eligible disk may be excluded, a USB disk may distort system-disk selection, or an invalid disk may be assigned the role.
The documented condition is: “No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found. Try the following: 1) A probable system disk may have been excluded by mistake. a. Review the list of disks that you have excluded from the recovery for a likely disk. b. Type LIST DISK command in the DISKPART command interpreter. The probable system disk is usually the first disk listed in the results. c. If possible, remove the disk from the exclusion list and then retry the recovery. 2) A USB disk may have been assigned as a system disk. a. Detach all USB disks from the computer. b. Reboot into Windows Recovery Environment (Win RE), then reattach USB disks and retry the recovery. 3) An invalid disk may have been assigned as system disk. a. Physically detach the disk from your computer. Then boot into Win RE to retry the recovery.”
Where VSS_E_ASRERROR_RDISK_FOR_SYSTEM_DISK_NOT_FOUND appears
The failure occurs during primary system-disk selection in Windows RE, after storage enumeration but before destructive recreation begins.
Likely causes
- The probable target is present but excluded from recovery.
- Attached USB storage changes disk ordering or is mistaken for the system recovery candidate.
- A stale, damaged or otherwise invalid disk is assigned as the system target.
- The intended disk is hidden by a missing driver, offline state or controller configuration.
Evidence to capture before changing storage
- Capture the exclusion list and the reason for every excluded disk.
- Save
list diskoutput with serial numbers before and after detaching optional USB devices. - Record firmware boot order, hypervisor attachment order and the disk ASR attempted to select.
- Collect controller and Plug and Play events when the intended target is absent.
Diagnostic sequence
- Review exclusions before modifying hardware; the correct disk may already be visible.
- Temporarily detach nonessential USB disks, reboot into Windows RE, and then reattach only when required by the documented recovery procedure.
- Physically isolate an invalid candidate if it cannot be safely ignored.
- Load the correct storage driver when the target is not listed at all.
Recovery and retry
Make one verified eligible fixed disk available for the system role, then restart the recovery session so selection is recalculated. Preserve data disks and backup media by matching serial numbers, not volatile disk numbers.
What this HRESULT does not prove
The code does not necessarily mean that no physical disks exist. It says no currently eligible disk can be selected for the system-disk role.
Difference from nearby VSS results
VSS_E_ASRERROR_NO_PHYSICAL_DISK_AVAILABLE means the environment sees no fixed candidate at all. VSS_E_ASRERROR_FIXED_PHYSICAL_DISK_AVAILABLE_AFTER_DISK_EXCLUSION focuses on candidates removed by filtering or exclusion.
Practical example
Windows RE sees the intended internal SSD and two USB disks, but the SSD was accidentally placed on the exclusion list. ASR cannot assign the system role until the exclusion is removed and selection is rerun.
Guidance for backup software and telemetry
Recovery products should display the candidate-elimination trail. A final “not found” message without exclusion and enumeration data makes safe remediation unnecessarily difficult.
Official Microsoft references
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