In the new command line window that opens, to determine the USB flash drive number or drive letter, at the command prompt, type list disk, and then click ENTER. Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator. Insert a USB flash drive into a running computer. Next you want to clean the usb as stated below. I instead chose the option to save to iso. I was unable to get windows setup to recognize the usb as stated by others here.
Hey I just got my sandisk to install windows as a usb bootable disk. The PNY Flash Drive worked perfectly to reinstall Windows 8.1 onto my SSD drive!!! Why the SanDisk Flash Drive failed is a mystery, but who cares since all I need to know is NEVER BUY SANDISK for Recovery Drives! Someone else in this thread mentioned they had good luck with Kingston Flash Drives also. This gave me a hint that even though the Recovery Drive created on the SanDisk completed without errors, Windows 8.1 must have known it did not get created properly. Interesting that I could even make another Recovery Drive since Microsoft states that only one Recovery Drive/DVD/CD Set can be made per computer. OK, drive back to Wal-Mart and buy a PNY 32GB Flash Drive and make another Recovery Drive. The Recovery Manager software in Windows 8.1 completed making the Recovery Disc on the SanDisk Flash Drive, but when I tried to read in to do a clean install on an SSD drive (Samsung SSD 850 Pro) it could not recognize that the flash drive was inserted no matter which USB 2 Port I put it in. I too am having the same issue - reading a recovery drive made on a SanDisk 32GB Cruzer Glide USB Flash Drive (USB 2.0) on a brand new HP Envy 810-160 Desktop.