Need to Recover a Windows 8 system...simple

Thanks to Greg Shultz of TechRepublic for the helpful guide.  Here are the recovery drive options for Windows 8.

A Recovery Drive allows you to boot your system and easily access a number of recovery and troubleshooting tools that you can use to revive an ailing Windows 8.x system. A Recovery Drive looks and works the same in Windows 8.1 as it did in Windows 8; therefore, everything I wrote in previous articles about the tools on the Windows 8 Recovery Drive still apply in Windows 8.1.

• Create a Recovery Drive in Windows 8 - I show how to create a Recovery Drive on a USB flash drive. (I also cover an optical disc, which isn't available in Windows 8.1.)
• Be ready to use the Windows 8 Recovery Drive - I show how to use the Recovery Drive and exactly what to expect if you should ever need it.
• How the Windows 8 Automatic Repair feature works - I show how to access and use the Automatic Repair tool from the Recovery Drive.
• Refresh your Windows 8 system from a Recovery Drive - I show how to use the default mode of the Refresh your PC tool from the Recovery Drive.
• Create a custom recovery image for Windows 8's Refresh your PC tool - I show how to use the Recimg command line tool to create a custom recovery image for the Refresh your PC tool.
• Reset your PC from a Windows 8 Recovery Drive - I show how to use the Reset your PC tool from the Recovery Drive.
• Restore Windows 8 with System Image Recovery - I show how to create and use the System Image Recovery tool from the Recovery Drive to restore your hard disk.
• Use System Restore as a recovery tool in Windows 8 - I show how to use System Restore in Windows 8 to get your system back up and running.
• Use the Recovery Drive Command Prompt to edit the registry or recover data - I show how to access the Command Prompt from Windows 8's Recovery Drive and use it to recover data.