You posted in the Dell|EMC (SAN) storage section. Your problem relates a desktop computer. I'd suggest to post in the desktop forum for a more expedient response.

Hi gcrawford76,

You may uninstall the Dell Back and Recovery software from control panel and re-install it from the link: http://bit.ly/162sPid 

Once done, you may install all available Windows updates -- > Restart the system. Once the system restarts, you may update the system BIOS from link: http://dell.to/ZUqQIp 

Note: Please ensure to connect your computer a surge protector (if available) to avoid any unexpected shutdown. Also, disconnect all the external peripherals before updating the BIOS. All the programs should be closed and documents saved.

For more information on , you may refer to the link: http://dell.to/102fwxZ 

Please reply in case you have any further questions.

I ran into the same issue today.  The software recognized a USB key but not an external drive.  I did not proceed because the recovery key will need 12.3GB and I don't have that much free space available.  I am going a buy a USB key that is 16GB or larger.  I still have to find out how to use the recovery key in case I need it.  I suspect it might need exclusive use of the key and the system might want to boot from it since the hard drive might not be bootable anymore.