Creating A WinPE 2.0 Bootable USB Key

[Dashken]

Ever wonder how vendors like Dell create pre-installations of Windows Vista in all their PCs? Pre-installing saves them time configuring each operating system for different hardware.

If you are a reseller, even someone who sells PCs on a part-time basis, you will want to learn this neat little trick because it can save you time setting up different systems, partitioning and formatting hard drive with Diskpart, backing up hard drive using ImageX, connecting to network, troubleshooting using Windows-based programs, system recovery and many more.

Here's a quote from the article :-

"Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a lightweight version of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista. It is used for the deployment of workstations and servers by large corporations. WinPE 2.0 is actually the lightweight version of Windows Vista with minimal GUI and drivers, with the ability to detect USB drives on-the-fly. Just plug it in, run diskpart and then list vol. You should see your USB drive listed with drive letter assigned."

Link : Creating A WinPE 2.0 Bootable USB Key

[Stealthmatt]

Hi there great artical - yet to try it out because of one thing...im using a vista machine and really dont want to do a dual boot.

Originally Posted by Dashken

1. If you already have Windows Vista OPK installed, skip this step. Otherwise, download and install Windows Vista AIK into your Windows XP PC (not your Windows Vista system).

So my question is how do you do it on vista? do u need to do all the steps such as downloading the AIK?

[belikethat]

i can`t get my com to boot up from USB

is it not support or i did somewhere wrong?

i tried every available option in the BIOS to put that location to boot first..

[Dashken]

Originally Posted by Stealthmatt

Hi there great artical - yet to try it out because of one thing...im using a vista machine and really dont want to do a dual boot.

So my question is how do you do it on vista? do u need to do all the steps such as downloading the AIK?

Thanks and I have to ask this, do you possibly have access to a XP system? How about at work? Well, that's because we just need it once to download the Windows AIK, install it and then get the c:\winpe_x86 folder.

I wouldn't recommend installing the Windows AIK on a Vista system. Why? Because Microsoft has recommended to install both Windows AIK and Windows OPK in Windows XP system. But if you are running out of option, then by all means, try it on a Windows Vista system although I wouldn't be responsible if anything untoward happens.

My advice is still to download and install Windows AIK on a XP system even for just once. Then create your bootable USB key. For future usage, just copy the c:\winpe_x86 folder in the XP system into your USB key. And copy it into your Vista system. Use the same command xcopy c:\winpe_x86\iso\*.* /s /e /f e:\ on your Vista system and it should work as well. The thing is you need to get your hands on that folder.

All the best!

[Dashken]

Originally Posted by belikethat

i can`t get my com to boot up from USB

is it not support or i did somewhere wrong?

i tried every available option in the BIOS to put that location to boot first..

I have a few questions.

1) Have you boot any USB devices successfully with your PC before?
2) Have you enable Boot USB/Removable Devices in your BIOS?

If there's an option to boot your HDD and listed are both your USB key and your HDD, change your USB key to be the 1st and reboot.

Or you can try the part in the 1st page of the guide on how to make a bootable Windows 98/ME USB key to make sure your PC can boot a USB key, this is the easiest way.

If all fails, take pics of your BIOS pages and post them here.

[Dashken]

Ever wonder how vendors like Dell create pre-installations of Windows Vista in all their PCs? Pre-installing saves them time configuring each operating system for different hardware.

If you are a reseller, even someone who sells PCs on a part-time basis, you will want to learn this neat little trick because it can save you time setting up different systems, partitioning and formatting hard drive with Diskpart, backing up hard drive using ImageX, connecting to network, troubleshooting using Windows-based programs, system recovery and many more.

Here's a quote from the article :-

"Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a lightweight version of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista. It is used for the deployment of workstations and servers by large corporations. WinPE 2.0 is actually the lightweight version of Windows Vista with minimal GUI and drivers, with the ability to detect USB drives on-the-fly. Just plug it in, run diskpart and then list vol. You should see your USB drive listed with drive letter already assigned."

Link : Creating A WinPE 2.0 Bootable USB Key Rev. 1.1

[Allan]

Hi there,

Thanks for the great article. I have a question listed below:

The step 5 in section "Installing WinPE 2.0" stated:

Insert the USB key into the PC and run the following command.

xcopy c:\winpe_x86\iso\*.* /s /e /f e:\

My question is that why the directory is c:\winpe_x86\iso\, not c:\winpe_x86\ since at step 3 the command "Copype.cmd x86 c:\winpe_x86" copied all the necessary files for WinPE 2.0 into the folder "c:\winpe_x86\", not "c:\winpe_x86\iso".

Thanks a lot,

Allan

[Dashken]

Originally Posted by Allan

Hi there,

Thanks for the great article. I have a question listed below:

The step 5 in section "Installing WinPE 2.0" stated:

Insert the USB key into the PC and run the following command.

xcopy c:\winpe_x86\iso\*.* /s /e /f e:\

My question is that why the directory is c:\winpe_x86\iso\, not c:\winpe_x86\ since at step 3 the command "Copype.cmd x86 c:\winpe_x86" copied all the necessary files for WinPE 2.0 into the folder "c:\winpe_x86\", not "c:\winpe_x86\iso".

Thanks a lot,

Allan

You are welcome.

For your question, for a Windows PE RAM disk to work, it will require the following directory structure:-

\boot
\sources

And that, you can only find in the ISO folder. For the other files/folders outside the ISO folder, they have other functions too like:-

C:\winpe_x86\etfsboot.com (is used to create a bootable CDROM ISO file with oscdimg, I think I'll do this guide soon but since nowadays, UFD is the way to go and easily updated )

C:\winpe_x86\mount (this is just an empty folder if you require to customize a WINPE image, you can do so using the winpe.wim in C:\winpe_x86\ and that will be quite long to explain which has something to do with imagex /mountrw and imagex /unmount /commit)

C:\winpe_x86\winpe.wim (is a WINPE plain image, that's probably same as the file in C:\winpe_x86\ISO\sources\boot.wim as you can customize the winpe.wim (as in adding new drivers, tools, startup, etc.), rename it to boot.wim and replace the old boot.wim with your customized version.

Hope that about clear things up. I have more to write but if I write everything, I'd just be copy/paste everything from the help file to the guide.

Btw, if you are using WAIK, try looking for the Windows PE User's Guide at the Start menu>Microsoft Windows AIK>Documentation. It's available in the Windows OPK though and I think should be in WAIK as well.

That documentation has all the tips and tricks of WINPE.

[ZuePhok]

very useful! thanks dasky!

[Dashken]

You are welcome!