Windows 10: Creating System Image Backup Issues

Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) is a free software package provided by MS. Any body can download and use it to create a WinPE then add their own software to load into memory (RAM) to run and perform a specific task.

There are different versions of WinPE. Each associated with different version of Windows.
WinPE version 3. When used, boot up Windows with a boot screen similar to Windows 7.
WinPE version 4/5 ==> Boot screen similar to Windows 8/8.1
WinPE Version 10 ==> Boot Screen similar to Windows 10.
Now. when you create a Rescue disk from within Macrium program. It does provide you the choice to select which version of Win PE to use depending on What version of Windows you are using then it will download the version you selected from Microsoft site and build the Rescue disk. See screen shot:

 

Hi,

It may become clearer if you'd view WinPE as a pre OS installation tool. A mini OS version if you like.
What Macrium is doing however is using this as what amounts to (for all intent and purpose) their version of Windows 10 WinRE (Recovery) environment.
Which in turn is nothing more than a modded WinPE but then a la Microsoft and is what you'd see if you'd boot from a Windows Recovery drive you created or what Windows load when you boot it in recovery mode.

Months before Macrium came out with their patches offering to use Win10's compatible WinPE for their recovery environment I (and no doubt others along with me) simply replaced the old version wim for the wim we created using WinADK for Win10 and that was that.

That said, it would be nice if Microsoft allowed users to download basic version of WinPE, WinRE and even Boot.wim along with some clear cut instructions for users to create their own set of media.

In the meantime (IOW, don't hold your breath) I'm willing to share what I have with anyone asking (nicely *Wink )

Cheers, *Wink

 

thanks you guys; essenbe-navylcdr-topgun-fdegrove i was overthinking the winPE deal. noticed when i did run macrium it created the win deal itself and on the second go realized i needed to go back and make sure it was for W10 version (used the default 1st time) put the bootable on a 4gb 2.0usb. only thing now is for me to create that 512mb partition to have a backup for the backup.
i was making it harder than it really was trying to build it in my head first and agree with all of you when it comes to Macrium, its light yrs ahead of Windows utilities on this particular matter. funny thing did the adk and Mac just ignored it when i pointed to it so i just let Mac do its thing. (kept it just in case though) thanks again fellas and have a good whats left of the weekend.

 

• The ADK Package is available for everybody to download. However, normally used by IT people. Not for a regular Windows user.
• WinRE is nothing but a WinPE modded with a set of tools added to help trouble shoot your PC. And you can copy it from the Recovery partition and mount it or do whatever you want.
• After you download and install Windows ADK. Run a bat command as shown, you will get a basic WinPE in less than a minute.
  NOTE: The code to create a Windows PE for Windows 8 x64 as an example. also note that in the code. WinPe.wim was renamed to boot.wim so they are all there.
  Code: @echo "Building Windows 8 WinPE X64 @echo off md c:\mount md c:\Temp md c:\Temp\PE4 md c:\Temp\PE4\Media md c:\Temp\PE4\WinPE_OCs md c:\Temp\PE4\Media\Sources cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\Media xcopy *.* c:\Temp\PE4\Media /E cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\en-us copy winpe.wim c:\Temp\PE4\Media\Sources\boot.wim cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs xcopy *.* C:\Temp\PE4\WinPE_OCs /E cd c:\ imagex.exe /mountrw c:\Temp\PE4\Media\Sources\boot.wim 1 C:\MOUNT @echo "Done, Now you can add packages !!!"[/quote]

 

I did run the ADK.exe and it put the Deployment and Imaging Tool in Programs and ran a CMD prompt that downloaded the WinPE that pointed it to a usb (in this case E:\ drive) and copied the WinPE to that. Don't know if W8 or 8.1 is the same for W10 as that was the CMD prompts I was using. Using the following CMD prompts:-

copype amd64 C:\WinPE_amd64
(this copies it into the window)

MakeWinPEMedia /UFD C:\winpe_amd64 E:
(this pastes it into your usb and in my case that usb was E: so change the drive letter accordingly)

 

Hi,

I'll second that.
Still, however straightforward it may look to you and me, I can image the frowns on the faces of the unexpecting user.
Of course, it is the nature of the business. You need to be willing to learn the ropes so to speak.

In a way Macrium reminds me of another of my all time favourites, a CD/DVD software piece I find absolutely brilliant, namely IMGBurn. AI at work really. It will even tell you when you managed to outsmart it.*Huh
Been using that for what seems like ages.

Ah, the stories we can tell........

Cheers, *Wink