Aomei Pe Builder 2.0

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Maureen Quartaro

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:11:32 PM8/3/24

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In my previous post, I have written about Creating a WinPE image using Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit. In this post I am going to use one of the existing softwares called AOMEI PE builder for creating a bootable WinPE image. Since we have learned the process of creating a WinPE image using the microsoft provided ADK way, you will appreciate AOMEI PE Builder for creating a WinPE image in simple two clicks.

The complicated process of setting up ADK, installing additional packages and creating a bootable WinPE image is made easy by simple to use graphical user interface of AOMEI PE Builder. All you need to do is select the packages or browse the files that you want to add and click next to provide you with choices of locations to write WinPE image.

LiveCD, also known as LiveDisk or LiveUSB is an external bootable drive containing a stand-alone software environment and utilities. Such environment is a restricted version of the operating system that only has basic functionality. There are LiveCDs based on Linux, and there are versions based on Windows.

LiveCDs can be of various purpose. Some are narrowly specialized and contain main native functions of the operating system along with tools for specific purposes. For example, these may include LiveCD antivirus, disk management and backup apps. Such LiveCDs are usually created by their own utilities, or their images can be downloaded from their developer websites.

Other LiveCDs are versatile and contain all sorts of software, along with extended functionality of the operating system. Versatile LiveCDs are more preferable as they have a wide range of solutions for all kinds of unexpected situations and emergencies, and this is the kind of LiveCD we are going to discuss.

and use some of its functions without installing, but from the installation media itself. Meanwhile, you will be able to use the tools inside the Linux distribution as well as install some from the software center.

There are also Linux-based LiveCDs provided separately from the main distribution. The most well-known are Knoppix and Kali Linux. These are properly supported projects, and you can visit their websites to download their LiveCDs, i.e., to download their ISO images and then write them to removable media.

It is quite difficult to get WinPE officially. The tools that Microsoft provides to create a WinPE image are made for software developers, and a ready-made WinPE by Microsoft, MSDaRT, contains a very short list of tools. What is more, it is legally available only to corporate users, on a subscription basis.

An optimal variant would be to get such LiveCDs unofficially. You can download Windows PE from the multitude of ready-made versatile builds as an ISO image which can be written to removable media. Third-party WinPE builds are sometimes provided within project development campaigns, with website addresses where users can download such images.

WinPE is not licensed like Windows, but third-party builds often include pirated software. This means you are running a risk of legal responsibility for breach of license rules, at least when such LiveCDs are used professionally.

To get a WinPE-based LiveCD without pirated software, you can create one of your own. That is, you create your own WinPE build, stuffed with the necessary software, either free or legally licensed.

AOMEI PE Builder creates a very limited version of WinPE. In this environment, it is impossible to install any programs, and some portable software may not work. Certain products might lack system files to start.

Check what programs can be included into this build, and select the ones you need. If you want to add some special drivers, do it by clicking on the Add Drivers button. To add your own software, click Add Files.

And give the path to the directory containing a portable version of an application. In our example, it is a data recovery tool RS Partition Recovery. To get its portable version, you can copy the folder with the installed program on drive C by this path:

This solution turns out to be Win10XPE builder. This is a free tool developed as a part of the project by a group of enthusiasts, and it has quite a lot of things to offer. It implements a more functional WinPE environment, and adds some interesting features.

Also, such build can contain a Windows installation process. If you fail to bring your Windows back to life with WinPE tools, you can choose to reinstall the operating system immediately, by downloading its ISO image from the Internet.

Lifehack. To download a Windows ISO image from the Microsoft website, you need to get a utility called Media Creation Tool first. This utility actually creates the ISO image on your side. However, you can take an easier way and download the ISO image faster directly from the Microsoft website.

To do it, press F12 on the Windows 10 download page to enter the developer mode in your browser. Choose an Apple tablet for emulation. Press F5 to refresh the page and download the Windows ISO image.

Go to the Win10XPE folder. Before that, have a look into the Win10XPE manual. It contains a detailed description of all its features. This document is a must-read if you want to use Win10XPE at an advanced level. However, we will only explore the main steps required to create WinPE with Win10XPE. Start the program.

At the bottom of the left column, check the boxes for system components to include. There are software platforms that might be very necessary for operation of certain Windows tools. Enable these components by checking the corresponding box.

In the right column, you can customize your WinPE build and add your desktop background, startup sound and user logo. When you click on these options, a folder containing corresponding files will open. You have to replace the original files with your own alternatives, but with the same name.

A more important aspect is integration of drivers into WinPE. If the computer where this build will run needs drivers for particular devices, check the box for the option Integrate Drivers, and add these drivers to the folder which opens when you click on Copy Drivers Here.