trouble creating working WinPE
Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere - I tried searching for "WinPE", "bootable", etc. but found nothing particularly relevant.
I'm trying to create bootable WinPE images from Backupper STD 6.9.2. I have several different machines, so please bear with me to see the whole extent of the issue. All the machines are Win10 Home (up to date), but some are UEFI:GPT and others are BIOS:MBR.
1. on UEFI:GPT creating a WinPE image fails at 10%. I have two of these machines - a desktop and a laptop, which have different drives and NICs. WinPE create fails identically on both - no real error message or code, just [paraphrasing] "create failed - see the faq". It does not matter whether the target is an ISO file or USB drive directly.
2. on BIOS:MBR creating a WinPE image works fine both to ISO or USB direct, but the result cannot be booted on a UEFI:GPT machine.
I tried using RUFUS to write the BIOS:MBR ISO to a GPT partitioned USB. Formatted with NTFS it starts to boot on UEFI but then fails saying it cannot load the NTFS driver. Formatted with FAT32 the UEFI machines cannot even see the USB drive. The result is the same regardless of SecureBoot settings.
I also tried creating a WinPE images using PEBuilder2 (downloaded today 2022-05-22). That worked both on UEFI:GPT and BIOS:MBR machines, but the image it creates does NOT include Backupper (just PartitionAssist). It also seems the UEFI:GPT and BIOS:MBR images work only on corresponding hardware [this I actually understand though I wish I could make a single image that worked everywhere]. However, from the PEBuilder2 page I was under the impression that Backupper would be included, and I cannot figure out how to add it.
So I can back up my UEFI:GPT machines, but I can't restore them (unless they remain bootable).
Has anybody know how to build a WinPE image on a UEFI:GPT machine? Alternatively, does anyone know how to include Backupper into a PEBuilder image?
Thanks,
George
I'm trying to create bootable WinPE images from Backupper STD 6.9.2. I have several different machines, so please bear with me to see the whole extent of the issue. All the machines are Win10 Home (up to date), but some are UEFI:GPT and others are BIOS:MBR.
1. on UEFI:GPT creating a WinPE image fails at 10%. I have two of these machines - a desktop and a laptop, which have different drives and NICs. WinPE create fails identically on both - no real error message or code, just [paraphrasing] "create failed - see the faq". It does not matter whether the target is an ISO file or USB drive directly.
2. on BIOS:MBR creating a WinPE image works fine both to ISO or USB direct, but the result cannot be booted on a UEFI:GPT machine.
I tried using RUFUS to write the BIOS:MBR ISO to a GPT partitioned USB. Formatted with NTFS it starts to boot on UEFI but then fails saying it cannot load the NTFS driver. Formatted with FAT32 the UEFI machines cannot even see the USB drive. The result is the same regardless of SecureBoot settings.
I also tried creating a WinPE images using PEBuilder2 (downloaded today 2022-05-22). That worked both on UEFI:GPT and BIOS:MBR machines, but the image it creates does NOT include Backupper (just PartitionAssist). It also seems the UEFI:GPT and BIOS:MBR images work only on corresponding hardware [this I actually understand though I wish I could make a single image that worked everywhere]. However, from the PEBuilder2 page I was under the impression that Backupper would be included, and I cannot figure out how to add it.
So I can back up my UEFI:GPT machines, but I can't restore them (unless they remain bootable).
Has anybody know how to build a WinPE image on a UEFI:GPT machine? Alternatively, does anyone know how to include Backupper into a PEBuilder image?
Thanks,
George
Comments
In addition, please also try to create WinPE again via AOMEI Backupper. When you create the WinPE, please check if it checks "Download WinPE creating environment...". If yes, please try to download and install Windows ADK and Windows PE Addon. After that, please try to create WinPE with uncheck the option.
I completely uninstalled both Backupper 6.9.2 and PEBuilder 2.0 and rebooted before reinstalling them. I had tried reinstalling OVER them previously, but this time I removed them first.
Backupper 6.9.2 still fails to create a WinPE image. It gets to ~36% "Preparing to create WinPE image." and then fails.
Manually installing the PE environment does not help ... I checked the contents of AOMEIPEENV.ZIP against the pe_env directory that Backupper downloaded itself and the contents are identical. I substituted the zip contents anyway, but it did not help.
I have not yet tried installing the Windows ADK ... it seems to be fairly large (and I already have 2 copies of the PE environment: one in Backupper and one in PE Builder).
On the plus side, PE Builder 2.0 seems to work correctly after reinstall - the ISO it created contained both PartitionAssist and Backupper and they both at least appear to run. I did not try to do anything with them because right now I have the problem of no network access from the bootable disk - I have to locate drivers for my "Killer E2600" network card so I can access the backups on my NAS.
If it still can't recognize your network, please try to manually add network drivers via "Add Drivers" when you recreate the WinPE.
I deleted the pe_env directory under Backupper and installed the ADK with default settings. I ran Backupper and tried to make a WinPE using ADK only (without downloading the PE environment). After a considerable time, it failed at ~10%.
Realizing that the default ADK installation does NOT update the Windows search path, I manually added a path to the bin/i386 directory that contains the ADK executables. No difference - creating a WinPE failed as above.
Then I tried telling Backupper to download the PE environment. It failed to download and bombed out at ~6%.
So then I manually installed pe_env (from AOMEIPEENV.ZIP) into the Backupper directory and tried again without downloading PE. Failed same as with ADK only (1st image) at ~10%.
So I tried again, this time selecting to download the PE environment even though it already existed. Again it failed at ~10% as with the ADK only (1st image).
So I have no idea how to get Backupper to make a WinPE bootable on my UEFI:GPT machine. I can make one with PEBuilder2, but I have yet to figure out how to get my network card to function ... simply adding the NIC driver during setup doesn't seem to work - the resulting WinPE can't see the NIC.
https://www2.aomeisoftware.com/download/adb/6.8.0/AOMEIBackupperStd.exe
I haven't tried making a disc directly via the ADK - the documentation for it is a bit overwhelming.
I tried making a boot disk with Backupper 6.8.0 - it fails just like with 6.9.2.
I tried dism64++ as suggested in the article you referenced: I exported all the network drivers from my machine, and imported all of them into the PEBuilder2 image. Does not work ... network is not started. Running wpeinit manually after the WinPE desktop appears does nothing.
I don't understand either problem. It seems Backupper can make a WinPE boot disk on a BIOS:MBR machine, but NOT on a UEFI:GPT machine. And it seems that PEBuilder2 can build a working WinPE disk on either type of machine, but can't add (or can't start) additional network drivers.
Could you create a WinPE ISO of AOMEI Backupper on the UEFI:GPT machine, and then share it to us via cloud? We will test and check it further.
Secondly, I went through the same process, EXCEPT, I DIDN'T select the Download WinPE creating environment from the internet. I presume this utilizes code local in my 32-bit Windows installation. This boot disk worked perfectly. I hope this helps. I may upgrade to the latest 6.9.2 and see if not downloading the WinPE from internet works there too.
My apologies for crashing into Gneuner2's thread. My initial search for boot disk issues lead me here and while it seems we both were having boot disk problems they were caused by different underlying causes.
The UEFI:GPT machine is hardwired, but WiFi also is available. I have (via DISM++ as directed) imported ALL the network drivers from this machine into the PEBuilder ISO. The resulting ISO boots, the AOMEI programs run locally, but it claims no network devices can be found.
The ISO is at https://i.getspace.us/cloud/s/YgxSq82wYnZo3KD
All the network drivers that it should contain are in a ZIP at https://i.getspace.us/cloud/s/EQz7x6ToaXCL5ZB
Sorry for lousy pictures ... had to take with cell phone.
Running PENetwork gives this error.