However, there is a way to boot PE on machines with 256 MB of RAM. Microsoft says 256 MB, but one of three things will happen booting PE on a machine with 256 MB of RAM:Ī) It'll boot up, but no commands will work.ī) Blue Screen of Death (yes, PE can do this).
Distributing an ISO is not so much.Īs long as you have around 512 MB of RAM, it'll be fine. Even writing automated creation tools are okay.
Instructions on how to make your own is fine. It's designed to reboot itself after 72 hours.ī) You don't distribute it as is. It's perfectly free, and even Microsoft has information on PE!Ī) You don't use it as a full-blown OS. Luckily, this ain't da warez-otherwise, I'd be banned and this whole FAQ would be blown away from the Computer Hope Servers!
However, Windows PE does have a few advantages over the former three options:Ī) You can install drivers while inside the WinPE environment!! Forgot to load that SATA driver? Just put it on a flash drive, plug it in, and use the drvload command, and now PE will see your SATA drives without having to create a whole new disc!!Īlso, WinPE comes with drivers for flash drives! Just plug it in and go!Ĥ) How much does it cost? Is it free? If not, can you hook me up with da warez, winkywinkywinky? Windows PE, or "WinPE" is best used for when your Windows is NOT working! If your computer has a virus, a corrupt file, or if you just simply want to back up your data without removing the hard drive from your PC, PE can get you there! You can also run some lightweight programs from WinPE!ģ) I already use Knoppix, BartPE, or Ultimate Boot CDs for that purpose. In a nutshell, it's a miniature version of Windows that boots from a CD (or other removable media) and loads directly to your computer's memory.Ģ) Why would I need Windows PE? I already have a working version of Windows (XP, Vista, etc.)! To avoid sounding too much like a broken record, I figured a FAQ would be a good idea, no?ġ) What is Windows PE? Is it the next version of Windows? This entry was posted in Windows PE, Windows PE boot disk and tagged windows 7 pe boot disk.I've been here off and on since late 2008, and I've noticed that I've suggested to many people to create a Windows PE disc for one reason or another.
Step 8: You can burn the winpe.iso to a CD/DVD disc or USB flash drive, and then use it to boot your computer. Step 7: Use oscdimg command to make iso file: oscdimg -n -bd:/winpe/ d:/winpe/ISO e:/winpe.iso Step 6: Replace the boot.wim file with the new one: copy d:/winpe/winpe.wim d:/winpe/iso/sources/boot.wim Step 5: Unmount Windows 7 pe image: imagex /unmount /commit d:/winpe/mount. For example: d ism /image:d:/winpe/mount /add-driver /driver:d:\driver_x86\cp017374\hpcissx2.inf. If you want to add a driver to the image file, you can use: dism with /add-driver parameter. After mounting the Windows 7 pe image to a folder, you can add or delete files, programs, drivers to it. Type in: imagex.exe /mountrw d:/winpe/winpe.wim 1 d:/winpe/mount,and press Enter to run the commend. Step 4: Use imagex.exe command to mount the Windows pe file to a folder, so you can change it. So type in command: copype.cmd x86 d:/winpe, and press Enter to run it. Step 3: Use copype.cmdcopy Windows 7 pe file to a folder, here we copy it to d:/winpe. You can see this program at Start-> All Programs -> Microsoft Windows AIK -> Deployment Tools Command Prompt. Step 2: Run Deployment Tools Command Prompt as administrator. Find and click StartCD.exe, follow the introductions to install Windows AIK on your computer. After that, you can get the same name folder. Then, do the decompression operation with WinRAR or other tools. You can download it from Microsoft office site. With a Windows 7 pe boot disk, you can boot your computer from the pe boot disk, and maintain your computer. This guide shows you how to create windows 7 pe boot disk.