Window RE

[Jammrock]

MS added a new feature for Vista users called Windows RE (Recovery Environment). WinRE is based off WinPE 2.0, but has built in recovery tools for system and OS errors. On top of that, OEMs and enterprises can create a WinRE partition, copy the WinRE image to the partition, and make the WinRE partition the failover boot part if Vista fails to startup for any reason. In the event that WinRE is booted, whether manually or automatically, you have a completely independant OS to troubleshoot and work from until you can get the main OS working again.

MS also upped the WinPE reboot time to 72 hours, giving techs more time to work in WinPE/RE before it reboots. And if you grab the Windows Automated Install Kit, you can customize WinPE/RE and add applications much like you can with BartPE and UBCD4Win. Very nice I say. I haven't played with WinPE 2.0 yet, but I've got the WAIK and some blank CDs so I will soon.

Now if only MS would drop the price of Vista UE ...

Jammrock

[Kooldino]

Very cool.

Is this available in all flavours of Vista?

[Jammrock]

Looks like it. If you buy retail you either have to use the install CD (it has it built in, replacing Recovery Console), or use the WAIK to build it into the HDD.

[Jammrock]

Good gawd MS is pissing off the IT world with their POS backend Vista tools. I've heard nothing but complaints about the infrastructure tools for Vista products, and now this!

I downloaded and installed the Windows AIK, which is where you can build custom WinPE/RE solutions. I have the help file up (RTFM, right?), going step by step, copy/pasting commands to make sure they are entered correctly, trying to build a WinRE image. Lo and behold ... MS forgot to put the RE package into the Windows AIK!!!

The package, according to all the documentation I have read, should be built in to the WinPE.WIm file that ImageX extracts (both in WIAK). Yet...it's not there! It's no where. It doesn't exist. You can't build a WinRE image!!

Vista is already giving me a headache and it's not even out

[The PIT]

I'm waiting for Barts Vista PE

[Jammrock]

I'm waiting for Barts Vista PE

Yes, that will be fun. MS though pretty much copied BartPE in their WinPE2.0 tools. The driver add-on command is very simple (just run a comman that points to the inf file). Though it won't be much in the way of mainstream unless MS releases a GUI. Most people are intimidated by the command line, expecially when it takes half an hour and a couple dozen commands to build a WinPE/RE image.

Anyway, my buddy opened an MS support issue re: WinRE and I got on with a support tech. The WinRE package was dropped at the last minute because one of the batch files was not working. I was given a ... workaround would be the best way to put it. It's not really a fix, just something that will work for the time being, until the next release of the WAIK.

If anyone is interested, PM me and I'll send it to you.

Jammrock

[MultimediaMan]

I've been using WinPE v1.6 for a year now in the course of my job: it is really something. GUI or not, I find there is very little I cannot do with it.

WinPE v2.0 is even better, and it's memory footprint is a lot smaller - particularly if you keep it stripped-down driver and add-in program-wise.

Speaking of booting: Network booting with WinRE/WinPE is the only way to go-I have encountered resistance from some of the Digital Luddites who work with me and insist on using a jump box or slaving drives, but IMO this is the single greatest feature of of WinPE/WinRE: you can bring up a machine from bare metal using PE and drop a Ghost or Acronis Image, a BDD image, or just run an unattended setup and in a few minutes the machine is ready for production. It's also cool because you can format/partition or back up the entire machine before doing anything permanent to the filesystem. I installed VNC on my PE Image so I can directly interact with a remote machine if need be (It's not all that hard in v1.6; haven't done it yet in PE 2.0).

95% of what works with WinRE Vista also works with XP: When the final version of the BDD comes out, Windows XP SP2 will be able to be deployed using it, as it is now, you still have to rely on older sysprepped images. Still, WinPE gives enough functionality to where you can pull gross system parameters using WMI calls to determine what hardware it is actually run in it on and have a script pull the desired image down to the target machine with no interaction.

Some of our onsite techs think I'm out to put them out of a job... To which I replied, No, but I would like your backlog to go from two weeks to 24 hours or less.

Most people are intimidated by the command line, expecially when it takes half an hour and a couple dozen commands to build a WinPE/RE image..

It takes less than 3 minutes to create or recreate a PE image if you script the commands. It is probably something you will want to do if you are going to use PE as a deployment tool: inserting your own scripts or program will require rebuilding the ISO over and over for testing and development.

[Jammrock]

It takes less than 3 minutes to create or recreate a PE image if you script the commands. It is probably something you will want to do if you are going to use PE as a deployment tool: inserting your own scripts or program will require rebuilding the ISO over and over for testing and development.

I didn't say I was Just most other people I know. I have scripts and batch files for just about everything and it drives my coworkers crazy. But hey, it gets the job consistently done faster.

Jammrock