Skip to main content

Differences between Linux and WinPE bootable media

Thread needs solution

Aloha.

I am having some difficulty with getting Universal Restore to work using the Linux bootable media created by the Universal Restore Media builder (it freeezes so I can't do the restore of an image), so I created a WinPE boot disk. And I noticed a difference between the available options once you boot each disk and was wondering if I did something wrong with creating the WinPE disk.

When I boot the Linux disk, I get offered 3 choices: 

  1. Universal Restore
  2. Acronis True Image 2017
  3. System reports (or something like this..._

When I boot the WinPE disk, it goes straight to Universal Restore - i.e.: no option to invoke Acronis True Image to restore the image of my old machine to my new machine. Did I miss something when creating the WinPE disk?

And if this is how the WinPE disk is supposed to be, how do I restore the image when booting from the Linux disk has problems????

Using Acronis True Image 2017 and it tells me it is up to date.

Mahalo,

Harry Z

0 Users found this helpful

You are correct.  If you build WinPE using Acronis - it only adds the acronis rescue media and there's no option to pick UR from there.  

You'll need to build a separate winpe for universal restore.  You can launch the direct UR restore builder from C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Acronis\UniversalRestore\UniversalRestore.exe 

FYI, this will be possible in the near future with a newer version of our MVP WinPE tool.  I can't say exactly when, but it shouldn't be to far off.

 

 

Regular Poster
Posts: 198
Comments: 120

Bobbo...

Glad to hear that a newer version of the MVP WinPE tool is in the works....

Lots of us will be very happy !!  Thanks to all the MVP's for all you do to help us !

Steve 

Mahalo (thank you) for the quick and accurate reply.

I did spend some time trying to find documentation on how to use the WinPE version of Universal Restore, but everything I found was for the Linux version. Is this documented somewhere?

 

Harry Z.

It sounds like you successfully built the Universal Restore WinPE boot media. Now you need to build a separate WinPE boot media for True Image. From the TI GUI select the Tools menu item. Then select Rescue Media Builder (not Acronis Universal Restore). Then select the WinPE option to build the media.

Using Universal Restore is a two step process. First, boot the WinPE media for TI that you created above and restore your image. Second, boot the computer again with the Universal Restore WinPE media and use UR to add the drivers needed by your hard drive controller to boot Windows.

@Mustang and @Bobbo_3C0X1 Mahalo for your responses. I have built the recovery tool iso and have used it along with the Universal Restore iso to restore to different hardware. Interesting exercise and I learned a lot.

Harry Z.

 

I'm glad you got it working. Thanks for reporting back.

Mustang wrote:

It sounds like you successfully built the Universal Restore WinPE boot media. Now you need to build a separate WinPE boot media for True Image. From the TI GUI select the Tools menu item. Then select Rescue Media Builder (not Acronis Universal Restore). Then select the WinPE option to build the media.

Using Universal Restore is a two step process. First, boot the WinPE media for TI that you created above and restore your image. Second, boot the computer again with the Universal Restore WinPE media and use UR to add the drivers needed by your hard drive controller to boot Windows.

Just to clarify, there is no way to create a bootable USB flash drive that has the True Image application (to do the restore) PLUS all the drivers needed for Universal Restore?   Does this mean that I can make any of my old images Universal Restore simply by booting the Universal Restore USB flash drive after cloing the hard drive?

Universal restore is really designed to remove drivers from an image to make it generic so it boots on new hardware (a new motherboard or new CPU). In most cases you don't want to be including drivers for the universal restore process at all.

the addition of drivers in the WinPE rescue media is so the pe rescue media can detect the hard drives to complete the restore process.

with the current Mvp WinPE rescue media builder it is now possible to create a sungle WinPE rescue media with both Acronis and universal restore, and add custom drivers (although most should not - at least not more than we provide for you in the custom section already). 

Remember. Universal restore only is needed to transfer an OS image to a new computer (motherboard). There is no reason to use it when transferring to the same computer - even if you're changing the hard drive type.

That should work.