Image your system with free Macrium

32 bit I assume?

that is handy - more useful than the 64.

whs said:

SIW2 said:

32 bit I assume?

that is handy - more useful than the 64.

No, it's 64bit. I don't think that there are still that many systems which cannot run 64bit.

I cannot use 64 bit. I have to have 32 bit for a special reason.
Support Question Will OCZ Toolbox Secure Erase run under WinPE (mini Vista environment)

It is recommended that my SSD from OCZ should be initialized to wipe out all contents before restoring an Image backup.
The "standard method" involves following a long article describing how to create a Linux Boot Flash Drive with the initialization capability;
and then using the Linux Flash to prepare the SSD;
and then juggling with Flash Drives in USB ports and rebooting to use the Macrium Flash to restore.
Tedious.

OCZ also have a Windows tool for preparing an SSD.
This is a 32 bit tool that also runs under 64 bit Windows,
but NOT Windows running under the target SSD
This 32 bit tool is able to run under the Mini-Wini environment of 32 bit WinPE,
but it fails to run under 64 bit WinPE.

I have every reason to believe that a single Flash Drive with only 32 bit WinPE will not only prepare my SSD for restoration, but will also give perfect restoration to the SSD of my 64 bit Windows.
Macrium Support Forum - How to make 32 bit Flash Rescue on 64 bit System

Regards
Alan

Yes Alan.

64 bit Windows pe out of the box has no support for 32 bit applications.

[It is possible to make one that can support 32bit apps. - but it is for advanced enthusiasts.]

Even those enthusiasts , like me, just do it for the fun.

You will find they all actually use 32 bit pe for any real work.

Hi there
might be slightly off topic here -- but IMO the BEST tool you can create is to create a Windows to Go Windows 8 on an external USB disk partition (create say a 32 GB partition on an external usb -- the rest of the disk can be used for data etc etc as a 2nd partition).

The USB will boot and run a FULL windows 8 system -- on which you can install anything you like. The W8 system will boot on all sorts of different hardware too.

Install all the tools and applications you want -- and you've got a really good recovery system - I even use this at work where I can run Office 2010 instead of the XP version they are still messing around with !!.

I have Acronis on it so I can do all my backup and restores -- I use this also for backing up / restoring my W7 system too. The W8 boot takes literally a few seconds (quicker than W7 by far) and the restore backup can restore anywhere on the network too.

Check the W8 Forums for instructions on how to create a Windows to Go system.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...isk.html?ltr=W

I have split a 1 TB external USB3 disk into two partitions so I can have most of the 1TB over for data -- and 40GB for the W8 windows to go system. I run Photoshop, Office 2010, and VLC on it and it performs fine even when booted up via a USB2 port. On a USB 3 port it's quicker by far than the work machine's native XP system !!.

Even if you have no intention of upgrading (? if that's the right word here) to W8 the Windows to go system is a BRILLIANT tool with the normal Windows GUI rather than messing around with command line WINPE stuff.

I believe you can do something similar with W7 but it involves fiddling around with virtual disks and forcing a boot off a vhd. Much easier to use the supplied W8 Windows to go tool. !!!

Cheers
jimbo

Yes, it is useful, Jimbo.

But as far as we know , it is only available to Enterprise license holders.

It does not apply to most users.

That is one reason why pe is so important.

It has other advantages, too - it is relatively small, can be booted from a small portable device -cd/usb stick, and you can keep a copy on your Windows HD and boot that up.

Not as fancy as the full o/s - but that hardly matters , you can run all your repair/imaging /partitioning programs from it.