Solved Bootable WinPE, NTFS or FAT32, sector size?

[bawldiggle]

Using AOMEI Standard
- I have had a few hiccups with this my maiden voyage into Image restore
- one Window displays [PRO Version only] and restore is disabled
- but on a second attempt AOMEI announces I will need WinPE
- there are a lot of choices at this point and I don't know which selection I made
- does free AOMEI Standard provide for Image restore or will I need PRO version

Have created a System Backup image of C:\ (with AOMEI Std)
. . . (HDD has a second partition D:\ for data only)
Trying to restore the Image onto C:\
AOMEI is looking for WinPE

With Utilities I created "WinPE" ... I hope ! On a used 8GB USB.
? Should I reformat the USB stick before making WinPE ? NTFS or FAT32 ?

? Somewhere I read (AOMEI Knowledge Base ?) that sectors should not be 4096(?)

I notice Macrium Reflect does "image" but ...
is that for create only or must restore with Macrium PRO?
​

Thank you

 

[MeOnMine]

Hi, I am sorry that I do not have experience with AOMEI products.
I only have some experience with Macrium as that is what I suggest to my customers and friends.
I use a full version of Paragon Hard Disk Manager Pro however I will try to help you.
If you have your product installed on your PC you can make an Image of the PC from within Windows I.E. you can Image as you use the computer (sounds impossible I know).
However you can not restore that Image from Windows as you can not write to the hard drive while it is in use.
So you need to restore from DOS your Image.
You then need to produce a bootable disk or usb that utilizes the Windows Pre Environment that will fun the User Interface of the product of your choice to restore your image from DOS I.E. Windows is not running.
I would further suggest that you not use the software from Windows as you can use the bootable version to make Images or restore Images from DOS.
If you download the Macrium Rescue.iso you can produce a disk or usb to do this.

Hope I helped

Wayne

 

[SIW2]

does free AOMEI Standard provide for Image restore

Yes.

 

[bawldiggle]

@ MeOnMine

The only reason I used AOMEI-Std. was because their v.public download is an offline installer.
- Free Macrium's default download is a cloud installer

Update: Free Macrium offline installer - download ... 64-bit which suits me. You would have to search for 32-bit if there is one​

AOMEI Std:
When I got to the point of Restoring an image (I have only one, experimental). AOMEI wizard suggests to make a bootable disc.
- AOMEI suggested WinPE or Linux bootables. I opted for USB WinPE (reformatted the USB drive to default size 4096
- AOMEI created the USB WinPE direct from the Restore Image wizard UI, no problems
- I left the WinPE stick in its port

With the USB WinPE still in its port the Wizard controlled everything including shut-down, boot into WinPE, restore image, reboot into Windows
- just watch and wait. About 20 mins because my machine has very little on it

I have only installed my preferred text editor (Metapad36), and AOMEI Std.
keeping it simple while I play and learn

The image (without Metapad36) was successfully restored ... perfect

I am about to swap the original v.clean 500 GB HDD back into my machine and attempt to clone to a 125 GB SSD
- AOMEI Std will do it with a lot of help from the AOMEI - Clone Large HDD to Smaller SSD in Windows 10/8/7 without Reinstalling

It has been very worthwhile investing time in practicing cloning, system image, restore SI etc
- at first the process was daunting
If I can do at 71 ... anyone can do it.
Making a clone of the original C: drive and putting the original in a safe place ... has been imperitive.
it didn't matter if the experiment went pair shaped.

Thank you for your support

 

[bawldiggle]

thank you

@ SIW2

Thank you.
After further "poking" around on the AOMEI std. GUI I found my way to success.
ie, restored an earlier system image to my C;\ drive successfully obliterating unwanted programs I had installed, tested and rejected.

Cleaner (IMHO) than uninstalling an unwanted program, and gets rid of "stuff" left behind by uninstall.
. . . Occasionally RevoUnisntaller PRO and CCleaner both miss stuff in Registry and C;\Users