Make a Windows-based recovery CD: Reatogo PE 2.40

Reatogo PE Builder
http://www.reatogo.com/

A great utility to have in every IT toolbox is a recovery disc with network support. I know there are a lot of Linux-based live CDs that serve this purpose, but since this blog focuses more on the Windows side of things...(sorry guys!), we'll talk about the Windows solution.

Why would you need something like this?

Well, I know personally that there have been MANY times where a computer just won't boot correctly, and I need to establish connectivity to the network in order to back up the files on the system before I reload it (without pulling the hard disk). Or, maybe I need to clean up a virus /malware, and it is impossible to realistically do so while booted into the system's OS. Perhaps I want to make a cloned image (or bring down an image) to a network resource, or burn a CD/DVD, all while having full access to the computer's hard drive, but not booted up to an installed operating system?

Fortunately, I can do all of these things easily with a Windows PE bootable CD.

Windows PE - a very quick and dirty explanation

Windows PE is the 'Pre-installation Environment' that you run through whilst installing Windows XP and later on a computer. It allows you to use a Windows-like environment from a CD or USB distribution without actually needing a full install of Windows to do it. What is truly great about PE is that you are able to boot to a completely separate instance of Windows (that you did not have to install on the hard disk), run a variety of Win32 applications and utilities within it (including undelete or other recovery utilities) against your hard drive and have network support the whole time, making it a perfect recovery tool.

When building the PE distribution, you will need access to a Windows XP (Professional, preferably) or Windows 2003 CD/i386 folder structure.

Bart Lagerweij's PE Builder

For the last few years, I have used the bootable disc created via Bart Lagerweij's application called 'PE Builder'. While this has served me well, I came to realize that maintaining and updating it was becoming a bit complex.

I'm sorry Bart, we must part ways for now...

This is where Reatogo comes in. While searching for a new utility, I used both the Reatogo and the 'Ultimate Boot CD for Windows' (which is also awesome) PE Builders. However, when it comes down to 'tweakability', I prefer to use Reatogo. The best thing about Reatogo is that it utilizes Sherpya's XPE plugin by default, which gives your disc a completely native Windows look & feel (including taskbar, desktop icons, Microsoft Management Console, etc.). Also, the builder tends to have a lot less extra stuff that I don't need (UBCD4Win, on the other hand, does have the option to include may useful DOS utilities as well, which can be an advantage).

What is the difference?

Now, if you are an IT guy or a power user, Reatogo may be er... "the way to go" (that sounded corny), but if you are a casual user, you really may want to use the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, as there isn't much tweaking to do or advanced stuff to understand in order to build it. The reason I say this is because Reatogo has a fairly involved setup routine that you must go through in order to configure it for your first time use.

If you follow the instructions to the letter, you should have no problems, but it is time consuming when performed.

The PE boot disc build engine is borrowed from the aforementioned PE Builder (Bart Lagerweij) utility, so you'll find this is the overall consistency between all of these tools. However, Reatogo has this "many-buttoned "interface that gives you some advanced functionality, making it easier to create new plugins (but it looks way more complex).

I'm not going to go through all the options here, since it isn't isn't necessary to build a basic functioning disc.

Plugins?
Plugins are at the core of the Windows PE disc. Think of them as packs that add functionality or new programs to your disc. For example, if you wanted to add Partition Magic to your distribution, you would need an appropriate plugin that tells PE where to find the program file, how to configure the icon, add additional registry entries, etc. Since this PE version of Windows is typically installed on a CD, you can't add programs simply by using the add/remove programs applet. The same logic goes for network and mass storage drivers.

When you work with a PE building utility such as Reatogo or Bart PE, you end up with a plugins folder. This folder contains (as you may have guessed) all the plugins that are available for your PE build process. Sometimes you will see that some subfolders need to have files added before you can truly utilize them (for example, a Partition Magic plugin requires that you insert your own purchased files and configure your license keys). So be sure to read up on these as you dig through them.

Finally, if you need a certain plugin and don't want to build it, you can typically find one for just about every popular recovery application or utility by performing a search via Google.

Adding network and storage drivers

What I like about the more recent Bart PE builder (the basic building engine that UBCD4Win and Reatogo use) is that there is now a 'Drivers' folder which allows you to merely drop your driver files into it and the build engine will insert them into your PE disc distribution without too much hassle. It used to be that you had to create a plugin for your drivers the same way you would create one for a particular program, which could be a hassle. What is even better is that there exists a driver pack which contains a TON of network and storage drivers that was primarily developed for UBCD4W. However, this pack works with both Reatogo and Bart PE, so no matter which builder you are using, getting your discs to work with the latest Broadcom NICs or Fujitsu Lifebook hard drive controllers is actually pretty easy!

Forum support

If you have troubles with any of these bootable discs, you can visit the 911cd forums here. They have specific forums that relate to Reatogo, UBCD4Win, Bart PE, and others. It is an excellent resource.

Tip for when you are testing your distribution:

Don't burn a CD until you know your distribution works - how? Just build the ISO image and then use the Reatogo (this is cool) included QEMU virtual machine app to test the boot process. You can also use VMWare, VirtualBox, MS Virtual Server, etc.. If you do this - you can save yourself the headache of burning the disc only to find out that something doesn't work quite right. The only thing you really can't test this way are any specific network and storage drivers - so keep that in mind!

Likes

• The relative ease with which you can create a new plugin for your distribution (just be aware that by default, each application you add will make an icon appear on the PE Windows desktop - just edit the .inf file for the plugin as it is built, and you'll see where to remove this).
• The utilization of WindowsBlinds and Sherpya's XPE plugin, making the CD very easy to use.
• Inclusion of QEMU virtual machine emulator for testing the ISO images after you build the distribution.
  

Dislikes

• The built-in plugin finder. While it is a great idea, Reatogo actually CHARGES for plugins tweaked for commercial applications. This makes absolutely no sense to me, considering that you have to pay for the application either way, and the plugin is only a few text files telling the builder what to do with the executable (etc.) files. So, if you need a plugin, I recommend that you search for one via the forums or Google.
• The overly complex looking interface - there has to be a way to simplify this!
  
• The oddly involved setup process. I assume this is the way it is because Reatogo cannot distribute some of the files that are utilized in the build process due to licensing constraints (you are prompted to download them, although the setup performs most, if not all of this, for you).

Alternates:

• Bart's PE Builder
• UBCD4Win