Build a BartPE disk

Build a BartPE disk for your Disaster Recovery or IT Took Box.

Did you ever have one of those days... When you just couldn't make a bootable cd?

Well you aren't the only one and after messing around with it for two days I came to the conclusion that maybe other people were having problems too.

Bart has done an excellent job of making this fine tool for us. And his help files are very good. I am not knocking Bart, but it is occasionally hard to find the information on his site. So I will give him a hand because he is busy making all these great tools for us.

Before you sit down at your computer and start to build the BartPE disk you need more than the pebuilder (read note from Bart lower down). You will need:

A Windows install disk for the version of windows you are using, if it is Win2000 then the Win2000 install disk, XP will need XP.

Did you read the review for Build a BartPE disk?

By the way the older XP Operating System will not repair Vista and new Operating System failures...

Better yet make a custom Windows 7 / 8 Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) for yourself? - Check this out.

Build a BartPE disk instructions:

Now if you are in to servers then you may want to use the Server install disk. Here is a catch 22, all versions of windows are backward compatible, yes? But they are NOT forward compatible. That is to say if you build a boot cd using Win2000 you will not be able to repair any NTFS drives on say a XP, Vista or Windows 7 Operating System install.

Nope won't do it. So always try to build your boot cd with the latest version you have. That way when you go to your cousin's house to fix the computer he blew up you will have a boot cd that works, very impressive!

Next the pebuilder comes with a lot of freeware or open source programs, but because this is an open license program Bart can not install any commercial software programs in his program. To you than means if you want say Ghost on the cd you have to have a copy and license to install it on the cd. Be real and stay out of trouble please.

Ok, gathered all the different software programs you want? Have the latest and greatest install cd?

How about the pebuilder program?

Ok, lets do this: Build a BartPE disk - Here are some screen shots I made as I installed pebuilder to build a BartPE disk.

Vista and Windows 7/8 will not work to make the BartPE disk see the page on making your ERD!

Start with where you stored the download of the executable:

Then pick the place where you want the program to be installed to, the default path is c:\pebuilder3110a, I put it in the Program Files folder/

From here on most of the screens will be the default settings.

 

 

 

Finished, launch the program.

You have to agree to the License.

The 5 Steps to high quality and cheap DIY Computer Repairs Get It Today...

Now you have to find the Windows installation files, you can not use the Windows directory where the Operating System is installed on your computer, it has to be the Install CD, click the No button, then browse to the cd, all you need is the drive letter.

Next you need to decide where to put the boot cd you will be building, I let it build it in the default location. You can change this to where ever you want.

Accept the License for the build of the boot cd.

The build in progress.

All done, look at the last ten lines or so, any errors with the build will show up here.

Once you have the basic boot cd built you can add on options and other programs with the 'Plugins' button. here I will add on ERD 2002. You have to have the program installed to get at the required files.

Highlight the Plugin you want to add to the build.

When you click on the Enable/Disable button you will get the following error if the files for the Plugin are not available. When you read the error you will see a list of files that the program is looking for. If you click on the 'Edit' button it will open the 'inf' file and you can see a list of files there also, makes it easier to see the names of the files and the path where the files need to be to make the Plugin work. Normally the files will be in the path of:

Name of plug in files such as the ERD 2002 Plugin:

c:\program files\pebuilder3110a\plugins\erd2002\files

Once you have the files in the correct location the Plugin will be turned on and available when you build the boot cd.

I want to add Ghost 8 to my boot cd, it is not in the list so I had to click on 'Add' then find the place where the Plugin will go, in addition I had to go to an install of the program on a computer and get the required files, to find what files I needed I read the 'inf' in the Ghost 8 folder.

Read the 'inf'

Create the Plugin.

Once the Plugin has been created then it is available when you create the boot cd.

To learn more about the Plugin process Bart has a great help page here...

Sorry; a note from Bart:

Bart's PE Builder is no longer available. We have to move on! Thanks everyone for all your support throughout the years!!! BartPE is no longer available! We have to move on! Thanks everyone for all your support throughout the years!!!

So there you have it a tutorial on the process to Building a BartPE disk and the links to his site to get the files you need. Check out the drivers page while you are there, see if there are any updated drivers for the latest and greatest hardware installed in your computer.

On the home page I mention "seven essential tools" this is one of the most important ones.

Enjoy!

P.S.

This is Freeware and if you can please donate to Bart.

Update 02-09-20 When Windows Vista then Windows 7 were released by Microsoft and the support for Windows XP was discontinued 0n 14 April 2014 Bart closed his web site. Fortunately I have found some web sites that still have his original program for download, as aslways these download should be scanned for viruses! Your alternative for Vista and newer programs is building your own ERD using the PE3 system (search for it, I am at odds with a couple of the web sites and will not give them a link...) to build your own ERD's or check this page: IT Tool Box, got yours yet?