IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 13th, 2009, Mustang has discontinued
all sales of his VistaPE scripts and will not be giving anyone permission to distribute them.
This guide will remain as a general guide for VistaPE as well as for those who have already
purchased Mustang's scripts.
For those looking for an easy way to create a WinPE (Vista-based) Acronis True Image resuce CD,
MustangPEBuilder 2
is available and has plugins for True Image 10, 11 and 2009 as well as Disk Director 10.
The intent of this guide is to provide the necessary steps to
allow anyone to create a VistaPE CD, whether
you are an experienced computer user or someone who needs step-by-step instructions.
For the best results, it is recommended to proceed in the following manner:
- Read the Reqirements and Notes listed below.
- Create a plain VistaPE CD by following the Beginner's Guide.
- Add Mustang's Acronis scripts as needed for your programs.
- Add any necessary drivers for unsupported hardware.
- Consider any advanced options and configurations (if desired).
By first creating a plain VistaPE CD using the defaults set out in the guide,
you will be able to sort out any errors or problems prior to adding any additional
scripts or options to the build.
After you have sucessfuly created your first VistaPE CD, you can add the scripts
and drivers needed to complete your build. Hopefully, you will also have the confidence to
play with your build and tweak it to your liking.
Several things are required in order to create a VistaPE CD:
- A computer running Windows XP SP2 (or higher) or Vista.
Note 1: I have not yet tested using XP
SP3 to create a VistaPE CD. However, I assume it would work.
Note 2: 64bit versions of Windows are not supported.
- An internet connection - A broadband (high-speed) connection is strongly recommended
as several of the downloads are quite large.
- WinBuilder - Download and install the latest stable version of WinBuilder from
http://www.winbuilder.net/ (currently version
074). Instructions are included in the guide.
- A valid Vista source - You can use a standard Vista installation DVD (32bit version)
or an installed Windows AIK folder. The Windows AIK is a free download from Microsoft. If you
use a Vista installation DVD, please note that it must be a pre-SP1 DVD. WinBuilder
074 and VistaPE 11 don't support using SP1 Vista DVDs.
If you use the Windows AIK as the source for creating your VistaPE CD, you should
be aware that some of the scripts and programs included with WinBuilder/VistaPE will not
work as they require a Vista DVD source. These scripts will be noted in the instructions.
However, for general use, such as using VistaPE
to run your Acronis software (True Image, Disk Director, etc.), the Windows AIK source is
fine. Also, using the Windows AIK does not require you to have a Vista DVD.
Click here for detailed instructions
on downloading and installing the Windows AIK.
