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Recovery Tools - 1.3.15 - Beta By AnarethoS
Sunday, February 24 2013 / 7:12 PM
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Table of content
Table of content 1 Software presentation ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Purpose of this software ................................................................................................. 1
1.2 What it can do ................................................................................................................. 2
1.3 What it cannot do ............................................................................................................ 2
1.4 Functionalities ................................................................................................................. 3
1.4.1 Windows 7 ............................................................................................................... 3
1.4.2 Windows 8 ............................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Requirement .................................................................................................................... 4
1.6 Select the right package version...................................................................................... 5
1.6.1 Using Windows 8? –Read this! ................................................................................ 5
1.7 Supported partition layout .............................................................................................. 6
1.7.1 MBR – WIM with Recovery tools (Windows 7 and Windows 8) ............................. 6
1.7.2 UEFI – WIM with Recovery tools (Windows 7 and Windows 8) .............................. 6
1.7.3 MBR – WIM on the last partition (Windows8 only) ................................................ 6
1.7.4 UEFI – WIM on the last partition (Windows 8 only) ................................................ 6
1.7.5 Partition types ......................................................................................................... 7
2 Installation ............................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Preparing the USB drive .................................................................................................. 8
2.2 Installing Windows .......................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Installing the recovery tools ............................................................................................ 9
2.4 Step by step installation ................................................................................................ 10
3 Testing scenario ..................................................................................................................... 16
3.1 Windows 7 ..................................................................................................................... 16
3.2 Windows 8 ..................................................................................................................... 16
4 Upgrading .............................................................................................................................. 17
4.1 Windows 8 – WIM on the last partition ........................................................................ 17
5 Settings file explanation ........................................................................................................ 17
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5.1 Windows 7 ..................................................................................................................... 17
5.2 Windows 8 ..................................................................................................................... 18
6 Splash Image (Logo) ............................................................................................................... 19
7 Translation ............................................................................................................................. 19
8 Frequently asked questions................................................................................................... 20
9 Technical support .................................................................................................................. 21
10 Change log ......................................................................................................................... 21
11 Credits and thanks ............................................................................................................. 22
12 Licensing ............................................................................................................................ 23
1
1 Software presentation
1.1 Purpose of this software Computers, we use them every day. To check our mails, play games, do homework. We used
them so much that, sometime, we forget that they are like car and that they may broke,
suddenly, without warning, and this normally happen when you have something important to
do.
Now, your computer does not boot anymore. What can you do? Reinstall Windows? It will take
hours with the time required to reinstall all your drivers and required apps. And if you don't
know how to do it, you will have to bring it to the computer store. But, it may be closed or they
may have too much computer to repair and you will have to wait several days.
It would be easier to repair it automatically whit the press of a button or by connecting an USB
drive, no?
Well, that is exactly what I am offering you. A small software that can help you automatically
repair and reinstall your Windows installation. And as a bonus, it can do all that without deleting
your personal data. And if you can't wait to complete the recovery process, you can still access
your files off-line to copy them to an USB drive so you can continue working on another
computer.
But be warned! This solution is not made to do full system backup. Rather, it has been made to
allow you to bring back your Windows installation to the working state it was when the recovery
image was made. If you made it 6 month ago, you will have to reinstall everything that changed
since then. The only exception here is under Windows 8 that supports custom "Refresh" point,
which is a custom recovery point for your Windows installation.
Also, this recovery image must be done during a new installation of Windows. If Windows is
already installed on your computer, you won't be able to create the recovery image.
2
1.2 What it can do This software will allows you to create a one-time image of a base installation of Windows 7 or
Windows 8 and copy this image to a hidden partition on the first drive of your computer. If, for
any reason, Windows cannot boot anymore or you just want to revert back to this image, you
will be able to use Windows Recovery Environment to completely reinstall Windows based on
this image. It is up to you to decide what this image will contain. Will it be only Windows with its
drivers, Windows with its drivers and all your personal applications? You decide. But chose
wisely as the image CANNOT BE upgraded later. It is not a backup. It is a recovery image.
1.3 What it cannot do Like I just said, this application creates a recovery image. Not a backup. So don’t use it to create
a recovery image with all your personal files. Use backup software for that.
Also, don’t waste your time personalising your settings. The Administrator account used during
the preparation of the recovery image will be deleted. Don’t waste your time.
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1.4 Functionalities
1.4.1 Windows 7
Under Windows 7, the recovery tools will give you the following options:
A central place from where you can access recovery options, including
o Recovery media creator
Can create a USB key to be used to restore the computer
o Launch recovery environment
Reboot the computer in the recovery environment
o Launch Windows backup
This will allows you to backup your personal files, programs and settings
The recovery environment, either booted from the recovery partition or the USB recovery media
will give you the following options:
Option to repair your computer
o Repair boot option
o Use system restore to go back to a snapshot made by Windows
System recovery
o Use a custom recovery image you may have created using the backup software
built into Windows
Reinstall Windows
o Move the previous installation and you personal file to the “Windows.Old”
folder and then reinstall Windows from the recovery image on the recovery
partition
DoubleCommander file browser
o Access your file off-line. Useful if your computer can not boot and you don’t
have time to repair it right now. This will allows you to copy your personal file to
a USB key to continue working on another computer.
o For security reason, the file browser will require you to authenticate with an
administrator account from the Windows installation
Please note that Windows 7, opposed to Windows 8, does not gives you the option to do a full
reinstall. Previous installation of Windows will be always moved to “Windows.Old” folder. If you
want to completely erase all data and trace of previous installation, you can either use a
recovery media created on the computer, use the “FullRestore.cmd” script that can be found in
“C:\Windows” or use the “Full system recovery” from the “Advanced tools” under the Recovery
Environment.
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1.4.2 Windows 8
Under Windows 8, the recovery tools will give you the following options:
A central place from where you can access recovery options, including
o Recovery media creator
Can create a USB key to be used to restore the computer
o Launch recovery environment
Reboot the computer in the recovery environment
o Launch Windows backup (File History)
This will allows you to backup your personal files, programs and settings
o Create a custom recovery point
Allows to create a custom recovery point, delete it or create a new one
A recovery point will replace the recovery image when do you a
“Refresh” of your pc. A refresh reinstall Windows without deleting your
files
A custom image cannot be used to “Reset” the computer, which
completely delete all files
The recovery environment, either booted from the recovery partition or the USB recovery media
will give you the following options:
Option to repair your computer
o Repair boot option
o Use system restore to go back to a snapshot made by Windows
Refresh Windows
o Move the previous installation and you personal file to the “Windows.Old”
folder and then reinstall Windows from the recovery image on the recovery
partition
o If a custom recovery point was created, it will be used. Otherwise, it will use the
recovery image
Reset Windows
o Completely erase the computer and reinstall Windows
DoubleCommander file browser
o Access your file off-line. Useful if your computer can not boot and you don’t
have time to repair it right now. This will allows you to copy your personal file to
a USB key to continue working on another computer.
1.5 Requirement This software will run only under Windows 7 or Windows 8. It does not work under Windows
Vista or Windows XP.
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Any computer that can run Windows 7 or Windows 8 can use this software, although a specific
partition layout must be respected. Also, you will have to choose between two (2) version of the
package for Windows 8, each with their pros and cons.
The following section will explain the different partition structure supported by this program. All
the files (XMK, script, etc.) for these scenarios are included with this package.
For Windows 7, you will need to provide the “ImageX.exe” file, both for the 32bits (X86) and the
64bits (AMD64) version. Microsoft© does not allows the redistribution of these files. They can
be obtained from the Windows Automated Installation Package. Simply copy them in the right
place in the “ImageX” folder in the Windows 7 tools.
o
1.6 Select the right package version This software comes in two (2) versions, one with the recovery image (WIM file) on the same
partition as the Recovery Environment and one with the WIM file on the last partition.
The first version is the only one which works with Windows 7. As for Windows 8, it works with
both versions.
1.6.1 Using Windows 8? –Read this!
When using the version with the recovery image on the last partition, Windows 8 will allows you
to delete this partition and regain the space when you create a recovery media (USB key). If the
recovery image is on the same partition as the Recovery Tools, this option will not be
available.
Although it would seems natural to select the second package (WIM on the last partition),
please note that all the scripts use partition number to find their required files. This means that
if you resize your Windows partition to create a new partition, the partition number of the
last partition (with the recovery image on it) will change, making system recovery impossible.
Also, since the recovery partition cannot be created during the installation process of
Windows, it will be created during the capture process, making the process longer. The size of
the recovery partition can be set in the “SettingsRE.txt” file.
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1.7 Supported partition layout
1.7.1 MBR – WIM with Recovery tools (Windows 7 and Windows 8)
Partition 1 2 3
Default size 12gb 150mb All
Partition type Primary Primary Primary
File system NTFS NTFS NTFS
Role Recovery Boot manager Windows
Active No Yes No
1.7.2 UEFI – WIM with Recovery tools (Windows 7 and Windows 8)
Partition 1 2 3 4
Default size 12gb 150mb 128mb All
Partition type Primary EFI MSR Primary
File system NTFS FAT32 N/A NTFS
Role Recovery Boot manager System reserved Windows
Active No Yes No No
1.7.3 MBR – WIM on the last partition (Windows8 only)
Partition 1 2 3 4
Default size 1gb 150mb All 12gb
Partition type Primary Primary Primary Primary
File system NTFS NTFS NTFS NTFS
Role Recovery Boot manager Windows Recovery image
Active No Yes No No
1.7.4 UEFI – WIM on the last partition (Windows 8 only)
Partition 1 2 3 4 5
Default size 1gb 150mb 128mb All 12gb
Partition type Primary EFI MSR Primary Primary
File system NTFS FAT32 N/A NTFS NTFS
Role Recovery Boot manager
System reserved
Windows Recovery image
Active No Yes No No No
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1.7.5 Partition types
1.7.5.1 MBR
All partitions are of type 07 (ID = 07) except the recovery partition (and the recovery image
partition) which are of type 27 (ID = 27).
1.7.5.2 UEFI/GPT
Recovery partitions (and the recovery image partition) are of type {de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-
bfd50179d6ac}. MSR, EFI and Windows partitions don’t have any particular type.
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2 Installation
2.1 Preparing the USB drive 1. From the “AutoUnattend” folder, under either the “GPT” or “MBR” folder, copy the
“AutoUnattend.xml” file to the root of a USB
2. From the “Settings – Examples”, under either the “GPT” or “MBR” folder, copy all files to
the “Settings” folder
3. Run the “Update_Settings.cmd” script
4. Copy the configured package (INSTALLER folder) to the USB key
5. All other files can now be discarded, as the “INSTALLER” folder and the
“AutoUnattend.xml” files are only required for this software
2.2 Installing Windows 1. Connect the USB key to the target computer and start Windows installation
a. Use only RETAIL or MSDN media
b. Don’t use media that came with your computer as they may contains scripts
that will prevent this software from working correctly
2. Select to install Windows
3. If you are using a media with more than 1 operating system available, select the one you
want to install
4. Wait during the installation process
a. All data and partitions of the first drive will be deleted
b. Partitions will be automatically created
5. Proceed to the installation of all your software, drivers, updates, etc.
a. Never use the SYSPREP screen. It will prevent the use of this software.
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2.3 Installing the recovery tools When everything is working as expected, you can then install the recovery tools to create the
recovery partition
1. You should copy the installation folder on the hard drive in case something goes wrong
and file access is lost to the USB drive
2. If copying the tools from a CD, remove the “read-only” attributes of the files on the
computer
3. You should create a full backup of the computer, using Ghost or similar software, prior
creating the recovery partition. If something goes wrong, you will be able to recover
your base installation without having to do it again
4. Launch the “Install” script and wait for the SYSPREP and capture process
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2.4 Step by step installation This section will show you how to install the recovery tools under Windows 8. For this scenario,
we will be using the package that creates the recovery image on the last partition, on a
MBR/BIOS computer. The process is similar for Windows 7 or other package version of Windows
8.
Step Description Image
1 Unzip the software package on a computer and select which version of the package you want to use. In this case, we will be using the “WIM – Last partition” version.
2 Open the “Autounattend” folder.
3 Select the configuration that suits you
need. In this scenario, we will be using the “MBR” package for BIOS computer.
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4 Copy the “Autounattend.xml” file to the root of the USB drive you will be using for the installation. You will need a USB drive even if you are using a DVD media to install Windows.
5 Now, open the “Windows 8 Recovery
tools” folder.
6 Go to the “Settings – Examples” folder and
then into the “MBR” or “GPT” folder. You must use the same folder as in step 3!
7 Select all the files and copy them to the
“Settings folder”.
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8 Now, execute the “Update_Settings” script.
9 You should see this if everything went
correctly. If it is now the case, STOP NOW! In case of errors, check for “Read Only” attributes on the files.
10 Copy the “Installer” folder to the same USB
key on which you copied the “AutoUnattend.xml” file. Your drive should look like that.
13
11 Connect the USB drive to the target computer and boot the Windows 8 installation media. The USB drive must be connected prior entering the setup screen. Select your locale settings and click “Next”.
12 Select your Windows version and click
“Next”.
13 Wait while taking a beer or a coffee.
14 If everything went correctly, Windows 8
should boot to this screen. As you can see, regular “Metro” apps are not present and you are logged-in with the “Administrator” account. Now, click on the “Desktop” tile.
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15 Close this window. ALWAYS close this window.
Do NOT PRESS OK ON THIS WINDOW! Don’t touch it. Ever!
16 From your USB drive, copy the “Installer”
folder on your desktop. Install all your apps, drivers, updates, etc. Continue to next step when ready.
17 Launch the “Install” script.
18 Wait during the creation of the recovery
partition.
19 This will takes some time. Please be
patient.
15
20 Computer will reboot to capture the Windows installation.
21 Capture in progress…
22 Capture done. Go to next step to test
everything.
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3 Testing scenario Now that everything is installed, you must test everything. You don’t want to give something not
correctly working to your customers, don’t you?
Here are some tests that should be performed before giving the computer to the customer.
3.1 Windows 7 Boot the computer and complete OOBE process. Then test the following:
Entering Recovery Environment by using the Recovery Tools inside Windows
Entering Recovery Environment by using the F7 key
Reinstalling Windows from the Recovery Environment
o Retest previous component to be sure they still works
Creating a recovery media and recovering Windows from it
o Retest previous component to be sure they still works
Test the “FullRestore.cmd” script
o Retest previous component to be sure they still works
If all test are OK, restore the computer one last time by using the “FullRestore.cmd”
script and give the computer to the customer
3.2 Windows 8 Boot the computer and complete OOBE process. Then test the following:
Entering Recovery Environment by using the Recovery Tools inside Windows
Reinstalling Windows from the Recovery Environment (Reset and Refresh)
o Retest previous component to be sure they still works
Creating a recovery media and recovering Windows from it (Reset only)
o Retest previous component to be sure they still works
If all test are OK, restore the computer one last time by using the “Reset” option or the
recovery media and give the computer to the customer
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4 Upgrading Starting at version 1.3.6, an update script is available to upgrade the recovery tools to the latest
version.
The local recovery tools, the one in the recovery image and tools of the recovery environment
will be upgraded.
You should make a new recovery media after upgrading; otherwise using a previous recovery
media will roll-back the changes made.
4.1 Windows 8 – WIM on the last partition You can’t upgrade the recovery tools if you deleted the recovery image from the last partition.
The process will fail.
5 Settings file explanation This software requires lots of settings files to work correctly. You must be very careful if you do
any modification to them.
5.1 Windows 7 ResetPartitions.txt
o This is the script used by the recovery media (USB) to repartition the hard disk
o It must match the settings of the SettingsRE.txt and AutoUnattend.Xml file
Settings.ini
o This is the file that include all language strings for the recovery tools
SettingsRE.txt
o This is the file used by CMD script to load the partitions, format them, etc.
o It must match the settings of the ResetPartitions.txt and AutoUnattend.Xml file
o WINLOAD parameter
Must be equal to “Winload.efi” on UEFI computer
Must be equal to “Winload.exe” on BIOS computer
o BOOTFS parameter
Must be equal to “FAT32” on UEFI computer
Must be equal to “NTFS” on BIOS computer
Sysprep.xml
o File used to prepare Windows for capture
o Used to keep drivers and not delete them
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5.2 Windows 8 ResetPartitions.txt
o This is the script used by the recovery media (USB) to repartition the hard disk
o It must match the settings of the SettingsRE.txt, ResetConfig.xml and
AutoUnattend.Xml file
o Must NOT include “Select Disk” or “Clean” commands
ResetConfig.xml
o Used to tell recovery image location (partition number, etc.) in the recovery
environment
o Used to tell the name of the “ResetPartitions.txt” file
o It must match the settings of the SettingsRE.txt, ResetPartitions.txt and
AutoUnattend.Xml file
Settings.ini
o This is the file that include all language strings for the recovery tools
SettingsRE.txt
o This is the file used by CMD script to load the partitions, format them, etc.
o It must match the settings of the ResetPartitions.txt, ResetConfig.xml and
AutoUnattend.Xml file
o WINLOAD parameter
Must be equal to “Winload.efi” on UEFI computer
Must be equal to “Winload.exe” on BIOS computer
o BOOTFS parameter
Must be equal to “FAT32” on UEFI computer
Must be equal to “NTFS” on BIOS computer
Sysprep.xml
o File used to prepare Windows for capture
o Used to keep drivers and not delete them
WinRE.xml
o Used to rename the DoubleCommander file browser to “Off-Line file browser”
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6 Splash Image (Logo) Starting in version 1.3.10, there is now a splash image for the recovery tools inside Windows.
This splash image does not apply to the recovery tools when booting on the recovery media or
the recovery partition.
The image must be placed in the following folder for Windows 7
“Windows 7 Recovery Tools\Installer\Files\Windows\System32\RecoveryTools”
The image must be placed in the following folder for Windows 8
“Windows 8 Recovery Tools\Installer\Files\Windows\System32\RecoveryTools”
Once the file copied, you must edit “Settings.ini” file to enable it and change the following
parameters:
Parameter Description Default Value
LogoFile Filename of the logo. Must be JPG or BMP.
Logo.jpg
LogoWidth Width of the logo 400
LogoHeight Height of the logo 200
LogoTime Time, in seconds, to display the logo.
0
7 Translation All the language strings are saved in the “Settings.ini” file. Windows will automatically detect the
current language and tries to load it from the file. If the current language is absent the software
will rollback to English as the default language.
When booting on the recovery media for Windows 7, the end-user will have to select the
language he wants to use.
Starting in 1.3.10, you can use a semi-colon (“;”) as a carriage return to split a line on multiple
lines.
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8 Frequently asked questions
1. My computer crash after the image capture
a. Can be due to a driver error. Try to isolate the driver in question and install it
using SetupComplete/FirstLogon script
b. Be sure to have the computer unplugged from the network while installing the
recovery tools
c. Disable your anti-virus when installing the recovery tools
2. Can I upgrade my recovery image?
a. Windows 7: No
b. Windows 8: Not exactly. You can create a custom recovery point using the
recovery tools
3. In your previous software (Legacy – 2.1.1), there was an option to create DVD recovery
media. Will you give this option back in a future release?
a. No, since Windows 8 will brings users to buy tablets or hybrid computer that
don’t have any DVD drive in them
4. I already have a working installation of Windows. Can I use your tools to create a
recovery partition now?
a. No. You can only create a recovery image and partition during a fresh
installation of Windows 7 or 8.
b. Under Windows 8, you can always create a custom “Refresh” image of your
computer by using the RECIMG command line tool.
i. This application may also help you in this situation
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9 Technical support Technical support is provided free of charge on the “My Digital Life” forums.
Update to this software can be found on my personal web page.
10 Change log 1.3.15
o Added : UEFI support under Windows 8 32bits (still not supported under
Windows 7 32bits)
1.3.14
o Added : Italian under Windows 7 Recovery Tools
o Added : New version for Windows 8 where recovery image is on the last
partition of the computer, allowing the user to delete it after the creation of a
recovery USB key
o Updated : Instruction manual
1.3.13
o Modification to capture and reinstallation script to prevent “phantom”
recovery drive under Windows
o Added : Full system recovery option in Recovery Environment under Windows
7
o Added : Access to basic repair tools in Recovery Environment under Windows 7
1.3.12
o Windows 8: Now using a FirstLogon script since SetupComplete was not
working with OEM key. The script is configured to run by using the Sysprep.xml
file.
o Minor translation error in English fixed
1.3.11
o Fixed bug with the path of the splash screen image
o Fixed bug in Windows 7 recovery. Not more variable errors.
1.3.10
o Added line-splitting in settings.ini. See translation section
o Added auto-reboot at the end of the recovery process for Windows 7
o Added support for splash image under Windows (not recovery media)
1.3.9
o Added : Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic in Windows 7 tools
o Added : Hebrew in Windows 8 tools
o Modified recovery media creator script under Windows 7 to make the boot
drive “Active”.
1.3.8
o Fixed a bug in the “Update” script relating to SetupComplete script
22
Updates from 1.3.X to 1.3.7 will lose the ability to rename the off-line
file browser in Windows 8
Updates from 1.3.X to 1.3.7 will lose the ability to dismount
automatically the recovery partition in Windows 7 / 8
Clean install of 1.3.7 will not have the problem
Updating to 1.3.8 should fix that
1.3.7
o Added a script (both in Windows 7 and Windows 8) to dismount the recovery
partition from Windows at the end of OOBE
1.3.6
o Added update tools for Windows 7 and 8
You can upgrade from 1.2.0 and 1.3.X
You must recreate the recovery media after upgrade
You must configure the settings file to match your configuration
1.3.5
o Removed ImageX from the package, as required by Microsoft© EULA
o New set of icons for the menus, which are not made by Microsoft©
1.3.4
o Fixed a bug with the “SetupComplete.Cmd” script under Windows 8 to identify
the File Browser
o Updated the file browser to latest version
o Added instruction guide (this guide)
1.3.3
o Fixed Windows 8 recovery media. No more error about missing partitions
1.3.2
o Modified installation script so Recovery partition is now hidden in Windows 7
1.3.1
o Added some checkups (Winre.Wim file exist, etc.)
1.3.0
o Initial release of this version which include Windows 8 support
11 Credits and thanks
Thanks to the “My Digital Life” forums community. Without you guys, this software won’t have
been made possible.
Also, thanks to my entire beta tester.
23
12 Licensing All scripts, either the one made for command line (CMD) or in AutoIT, where made by
me, Anarethos. These files can be freely distributed and modified. Just give me credits.
The file browser (DoubleCommander) included with this software is a SourceForge
project and more info can be found by clicking here.
The Hard Drive icon used in the software was found on Internet. Source unknown. If you
are the owner of this icon, please contact me (support forum) so I may remove it from
this software or gives you credits for your works.
Icons used in this software seem to be licensed for redistribution. The icons package is
under the “Source” folder.
If you are a computer manufacturer/store/seller, you can use my tool without any
compensation (free laptop may be cool though!). But, I would really appreciate if you
can send me a message telling me that you are using my software. Also, please give me
credits on your web site or instruction manual.
