Did you buy a Paragon programme with WinPE?
Then make sure that you download it this month.
Paragon Germany sent a mail today, advising to (re-)download WinPE until 30.03.2012, because they are no longer allowed to distribute it.
Look into your spam folder to not miss this mail.
graylox
21.03.12
Anonymous
Unregistered
will Microsoft take it back as it say in the windows 7 EULA you can find it in WOW64 or system32 look for license it say MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS 5.c
Microsoft may
· repair the software, and remove, quarantine or disable any unauthorized changes that may interfere with the proper use of the software, including circumvention of the activation or validation functions of the software; or
· check and remove malicious or unauthorized software known to be related to such unauthorized changes; or so on >
ChrisS
Administrator
will Microsoft take it back
No. When you bought certain Paragon products you also bought a copy of WinPE. None of the Paragon products given away on GOTD include WinPE because they can't give WinPE away, it belongs to Microsoft, and Paragon pays Microsoft a fee for each WinPE license they sell.
Most likely Paragon and Microsoft couldn't agree a price so, at least for now, Paragon will no longer be able to sell WinPE. But, if you bought a Paragon product with WinPE included then it's yours to keep.
BenSando
Member
I also got that warning mail from Paragon 'cause I've bought a WinPE Utility not long ago.
But I'm not able to download a new standalone WinPE because the instructions in my mail was somewhat garbled/unclear.
I wrote Paragon but haven't received any answer - yet.
Does any of you have the instructions how to download the WinPE after you have logged in to your Paragon account ?
You may PM me with the instructions if you prefer :-)
.
ChrisS
Administrator
The Linux CD is suitable for the vast majority of people but the Linux boot CD is generic. If the Linux recovery disk that you create works correctly when tested then you don't require anything else. But, for some, the Linux recovery CD will not work (and you'd better find that out before you actually need it). WinPE has broader driver and hardware support and it also allows you to add specific drivers for your system. Additionally, the Linux recovery CD will only run the specific program it was built for; with WinPE you can add other applications, such as your favorite diagnostics, to the CD.
If the Linux recovery disk works when tested then you don't need WinPE. If the Linux recovery disk doesn't work, or you like tinkering with your PC's innards, then you need WinPE.
mikiem2
Moderator
WinPE has broader driver and hardware support and it also allows you to add specific drivers for your system. Additionally, the Linux recovery CD will only run the specific program it was built for; with WinPE you can add other applications, such as your favorite diagnostics, to the CD.
With a generic WinPE disc/USB stick I think you're absolutely right, Chris, but the Paragon version as-is is just like their *nix-based image -- most folks will just run it for the Paragon software.
If the Linux recovery disk doesn't work, or you like tinkering with your PC's innards, then you need WinPE.
Purely FWIW, they've got some *really interesting* projects over at reboot.pro, some with a WinPE wim, some without, that to me anyway make the plain Jane WinPE versions kinda meh. There are also some pretty nice driver packs for most hardware. Win8's Windows to go might be interesting too, where you package your Windows on a portable device. Now that manufacturers are switching to efi bios, might not need boot discs/stick as often, or maybe not at all -- the board I just installed can boot & run a version of *nix right from the bios. Might see some interesting things from the *nix world as well now that nix & Android have merged.
mikiem2
Moderator
"WinPE Utility why do you like it as the one I got from GOTD work good run on Linux on need to run dos that the old Linux 1995 it's now 2012 "
With apologies in advance for being long winded, here's what I think is important about Paragon's WinPE, along with my experiences, hoping that they'll help someone(s) decide for themselves whether or not having that WinPE disc/USB stick matters.
1st the basics or background...
The basic Microsoft WinPE itself is pretty much meh for the average user -- it maybe has more possibilities/uses in corp. IT, but for servicing, repair etc. there are much better options, some based off the plain vanilla WinPE, at sites like reboot.pro [Wondershare also has an interesting WinPE product some might want to check out]. In a nutshell, win7 setup discs include a wim image [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Imaging_Format ], which is basically a condensed, mini version of Windows 7 that will work on most PC/laptop hardware, WinPE uses a similar wim image, & MS has all sorts of tools to update, maintain, & customize wim images for setup or WinPE. The reason I give it a so-so rating is that a basic, unmodified WinPE doesn't include any tools/apps to do anything -- it's like freshly installed Windows before you start adding your software -- & it's an awful lot of work [not to mention learning] to create a custom WinPE. At reboot.pro in contrast you can find several projects where you simply follow the easy instructions to create your own bootable disc or USB stick, including several tools [that you can't get from Microsoft] so you can actually do something once you boot into the mini-OS. The reason you build your own is that MS for the most part doesn't like or want other people &/or companies distributing their stuff.
Now RE: Paragon's bootable disc/USB stick images...
For most purposes Paragon's *nix based solutions, the one's they put on GOTD, are fine & have improved a LOT, IMO, since earlier versions. Paragon's apps also run portably for the most part -- you don't have drivers installed for mounting backup archives... I usually use Universal Extractor on the .msi file used for setup, then copy the 3 files in the system folder you'll get in the expanded files into the program folder [where you find launcher.exe], & done. So rather than a start disc or USB stick that only has Paragon stuff on it, you can use something like LiveXP from reboot.pro [smaller, working on more systems than WinPE versions], & run whatever Paragon apps portably. Note that some of their projects [reboot.pro] have the option to include some Paragon apps in the image. Note too that you can create a boot disc/USB stick with a boot menu [e.g. using GRUB], including Paragon *nix setups as one of however many options. To me it's better, easier to use & keep track of fewer bootable discs/USB sticks that each do more than one thing. Paragon's WinPE images do include P2P however, which their *.nix-based stuff doesn't -- P2P means adapting Windows installed on one PC/laptop to boot on another PC/laptop with different hardware.
Paragon's P2P tech -- is it worth it?...
Windows is always better off being installed fresh on different hardware -- it's difficult, time consuming, a bit tedious, & may not be possible to completely remove all traces of old hardware drivers, including files & related registry entries. The flip side of the coin is that you can say the same things [difficult, time consuming etc.] about re-installing all your software. When you copy/move your Windows install to different hardware, new drivers have to be installed so Windows will talk to & work with that hardware -- something Windows itself can handle fairly well, **IF** Windows knows that it needs to install new drivers. In that respect Windows 8 is pretty smart, XP is pretty dumb, & as you'd expect, Windows 7 is in between -- in fact with win8 you likely won't need anything like Paragon's P2P at all. When you start a copy of Windows on different hardware, what happens is Windows starts to load drivers so it can run, & then once it's running it can detect new hardware. If one or more of those drivers is incompatible, you get a blue screen crash long before Windows can tell there's new hardware. The solution is to stop Windows from trying to load those drivers. Paragon's P2P app loads the registry & deletes entries starting those drivers -- there are apps that let you edit Windows' registry when Windows isn't running, so you can do the same manually -- you can try to get into Safe Mode & remove drivers in Device Mgr. -- you can try uninstalling those drivers in Safe Mode & not restarting while Windows is on the original hardware -- you can try a Windows Repair Install, basically setting up hardware fresh while keeping all your installed software -- &/or you can punt, & just see if Windows will run.
If the new & old hardware are similar enough that it'll start, the Punt approach can be best -- you just have to go through, updating &/or adding drivers as necessary once you've got Windows running. If you try a [win7 or earlier] Repair Install, assuming it works, it takes a bit longer & you still should go through updating drivers afterwards. If/when uninstalling drivers in Safe Mode works, it has the advantage of removing some of the old drivers & some of their registry entries -- updating drivers once your copy of Windows is running on your new hardware still applies. Paragon's WinPE based solution stops most all drivers from starting, is very fast, & if you want to take the time, you can add drivers too. If/when you're reusing some hardware, say a soundcard, disabling most all drivers can mean some extra work. Because the drivers & their setup info are still present, Windows can also re-install the old drivers the Paragon app just turned off. Updating/installing new drivers can become a Huge hassle.
I just migrated my triple boot setup [XP Pro SP3 32, win7 ult 64 SP1, win8 prev.] from a AMD board/CPU to Intel using Paragon's software... If I had stuck with AMD I wouldn't have needed Paragon's app -- my current XP & win7 installs have been through 3 boards & 2 CPUs without a whimper. This time I had to do XP twice, restoring a Paragon partition image backup, since once it started, adding the correct drivers killed it. Win7 was also a problem, insisting on using one of the old AMD board drivers -- it even downloaded & installed the same driver once I *thought* I'd removed all traces of it from Windows! It took me a while to figure out why the drivers for the on-board graphics [for Virtu] weren't installing/working properly, & then trying to get it to use the Intel motherboard driver eventually killed win7, so I had to restore a backup & start over, having the same problem the 2nd time around -- the only difference was that this time Windows survived. Because I was running an AMD board + a AMD/ATI graphics card I was re-using, I anticipated problems [installed together they share some stuff] -- I used a driver cleaning app I got from the graphics card company beforehand etc. Win7 went as planned, but I spent a Loooong day getting the AMD/ATI graphics drivers working in XP Pro -- after scrubbing the registry for hours [I had a lot of ATI TV Tuner related software] it turned out I had to uninstall all the AMD &/or ATI .NET stuff in the Windows\assembly folder.
Was it worth it, migrating vs. fresh installs? With XP probably, but only because it's been up & running for years & it would take me longer digging up all the setup files & serial numbers for some of the older installed software. With win7 it's too soon for me to say objectively, plus I don't know yet how many apps will have to be re-registered [I just put the side back on the case last night]. Bear in mind that migrating rather than installing Windows, in most cases I think you need to be Very comfortable updating drivers in Device Mgr. -- Windows doesn't know what hardware you actually have installed, but goes by the name included in whatever driver, & that means that often a driver's setup file will not work, nor will auto update. That can also mean copying the actual driver files from the temp folder while a driver's setup program is running, &/or using other tools to expand a driver setup program.
Through it all BTW win8 was a champ! Paragon's software didn't see it so it couldn't change anything, but that didn't matter -- win8 just started on the new hardware! Since I had on-board graphics etc. I initially left all my cards out to keep things simple. As I added them to the new board win8 handled them equally in stride. I picked up a small SSD over the weekend to use as a video workspace drive, & switching the board over to ahci was the only thing I found that gave win8 problems -- I'd been so impressed with the way it handled everything else I was curious what would happen, so I didn't switch to the ahci driver beforehand or anything. :) And even then it was terribly polite as it crashed & restarted...
Robert
StrayCat
Thanks for this mighty fine explanation, and the links.
The Paragon BuildPE only launches the Paragon product.It would be nice if the program could be minimized and people could use more bare Windows access options.
The good news is that,as from the 30th of March, Paragon will provide us with an alternative tool to create a WinPE boot media :Paragon’s Online WinPE Builder.
Talking about WinPE ,I was pleasantly surprised using an O&O DiskImage6 BuildPE .
Apart from DiskImage 6 Professional with all its bells and whistles, it contains a file explorer/copier, a browser, a regeditor,a notepad …and a tool to use system restore(XP only, but well worth it when disaster strikes and you can’t even boot into XP safe mode).
Did work very well on a multi-boot machine with XP/Vista/7 on it.
The downside is you have to download Waik for Windows 7 …but you get a pretty straightforward explanation on how to build this O&ODiskImage 6 BuildPE
-and you don’t have to figure out on how to create a custom made WinPE ,although it should be fun creating one. :)
These are the new terms for the use of WinPE with Paragon products.
Paragon’s Online WinPE Builder
Our Online WinPE Builder is a new service that allows you to customize your WinPE recovery media, creating one handy recovery CD that contains all of your essential storage controller and network adapter drivers.The Challenge
With new hardware devices steadily streaming into the market - each with a different driver, it can be a daunting task to keep track of different drivers, operating system requirements and recovery media.
The Solution
If you currently own one or more Paragon products for which the Online WinPE Builder Service is available, you now have the option to create a customized Paragon WinPE-based Recovery Medium.
With this customized WinPE-based Recovery Medium you no longer need to manually load storage controller or network adapter drivers during the boot process, because the Online WinPE Builder injects your drivers directly into the Paragon WinPE-based Recovery Medium of the selected Paragon product.Why Online WinPE Builder
Builds custom WinPE images with additional drivers for your specific hardware
No installation is required; the entire process is performed online after you provide the device drivers. After completion you will receive an email with the download link, or you can get the custom WinPE recovery CD image directly through your Paragon user account
The process typically takes about half an hour to complete, and can be performed in three simple steps
As always, Paragon’s Support Team is ready to help if you encounter any problems
Our online service is conveniently available 24/7How to buy Online WinPE Builder
Login to My Account and you will see the Online WinPE Builder Service as an optional add-on for the Corporate Editions of the current versions of the following Paragon Products:
Paragon Drive Backup - supported editions: Workstation, Small Business Server, Server
Paragon Backup & Recovery - supported edition: Suite
Paragon Hard Disk Manager - supported editions: Professional, Server
Paragon Partition Manager - supported editions: Professional, Server
Paragon Rescue Kit - supported edition: Professional
You can find this text when you log in to your account on
https://www.paragon-software.com
graylox
29.03.12
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