At least one Windows system rescue disc should be available to every Windows user. Further, a Windows PE-Based Recovery disc is a simple Windows system rescue disc with more features. The recovery environment usually comes with a number of useful tools that you can use to repair Windows or at the very least diagnose the problem.
A Linux environment is used in many Windows rescue discs. Recovery discs that use the Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) instead are available. A Windows PE rescue disc provides a familiar working environment, excellent hardware support, and the software necessary to repair your system.
What is Windows PE?
The Windows PE operating system is a stripped-down version of the Windows 10 operating system. Windows PE can be used to install, test, and repair a full Windows 10 installation. A Windows PE recovery disc will work with all versions of Windows 10, including Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise.
All Windows applications, drivers, networking tools, disk partitioning and management, Computer Management tools, Hyper-V, and much more are supported by the base Windows PE version.
The Windows PE-based recovery discs take this a step further by including a slew of free and open-source tools for recovering, restoring, and analyzing your broken Windows 10 installation.
While Windows PE is a fully functional version of Windows 10, it is not suitable for everyday use. With an automatic restart after 72 hours of continuous use, Microsoft prevents the use of Windows PE as a regular operating system.
“This period is not configurable,” says the website. Any work or programs saved in a Windows PE recovery environment are permanently lost when it is reset.
5 Bootable Windows PE-Based Recovery Discs
At the time of writing, there are no Windows 11 PE rescue drives available. However, it won’t be long before some of the recovery discs listed below are updated for the new operating system.
1. Hiren’s BootCD PE
The Hiren’s BootCD is a well-known Windows recovery disc. It’s a multi-tool bootable rescue disc that can help you recover from drive failures, malware, password recovery, account management, and more.
The original Hiren’s BootCD was a Linux-based operating system. However, in 2012, it stopped receiving updates.
Hiren’s BootCD, on the other hand, was resurrected in 2018 as a Windows PE rescue disc. It includes a plethora of open source and free recovery tools, all while remaining in the familiar Windows 10 environment. The complete list of tools can be found here.
2. Bob.Omb’s Modified Win10PEx64
A modified Windows Preinstallation Environment is Bob.Omb’s Modified Win10PEx64 rescue disc. Malwarebytes Antimalware, EaseUS Data Recovery, FileZilla, Rufus, and others are among the recovery and analysis tools available.
Bob.Omb’s Windows 10 PE rescue disc includes several ransomware decryptors, unlike some other Windows 10 PE rescue discs.
The ransomware decryptors can scan your computer for ransomware, remove it, and restore your files that have been encrypted.
However, they only work with specific ransomware types, so don’t try to use them on any old ransomware—you might worsen the infection or increase the ransom.
3. Kyhi’s Recovery Drive
Kyhi’s Recovery Drive is a custom Windows 10 PE environment that also goes by the name Windows 10 Recovery Tools—Bootable PE Rescue Disk. Kyhi, a TenForum user, has created a Windows 10 PE environment with system restore and recovery tools in this case.
The tools on Kyhi’s recovery drive include malware removal, disk partitioning and repair, administration tools, VNC tools, backup and recovery, and much more.
Kyhi, the developer, has ceased issuing pre-made recovery disc ISOs. However, you can download the original 2017 release from the link below.
4. Gandalf’s Windows 10PE x64
“Gandalf’s Windows 10PE x64 Redstone 5 Build 17763 Version 04-30-2019” is the official build name. Hundreds of tools are included on Gandalf’s Windows 10PE recovery disc to help you save your system in a pinch.
Gandalf’s Windows PE-based recovery disc has around 200 tools, which is the most of any Windows PE-based recovery disc.
Disk recovery tools, network analysis apps, hardware and software diagnostic tools, backup programs, malware and firewall apps, and other programs are among them.
Gandalf’s recovery disc is also updated every few months, ensuring that most of the recovery apps and tools are up to date.
5. Sergei Streclec’s WinPE
WinPE is a Russian-developed Windows PE-based rescue disc created by Sergei Streclec. WinPE comes with a good selection of recovery tools, network analysis software, backup utilities, archive utilities, password managers, and other utilities.
The organization in Sergei Streclec’s WinPE is a nice touch. All of the tools are organized into useful categories, so you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for quickly.
How to Create a Bootable Windows Recovery Disc
The name of the recovery disc is a little misleading. Recovery discs used to be nothing more than bootable LiveCDs. Most Windows recovery discs can now be booted from a USB flash drive. All of the Windows recovery discs on this list, for example, can be booted from a USB flash drive.
Take a look at the list of ten bootable USB tools below. Rufus is my go-to tool. Follow the in-tool instructions to burn the ISO to your USB flash drive once you’ve downloaded the tool.
Shut down the computer, insert the USB flash drive, and boot your system from the USB drive when you want to use your Windows PE-based recovery disc.
The Bottomline
The best Windows rescue disc, as always, is the one that includes the tool that will solve your problem. The recovery and analysis tools on the Windows PE-based recovery discs are similar. Download the appropriate recovery disc if you require a specific tool.
Most of the time, having a Windows PE-based recovery disc copied to a USB flash drive is preferable. That way, if an issue arises, you’ll be prepared to fight. You don’t have to stick to just one.
Well, these were the best Windows PE-Based Recovery Discs. We hope this guide helps you to save your system whenever you get in trouble. If you liked this, don’t forget to check out our best lists, explainers, and how-to guides. Furthermore, if you have any questions or suggestions, please use the comment below to contact us.
