Bootable ISOs: Windows All-In-One Toolkit (WinPE)

Windows All-In-One Toolkit (WinPE)

Live Boot User-friendly GUI interface Powerful utils

Overview

 A lightweight Windows Preinstallation Environment that lets you boot a PC that won’t start, access internal drives, copy data, remove viruses, run diagnostics, unlock local accounts, reset passwords, launch repair utilities safely and much more.


Use Cases

Step-by-step guides for common tasks. Expand a scenario to view instructions.

💾 Data Recovery (Windows won’t boot)
  1. Boot from the Windows All-In-One Toolkit USB and wait for the WinPE desktop.
  2. Open Windows Explorer. You’ll typically see:
    • E:\ — your internal drive (the old C:\)
    • D:\ — the USB you booted from
  3. Browse E:\Users\YourName → Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Downloads, etc. Check any extra partitions (e.g., F:\, G:\).
  4. Select the folders/files you need → Copy → open D:\ or an external USB drive (e.g., H:\) → Paste.
⚠️ Note: The boot USB has limited space. For large recoveries, connect an additional external USB hard drive.
🛠️ Basic Startup Repair (Boot issues / Boot files)
  1. Boot from the Windows All-In-One Toolkit USB (WinPE) and wait for the desktop.
  2. Identify your Windows drive letter in WinPE.
    Open Command Prompt and run: notepad → File > Open → check which drive has the Windows folder (often E:\).
  3. Check the file system (optional but recommended).
    In Command Prompt: chkdsk E: /f (replace E: with your Windows drive).
  4. Try automatic boot repairs.
    If your toolkit includes a Startup Repair shortcut, run it and follow prompts. Otherwise, continue with manual steps below.
  5. Manual boot repair (BIOS/UEFI-agnostic):
    bootrec /scanos
    bootrec /rebuildbcd
    (Optional) bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot on legacy BIOS systems. On UEFI, /fixboot may return “Access is denied” — use the UEFI steps below.
  6. UEFI systems (rebuild EFI boot files):
    1. Open diskpart → list vol → find the small FAT32 EFI partition.
    2. select vol X (replace X) → assign letter=S → exit
    3. Recreate boot files: bcdboot E:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI
  7. Legacy BIOS systems:
    Recreate boot files onto the active System Reserved partition (often gets a letter in WinPE) or onto the OS drive if needed:
    bcdboot E:\Windows /f BIOS (Use /f ALL to cover both if unsure.)
  8. Reboot and test. Remove the USB, then boot from the internal drive. If it still fails, repeat and check for BitLocker, RAID, or disk errors.
Notes & Tips:
  • If you see “Access is denied” on bootrec /fixboot (UEFI), use the bcdboot steps with an assigned EFI letter.
  • For BitLocker-encrypted systems, unlock first: manage-bde -unlock E: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-48-DIGIT-KEY.
  • If Windows is on a NVMe/RAID volume, ensure the necessary storage drivers are loaded in WinPE.
🔑 Reset a Windows Local Account Password (NTPWEdit)

  1. Boot from the Windows All-In-One Toolkit USB (WinPE) and wait for the desktop.
  2. Unlock BitLocker (if the system drive is encrypted).
    Open Command Prompt (if needed) and run:
    manage-bde -unlock E: -RecoveryPassword YOUR-48-DIGIT-KEY
    Replace E: with the internal drive letter shown in WinPE.
  3. Launch NTPWEdit.
    From the Toolkit menu [Start Menu - Security - Passwords - NT Password Edit] (or run ntpwedit / run-ntpw if provided).
  4. Point NTPWEdit to the offline SAM database.
    In the “Path to SAM file” field, set:
    E:\Windows\System32\config\SAM
    (Use your actual Windows drive letter; in WinPE this is often E:\.)
  5. Click Open, select the local user account you need to access, and click Edit.
  6. Choose one:
    • Clear (set blank) – recommended, then set a new password after logging into Windows.
    • Change password – type a new password twice and click OK.
  7. Click Save changes in NTPWEdit, then Exit, remove the USB, and reboot into Windows.
Notes & Limitations:
  • Local accounts only. Microsoft (online) accounts aren’t true local users; resetting the cached password may not work. If you used a Microsoft account, consider setting a blank password here, then convert/create a local account in Windows.
  • BitLocker-encrypted drives must be unlocked in WinPE first (see Step 2) or the SAM will be inaccessible.
  • Domain accounts (work/school) must be handled by your domain admin; NTPWEdit targets the offline local SAM.
  • After login, set a new password and verify you can sign out/sign in successfully.
⚠️ Use responsibly: Perform password resets only on systems you own or are explicitly authorized to service.

Additional Resources

Preinstalled on the Following USBs

Drive letters can vary in WinPE. Your internal system drive is often E:\ and the boot USB is typically D:\.