Solved Can BIOS bootable recovery CDs be made to work with UEFI

I have recovery tools that have bootable CDs based upon WinPE but they do not work in a UEFI environment. Is it possible to modify the boot details on the CD (or USB) such that it will then boot? I don't want to fiddle with the PC settings to enable legacy mode or anything like that as this causes me other problems.

If possible there is one other issue that would prevent them working. If the CD is based upon the 32bit WinPE then this will not boot in UEFI on 64bit hardware and vice versa. However I have UEFI in both 32 and 64 bit in my VMWare for testing.

Thanks

x86 UEFI is only supported by ATOM processors

create your PE media on usb

KYHI said:

x86 UEFI is only supported by ATOM processors

Click to expand...

Interesting, but it also works in VMWare

KYHI said:

create your PE media on usb

Click to expand...

I should have mentioned that I have tried this but it also fails to boot in UEFI.

x86 WinPE will boot - x86 legacy and Uefi - x64 legacy
x64 winpe will boot - x64 legacy and uefi

there are 3 files that are different between the PE's
Bootmgr.efi
Boot.wim
memtest.efi

Doesn't VMware run in a Host OS ??

KYHI said:

Doesn't VMware run in a Host OS ??

Click to expand...

Yes. In my case the host OS is Win 8.1 64bit on an Intel Core i7 3930K processor booting using UEFI.
Though my licence enables me to run it on a Linux host instead if I was so inclined.

KYHI said:

x86 WinPE will boot - x86 legacy and Uefi - x64 legacy
x64 winpe will boot - x64 legacy and uefi

there are 3 files that are different between the PE's
Bootmgr.efi
Boot.wim
memtest.efi

Click to expand...

I have rescue discs for Symantec System Restore created on both the 32 bit and 64 bit WinPE environments. And these boot their respective VMWare systems in UEFI correctly.
The particular software rescue disc I'm trying to get running in this case is Avast AntiVirus. Given I have a WinPE Rescue Disc (on USB) that was created on 64bit UEFI system and it boots on a legacy PC what do I need to do to make it boot in the UEFI PC? As I have both WinPE environments available I can easily copy files around as needed.

WinPE should boot both legacy and uefi - so I would have to assume it is how the Avast rescue disk was created and what boot files are present..

if you could post a pic of the files on the root of your avast rescue disk..

KYHI said:

if you could post a pic of the files on the root of your avast rescue disk..

Click to expand...

Not a pic but a dir listing


Volume in drive W is CD_ROM
Volume Serial Number is 4934-69B2

Directory of W:\

13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> BG-BG
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> BOOT
25/07/2012 08:44 PM 398,156 BOOTMGR
25/07/2012 08:39 PM 1,117,424 BOOTMGR.EFI
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> CS-CZ
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> DA-DK
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> DE-DE
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> EFI
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> EL-GR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> EN-GB
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> EN-US
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> ES-ES
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> ET-EE
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> FI-FI
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> FR-FR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> HR-HR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> HU-HU
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> IT-IT
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> JA-JP
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> KO-KR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> LT-LT
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> LV-LV
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> NB-NO
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> NL-NL
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> PL-PL
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> PT-BR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> PT-PT
13/05/2015 09:15 AM <DIR> RESCUE
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> RO-RO
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> RU-RU
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> SK-SK
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> SL-SI
13/05/2015 09:15 AM <DIR> SOURCES
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> SR-LATN-CS
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> SV-SE
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> TR-TR
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> UK-UA
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> ZH-CN
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> ZH-HK
13/05/2015 09:14 AM <DIR> ZH-TW
2 File(s) 1,515,580 bytes
38 Dir(s) 0 bytes free

KYHI said:

WinPE should boot both legacy and uefi

Click to expand...

On a side note. I have a utility called UltraISO to extract, modify, and rewrite ISO images. If I have a UEFI capable image and use UltraISO on it (to add some extra files) the new image is no longer UEFI capable but still legacy bootable.
I have NOT used this tool on the Avast images but I have put it forward as an example of what could go wrong.

winpex64 > https://www.dropbox.com/s/ecefpg38nrlkrng/WinPEx64.iso?dl=0
winpex86 > https://www.dropbox.com/s/oioo2limvavf1n2/WinPEx86.iso?dl=0

do not alter the PE ISO - copy the contents of the ISO to a New Folder and then copy the RESCUE and SOURCES folders from the rescue media into the New Folder.. Format a USB Fat32 and copy the contents of the New Folder to the formatted usb..

I assume the Sources folder contains a boot.wim and I assume the boot.wim calls the program in the Rescue folder..

I downloaded Avast Free and went through the WAIK download, but creating the Rescue Disk Failed.. I assume because it free edition..

Hello,
Sorry for the delay in getting back.
I tried it on the 64bit PE you supplied and it booted but bluescreened during startup. I suspect that the Avast disk was 32bit so copying that boot.wim onto the 64bitPE would be the cause of the problem.
When using the 32bitPE you supplied it booted and scanned correctly - on a 32bit UEFI system. There is still the 64bit configuration to sort out but that will probably be up to Avast to solve.

By the way, you can create the rescue disk with the free edition of avast, it just does a huge download of the necessary WinPE files before it will create the disk.

Thanks for your help anyway.