Creating a bootable flash drive in Paragon Hard Disk Manager

Today, boot drives with useful software have ceased to be the privilege of only system administrators. Flash drives or disks with OSes, as well as other software from the "must have" range, are very helpful in case of sudden problems with the system's performance. A modern user always has removable bootable media in his arsenal, in order to apply the necessary tool if necessary (for example, for the purpose of treatment or OS installation). So, using a bootable flash drive, you can perform various operations, including even before the operating system starts. The scope of application of media recorded in this mode is quite wide. Among the main features are the installation of operating systems, diagnostic work without starting the OS, the use of special software (for structuring hard disk partitions, backup and other actions).

The procedure for creating a bootable flash drive in Paragon Hard Disk Manager.

Regardless of the purpose of use, you can create a bootable environment (on a USB drive or in an ISO image) in various ways and means; you do not need to be an advanced user, but rather have basic computer and software skills. One of the best options among the tools that allow you to write the drive in this format - Paragon Hard Disk Manager. This is a whole complex of utilities for performing work with a hard disk of various nature. With Paragon Hard Disk Manager functions of segmentation and optimization of HDD, backup, recovery, movement, data mashing, virtualization and other features will be available to you. Among the numerous tools in the package there is a new Wizard for creating a rescue disk 3.0, with which you can create a bootable drive based on WinPE / Linux / DOS. This will allow servicing and restoring the device when the main OS cannot boot due to damages or its launch is impossible for other reasons. The advantages of using Paragon Hard Disk Manager are many, and among the main advantages is the convenience of working with the toolkit, which is realized through a simple and intuitive interface, so it is not difficult to master the program even to a user without skills.

Create a bootable USB flash drive

Consider how to use the tool to create a drive with a bootable environment. First you need to perform preparatory work. All that in our case will require a bootable USB flash drive to be created is Paragon Hard Disk Manager 15 (or another version) and the drive itself of the required size, from which we will make the boot drive. The volume of the flash drive should accommodate the recorded data, so you need to take care to ensure that it is enough for your purposes. For example, if we are talking about recording a Windows 8 or 10 distribution, then a 4 GB flash drive is not enough, you will need a device of at least 8 GB. In addition, in the process of creating a bootable drive, it is supposed to format it, as a result, files from a USB device will be lost, so that the available information should be copied in advance. When everything is ready, let's start the process of creating a bootable USB-drive via Paragon Hard Disk Manager software. The procedure may vary depending on the availability of WAIK / ADK tools (Microsoft tools for deploying Windows, creating images). Their use is preferable when creating a bootable flash drive.

Running RMB 3.0

The procedure is slightly different with Recovery Media Builder 3.0. The rescue disk creation wizard (RMB 3.0) needs to be launched from the Paragon Hard Disk Manager menu, after which it is supposed to select the type of bootable media, for this we perform the following actions:

  • We connect the USB-drive, which we will do the boot.
  • We launch Paragon Hard Disk Manager and go to the “Home” tab, where we select “Rescue Disk Creation Wizard”.
  • The tool start page assumes the choice of mode (for advanced users or using ADK / WAIK). In the first case, it is possible to change the settings of the network, network folders and drivers, in the second case, the WIM image of the current OS will be used in the process of creating an environment based on Windows PE. If you are not an advanced user, it is recommended to check the box next to the second option “Use ADK / WAIK” (the first item for advanced users should not be checked), and then click the “Next” button.

Choosing a platform and drive format

  • Now you should select the media platform (Windows PE or Linux), as well as when choosing Linux and the interface of the internal software EFI or BIOS. In the first case, choosing WinPE, we will get almost complete functionality and interface of the Windows operating system, in the second case - Linux / DOS environment to use it as a system for loading the device into Linux / PTS-DOS (for the purpose of maintenance and recovery). The PTS-DOS safe mode can be resorted to for some difficulties (for example, a hardware conflict or more significant hardware problems), then only the main files and device drivers will be downloaded. Having decided on the choice, click "Next".
  • The next window assumes the choice of the format of the rescue media (ISO image - you need to specify its location, or an external USB device - specify the connected or select from the list if there are several), mark the option you want and click "Next".
  • After the above steps, a window will appear with a warning about formatting the USB device with the destruction of data on it. We confirm the intention by pressing the appropriate button.

ADK / WAIK installation

  • On the next page, you must specify the path to install ADK / WAIK. The address must be entered in the string, provided that the licensed Windows OS is used. As a rule, the item is located in the Windows Kits folder of the Program Files directory. If so, then press the “Next” button, which will lead to the final stage of the procedure (in this case, we will skip the next two instructions).
  • When a component is not in the system, you need to download it. To do this, click "Download WAIK / ADK", after which the default browser will be launched, the download page for the official Microsoft resource package will open. Here in the list of software, we are looking for a suitable component of the operating system, download and save it on the hard disk in ISO format.
  • After downloading the ISO file, we launch it using the utility for working with virtual disks on the device, we perform the necessary installation steps, following the prompts of the Installation Wizard.

The final stage of creating a bootable USB-drive

So, if the ADK / WAIK is in the system, and the location address is already registered, then simply continue the procedure by pressing the “Next” button, after which the process of creating a bootable USB flash drive will begin. If the component was not there, and you downloaded it from the Microsoft website and installed it, then go back to the Emergency Media Wizard page and perform the following actions:

  • Specify the location of the object by clicking the "Browse" button. It is supposed to open the explorer and select the necessary folder where the ADK / WAIK was installed. Usually located at C: \ Program Files \ Windows Kits. Select the component location directory and click “OK”. Now the address field on the page for specifying the location of the ADK / WAIK will be filled in, after which you can click the Next button.
  • If there are no problems during the operation, after completing the procedure, the Wizard will notify you about the successful creation of the bootable media, and then close the program by clicking the "Finish" button. The flash drive is ready for use.

USB boot

Now it remains only to check your work by booting from the created rescue media in WinPE / Linux. You must first set the startup parameters from the removable drive in the system boot parameters. Perform the following steps:

  • We connect the bootable USB flash drive to the computer and reboot the device.
  • Without waiting for the OS to load, press the F8 key (or another one that corresponds to the launch of the Boot Menu).
  • In the boot menu, select + Removable Devices to perform the boot from the USB flash drive.

These actions are not always enough and you may need to refer to the BIOS / uEFI settings for booting from the connected media:

  • We reboot the device and before starting the system we press the key necessary to enter the BIOS (As a rule, it is F12 or Del, but it can be different, in any case, this information can be seen on the screen).
  • Go to the BIOS Setup and find the section responsible for the boot priority. The location of the option depends on the utility version and can be found in the Boot, Boot Options, etc., sometimes you can get to these settings through the main menu Advanced Options, Advanced BIOS Features, etc.
  • We change the order of loading devices (install the flash drive as 1st Drive, save the settings and exit the utility interface.
  • Now, after rebooting, we start from the USB device in the environment we created.

The process of creating a bootable drive in Paragon Hard Disk Manager 15 is not complicated. The software interface is convenient and intuitive, so even an inexperienced user will be able to cope with the task.