IFW v4.00 asking for Name/Key on TBWinRE WIM for Reboot

[pimjoosten]

I should add that another difference between the two, is that "Create/Update TBWinRE WIM used for Reboot" doesn't have to target the installed WinRE. If the user has selected to use the IFW BootWIM build instead, then that build is the one that's checked and rebuilt as needed and whatever build (or not) exists in WinRE isn't changed.

Is this correct?
In the TBWinRE build process, select the IFW WinRE tab and select...

Use IFW BootWIM mode

Create TBWinRE WIM for use with Image for Windows (IFW BootWIM)

An IFW_BootWIM folder is created containing boot.wim

How do I use this file with IFW GUI to do an OS restore?

In my experience that happens automatically if you have selected Use IFW BootWIM mode in the Builder. I have always used IFW BootWIM mode since the introduction of restores from within IFW. The disadvantage of using WinRE instead of IFW BootWIM is that sometimes Windows Update changes winre.wim. That happened a few times last year when a security flaw was fixed in secure boot. When Window does that and one is using TBWinRE it makes those changes to TBWinRE. It then is impossible to go back to the most recent original WinRE, because the backup that the Bulder keeps is an older version without the changes that Windows Update made. I have tested a lot, but there appears to be no way to update the older winre.wim to the latest version. Even though Windows updates are cumulative, it does not test whether the current winre.wim should be updated if TBWinRE has already been updated before. To avoid this I always use IFW BootWIM mode.

I also added an extra boot item to the Windows boot menu for IFW BootWIM using easybcd (linking to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Image for Windows\tbwinre\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim"; note that I have changed the default path for IFW to Image for Windows), so that I can always boot directly into IFW BootWIM when starting the computer, similar to starting TBWinRE using the Windows recovery mode if I used TBWinRE.

[Brian K]

Thank you. My path is...

D:\My_files\TBWinRE_files\400re\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim

rather than...

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Image for Windows\tbwinre\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim"

so I suspect the IFW build might still happen in the Win RE partition. What do you think?

[pimjoosten]

Thank you. My path is...

D:\My_files\TBWinRE_files\400re\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim

rather than...

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Image for Windows\tbwinre\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim"

so I suspect the IFW build might still happen in the Win RE partition. What do you think?

You're welcome. I do not know what will happen. You have a separate folder for the TBWinRE files and I do not know how IFW handles that, as I have never done that myself. You might want to just try it and find out.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Regarding old v3 licenses.

TBWinPE.ini located in:
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\TeraByte Drive Image Backup and Restore Suite\tbwinre
has both V3 and V4 licenses. Should I remove the old V3 license? The BIUKey is also the old V3 one and BIBMKey is empty. There is also an empty Name and Key line.

[License]
Name=
Key=
BIBMName=
BIBMKey=
Name-V3=xxxxx xxxxx
Key-V3=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
BIUName=xxxxx xxxxx
BIUKey=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
Name-V4=xxxxx xxxxx
Key-V4=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

Some clarification would be appreciated.

You can remove the -V3 license entries if you want (you would just be prompted to enter them later if V3 was used again). For the BIU license, if you already updated that to the new license in Builder's settings it should be for the new version. The empty "Name" and "Key" entries were used for V2.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Thank you. My path is...

D:\My_files\TBWinRE_files\400re\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim

rather than...

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Image for Windows\tbwinre\IFW_BootWIM\boot.wim"

so I suspect the IFW build might still happen in the Win RE partition. What do you think?

The installed version's build is what gets used for the automated booting (e.g. "...IFW installation path\tbwinre\IFW_BootWIM"). The setting that controls whether IFW WinRE or IFW BootWIM is used is the setting in the installed Builder.

However, you can still use a "custom" IFW BootWIM build by booting to it directly from the command line. Basically, the IFW BootWIM build that gets booted depends on which TBWinPE.exe was run: the installed .exe will boot the installed version's IFW BootWIM, a custom build's .exe will boot the custom build's IFWBootWIM.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

I have always used IFW BootWIM mode since the introduction of restores from within IFW. The disadvantage of using WinRE instead of IFW BootWIM is that sometimes Windows Update changes winre.wim. That happened a few times last year when a security flaw was fixed in secure boot. When Window does that and one is using TBWinRE it makes those changes to TBWinRE. It then is impossible to go back to the most recent original WinRE, because the backup that the Bulder keeps is an older version without the changes that Windows Update made.

If I'm understanding you, the current backup (winre.wim) is the new updated version and the old (previous) winre.wim is now a winre_x64_10.0.xxxxx_xxxx.x.wim file. The current version has the Windows updates applied and contains TBWinRE. The old version doesn't have the updates applied and may or may not contain TBWinRE (depending on state when created). I'm assuming by "original WinRE" you mean WinRE without TBWinRE because you could switch back to the backup version pre-update.

I have tested a lot, but there appears to be no way to update the older winre.wim to the latest version.

In some cases, this can be done. With the update you mention, it was possible to do that using an .msu package. It's probably similar for other updates. These packages can kind of be a pain to get and take a long time to apply, though.

Even though Windows updates are cumulative, it does not test whether the current winre.wim should be updated if TBWinRE has already been updated before. To avoid this I always use IFW BootWIM mode.

Not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean the updates were already applied to the WIM and so not needed, but Windows update does them again?

[Hadron]

Regarding old v3 licenses.

TBWinPE.ini located in:
%ProgramFiles(x86)%\TeraByte Drive Image Backup and Restore Suite\tbwinre
has both V3 and V4 licenses. Should I remove the old V3 license? The BIUKey is also the old V3 one and BIBMKey is empty. There is also an empty Name and Key line.

[License]
Name=
Key=
BIBMName=
BIBMKey=
Name-V3=xxxxx xxxxx
Key-V3=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
BIUName=xxxxx xxxxx
BIUKey=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx
Name-V4=xxxxx xxxxx
Key-V4=xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

Some clarification would be appreciated.

You can remove the -V3 license entries if you want (you would just be prompted to enter them later if V3 was used again). For the BIU license, if you already updated that to the new license in Builder's settings it should be for the new version. The empty "Name" and "Key" entries were used for V2.

Thank you.

[Brian K]

However, you can still use a "custom" IFW BootWIM build by booting to it directly from the command line. Basically, the IFW BootWIM build that gets booted depends on which TBWinPE.exe was run: the installed .exe will boot the installed version's IFW BootWIM, a custom build's .exe will boot the custom build's IFWBootWIM.

Got it, thanks.