System Recovery
The Windows System partition cannot be restored whilst Windows is running. To overcome this issue the PC has to be started with another operating system using a Live CD. There are typically three ways to do this:
1. A customized Linux kernel can be used to load the restore software and overwrite the Windows system partition. The Linux kernel is booted from CD/DVD and completely loaded into main memory. This enables any partition on local hard disks to be freely accessed for update. This is the option used by Acronis True Image Home and others.
2. Microsoft provides a cut-down version of Windows called Windows Preinstallation Environment or Windows PE. This also creates a Live CD but is proprietary and needs to be licensed from Microsoft before distribution. This option is used by the current version of Norton Ghost.
3. Microsoft also provide a free-to-download tool called the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) that Macrium Reflect uses to create a Rescue CD. The advantage of using this method is that the WAIK has a much richer set of preinstalled drivers compared to Windows PE allowing the rescue disk to be created more easily. The disadvantage of using this method is that it requires a 1.7GB download from Microsoft.
Macrium Reflect v5 offers Linux and Windows PE as standard.
Read more about this topic: Macrium Reflect
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