How to add a WinPE USB Recovery drive to E2B (e.g. Lenovo Recovery USB)

If you have a working USB flash drive that contains WinPE, such as that made by the Lenovo USB Recovery Key app., you may need to follow this procedure if you want to add an image of that drive to your E2B USB drive:

1. Ensure that there is only one (usually FAT32) partition on the WinPE/Recovery USB drive. If not these instructions will not work. Note down the Volume Label assigned to the partition (Windows Properties using right-click on the USB drive letter).

2. Use MakePartImage.cmd to create a FAT32 .imgPTN23 file from the USB volume - e.g. if the USB drive has the letter of H: then use H:\ as the source. See www.easy2boot.xyz for instructions. Do not use the MPI_FAT32 shortcut to make the .imgPTN23 file, instead use the MakePartImage desktop shortcut (see below) because this will prompt you for the Volume Label - ensure you type in the same volume label that the USB volume has - e.g. RECOVERY or whatever it is - when prompted.

3. Copy the new .imgPTN23 file to your E2B drive - e.g. to \_ISO\WINPE folder

4. Make the file contiguous

5. Switch-in the .imgPTN23 file (e.g. by booting from the E2B drive and selecting the .imgPTN23 file or by using Switch_E2B.exe Windows app). The volume label of Partition 1 can now be checked using Windows (right-click on drive letter and choose Properties - beware: Windows Explorer can lie about the volume label - use Properties to check it!).

6. Now boot from the first partition of the E2B drive - either legacy\BIOS or UEFI64 - this should boot to your WinPE payload.

7. When finished, don't forget to restore the E2B partition contents (using the menu if you MBR/legacy boot or by UEFI-booting to Partition 2 if you UEFI-boot or by using the Windows app Switch_E2B.exe).

Troubleshooting

1. Ensure the original working USB WinPE drive had only a single FAT32 partition

2. After switching-in the .imgptn23 file - ensure the new partition has the same volume label as your original working USB Recovery/WinPE drive

3. Some WinPE implementations will check the volume label and also check that it is on a Removable USB key. In this case, your E2B USB drive must also be of the Removable (thumb drive) type. If your E2B USB drive reports itself as a Fixed Disk type then the WinPE application may not recognise the USB drive as a removable thumb drive and report an error.

For instance, the Lenovo USB Recovery Drive application needs to see a Removable USB drive and a Volume Label of 'RECOVERY' in order for it to work, otherwise you may see this message:

4. .img and .vhd files may not work because once WinPE has loaded, it will use it's own Windows drivers to detect the virtual USB drive that it was booted from  - but it will not exist (i.e. WinPE will see a USB drive labelled Easy2Boot with lots of iso and img files on it, not the recovery files it expects to see). Even if the .img or .vhd file was loaded as a virtual drive (as is done with Windows ISOs by E2B and Ventoy), the Recovery application may fail because it might detect the new virtual drive as a fixed disk or CD but not as a Removable thumb drive type of disk.

Lenovo USB Recovery .imgPTN23 files will only work on an E2B USB drive that reports as a Removable (thumb drive) type. If you are using a Fixed type of drive (e.g. some fast Corsair drives, SilverStone or other M.2 USB carrier or USB HDD/SSD) then try a removable thumb drive such as a SanDisk Extreme Pro 3.1 instead for your E2B USB drive. RMPrepUSB will tell you what type of USB drive you have.

E2B supports .imgPTN23 files in BIOS/legacy mode and in UEFI64 mode (using agFM). Ventoy does not support .imgPTN23 files.

Note: Modern IODD virtual drives (#ad link) will allow you to load a VHD as either a Removable or Fixed type. Use the settings menu to change the virtual drive type for the loaded VHD to Removable.