Usually, when a computer fails to boot, the way we use to boot a computer almost is using the bootable CD or Bootable USB flash drive, which may be Linux micro-system or Windows PE system. When we need to install system on too many computers, for example, there are 100 computers that need to be installed system, we can’t insert CD or USB into computer one by one and boot computer, because different computers has different configurations such as there may be no CD drive or USB flash drive portal in computers.
How to be easy to solve such problems? In this condition, AOMEI PXE Boot Tool will be a key. The only thing you should do is to run AOMEI PXE Boot Tool in one computer (maybe a server) within LAN, and boot other computers (some clients or target computers) from the network.
About AOMEI PXE Boot Tool
AOMEI PXE Boot Tool can boot many computers from micro system in network. Broadly speaking, You can create a Windows PE micro system with a third party tool, also, you can do a bootable Linux image or Windows PE image file with the tool offered by AOMEI Backupper. You can use AOMEI PXE Boot Tool and make other clients or target computers boot from these microsystem. After booting, you can backup, restore or maintain system with tools offered with the image file.
The Advantages of AOMEI PXE Boot Tool
Comparing with counterpart PXE function, AOMEI PXE Boot Tool has its own features:
- AOMEI PXE Boot Tool supports creating bootable micro system by yourself. Therefore, if you had a powerful Linux bootable ISO or Windows PE bootable ISO, you can boot computers that are in LAN.
- AOMEI PXE Boot Tool can directly create a Linux bootable ISO or Windows PE bootable ISO. If you don’t have them, you can create them with AOMEI PXE Boot Tool. Certainly, you can create a bootable ISO file by using AOMEI Backupper -> Utilities -> Create Bootable Media.
- If you want to use powerful PE micro system with desktop, you can create ISO file with AOMEI PE Builder, which is freeware offered by AOMEI, and then, you can use it with AOMEI PXE Boot Tool.
- You don’t need to deploy other plug-ins or programs. Just install AOMEI Backupper and you can use this function
How to use AOMEI PXE Boot Tool
Start AOMEI PXE Boot Service
Step 1. Install AOMEI Backupper on a server or PC that can be booted normally, and launch it. Select “Utility” and then select “AOMEI PXE Boot Tool”.
Step 2. Choose the one of the Preboot Execute Environment to start your PC.
The Three Options:
- Boot from AOMEI Windows system: This is a recommended option, so the tool helps you to create directly a Windows PE system for network boot.
- Boot from AOMEI Linux system: This option can make other clients load a Linux system image in the network.
- Boot from a custom image file: You can load the special micro-system created by AOMEI PE Builder or Bart PE.
Step 3. After clicking “Start Service”, AOMEI PXE Boot Tool will configure related data automatically and start the service to wait for target computers.
Setting Clients within LAN for Network Boot
Set client computers within LAN for network boot. Open clients, press the specific hotkey to enter and enter BIOS (usually, press F12 or ESC while booting your PC, and it depends on what computer model you use), then enable “Network Boot” in the BIOS setting. If your computer is UEFI compatible, please make sure legacy boot mode is enabled in BIOS setting
Restart client computer and press specific DEL key to enter “UEFI Dual BIOS”. You can do following the steps for PXE network boot.
Boot mode selection
Click Bios Features -> CSM Support -> Boot Mode
Selection, and press Enter in “Boot Mode Selection” and a pop-up window will appear, and you
should choose “UEFI and Legacy” or “Legacy Only”.
Enable the PXE boot option
Choose “LAN PXE Boot Option ROM” with down
arrow, and turn its status from “Disabled” to “Enabled”.
Set the PXE option as the first boot device
You can select “Boot Option
# 1” in “Boot Option Priorities”, and then select “Realtek PXE B02 D00” as well as press
Enter.
Alternative to setting the first boot device
You can also reboot the
computer and hit a key (may be F12 or F11), then a window will pop-up below, and then select
the first boot device: “Realtek PXE B02 D00” and press Enter.
Finally, you can see the following screenshot, this means your computer is booting from PXE network. You may need to wait for a few minutes depending on the speed of the network and the size of the bootable image file.
Tips:
- It may take a few minutes for the PXE boot process to complete.
- All computers that are applied with PXE will be same network segment.
- If there are many computers, the speed of network may be slow. It may be advisable to divide the network into a group(s) to boost network loading.
- AOMEI PXE Boot Tool can support booting UEFI machines currently but only the WIM file can be used for UEFI (not the ISO file). If the file is an ISO file, then it is suggested the computer boot mode is changed to “Legacy Boot Mode”.
- AOMEI PXE Tool contains a DHCP server that can be used if an existing DHCP server is not available. DHCP is offered by the LAN router.