Rescue Tools

The WinPE environment comes with integrated rescue tools. Access them via shortcut keys on the main interface.

Shortcut Catalog

Key	Tool	Function
F1	BitLocker	Unlock encrypted partitions
F2	WiFi	Connect to wireless network
F4	Notepad	View/edit text files and logs
F5	Diskpart	Manage partitions (CLI)
F6	PowerShell	Administrative terminal
F7	DISK BACKUP	Back up/restore disks (MultiDrive)
F8	FILE EXPLORER	File management (Explorer++)
F9	HARDWARE INFO	Hardware diagnostics (HWiNFO64)
F10	WEB BROWSER	Web browsing (Pale Moon)
F11	About	Version + license status
F12	Shutdown	Power off

Note

Portable applications live in Softwares\ on the USB — they are not included in the release package: add them via BootBuilder at build time, or copy them manually and declare them in user-config.json (see Configuration). If a file is missing, the corresponding key won’t work.

Note

Why only 4 buttons? EasyDeploy is, first and foremost, a deployment tool — rescue plays a supporting role. The main window reserves 4 quick-launch buttons for Portable Apps, and their labels plus footer hotkeys adjust automatically to the tools you plug in (via toolPaths/portableApps).

In practice, you can copy as many tools as you like onto the USB — anything beyond the 4 slots is a click away through F6 (PowerShell), F8 (Explorer), or cmd right inside WinPE.

Common Scenarios

Recover Data When Windows Fails to Boot

Press F8 (FILE EXPLORER) → access the data partition → copy files to an external USB.

If the partition does not appear, the drive letter may be hidden or the partition may be BitLocker-encrypted → use F1 to unlock it first.

Back Up / Restore an Entire Disk

Press F7 (MultiDrive) → select Backup Image → choose source → choose destination → back up.

To restore: open MultiDrive → Restore → point to the image file.

Danger

Restore will erase all data on the destination disk. Verify carefully before proceeding.

Unlock a BitLocker Partition

Press F1 → select the locked partition → enter the 48-digit Recovery Key → UNLOCK DRIVE.

Note

Repeated incorrect entries may permanently lock the partition. Verify the key before entering.

Connect to WiFi in WinPE

Press F2 → SCAN NETWORKS → select SSID → enter password → CONNECT.

Verify connectivity: F6 (PowerShell) → run ipconfig or ping 8.8.8.8.

Tip

You can set a default WiFi in system-config.json so WinPE connects automatically on boot.

View Logs When Deployment Fails

Error logs are located at [USB]:\EASYDEPLOY\Log\deploy-error-*.log. Use F8 to open the folder → F4 to view contents. Look for [STEP x/11] ... FAIL or [FATAL].

Runtime logs (before reboot): F6 (PowerShell) → Get-Content X:\deploy-log.txt.

Manage Partitions Manually

Press F5 (Diskpart) → list disk → select disk N → clean or create partition.

Danger

The clean command permanently erases all data on the selected disk.

Quick Reference

Scenario	Tool
Data recovery	FILE EXPLORER (F8)
Disk backup/restore	DISK BACKUP (F7)
Hardware diagnostics	HARDWARE INFO (F9)
Information lookup	WEB BROWSER (F10) + WiFi (F2)
BitLocker unlock	BitLocker (F1)
Network connectivity	WiFi (F2) + PowerShell (F6)
Partition management	Diskpart (F5)
Error log review	Notepad (F4) + Explorer (F8)