How to create a Windows XP BartPE ISO

This tutorial will show you how to create a Windows BartPE ISO using a genuine Windows XP CD. The BartPE project was originally created by a dev named Bart Lagerweij.

What you need:

A PC running Windows XP or above

A Windows XP SP2 or above CD

Step 1: Download the BartPE Builder

As Bart’s website no longer hosts BartPE, here is a mirror link to the PE Builder, attached here: https://mega.nz/file/fl5EFKzZ#auo2QfQfNovj5iqqbjNZLaOy1OvWPTNR2Jl50FrhaIo

Step 2: Find a Windows XP ISO online

You will need a Windows XP installation ISO online. A good working image for English users is named en_windows_xp_professional_sp3_Nov_2013_Incl_SATA_Drivers.iso and has the SHA1 hash of 6947e45f7eb50c873043af4713aa7cd43027efa7. You can mount the ISO using Windows built-in tools, PowerISO.

Step 3: Compile the BartPE ISO

Once you finish installing the PE Builder, you can open it in the following directory: C:\pebuild3110a\pebuilder.exe.

On the top, the source would be the path to the mounted Windows ISO, which in this case is generally either D:\ or E:\.

The ‘Output’ bar would be where all the BartPE compiling caches are stored.

When creating the ISO image, it’s best to name it ‘BartPE.iso’. Click ‘Build’ to compile the BartPE ISO.

If you want to add additional plugins, click on the ‘Plugins’ button and you can add other features such as Nero Burning ROM and other programs.

When you click ‘Build’, the following output should display below:

Step 4: Boot BartPE

After compiling the ISO, feel free to boot it in a virtual machine or burn it to a physical CD. Below is what the BartPE UI should look like.

At this point, you have finished this tutorial. Enjoy this Windows live CD environment! A full demo of BartPE is provided in the below video!

Windows BartPE Demo video