I think it would be a great idea to start a thread on ChrisR's Win10XPE. It's not that advanced or too technical. Maybe MDL members will be interested.
For me Win10XPE is a replacement for Win10PESE, I like it more and it's easier to create, I don't see why anyone would still want to use Win10PESE other than if there is something missing that was in Win10PESE.
I go with the version that offers the option to integrate the tools i need, which is Win10PESE atm. Found the plugin for Acronis 2019 PE files integration, which still use the old interface (lately got a legit license to use for cold disk imaging) and already had a lot of others, i.e. Total Commander, XnView, several diagnostic and Recovery tools and more.... Quite useful live system to maintain PCs. Save any personal data, check the disk status, prepare the partitions comfortably in Disk Management and install freshly with WinNTSetup (just needs WIM/ESD on any connected drive or can also apply UUP files directly, although i never tried that).
Though topic is marked solved, I would like to add one PE which I think no one has mentioned. I have used the English version from Sergei Strelec and works pretty well. Yes, it has integrated apps but I generally use my Portable Apps USB with this. Or maybe you have tried it already in which case, would you recommend Win10XPE over Sergie PE?
It was actually mentioned in the 1st page but was deleted because it was linking to a website. Yes I have... Used it for a while. If you use your own apps anyway, why do you need Strelec's PE? It's over 3 GB big with apps you may never use. While with Win10XPE, you have the option to add or remove apps. In my case, I was able to create a minimal WinPE which is all I need.
Thanks. I will also check it out. My usage is only maybe a few times a year so that PE was easy for me. I do have a host of portable apps on external USB but maybe not so many diagnostic apps so the integrated PE was easier. Is the Win10XPE bootable from USB, because this is what I always use. Does it have drivers for old hardware? Which portable apps do you recommend for maintenance / troubleshooting?
It is (should be) bootable from a USB. It has the basic drivers (cannot say about old hardware I have no experience). I guess the best way to find out is to build one. When you launch Win10XPE you will see a list of all the apps that can be added or removed from the ISO. I don't have much experience in maintenance and troubleshooting as you can see from my Scenario... I don't. Only you can tell what apps you need from your past experience. What you can do is hold on first to the portable apps (MInstAll folder) in Strelec's PE in case you need something that doesn't come with Win10XPE.