Best Free Acronis Snap Deploy Alternative for Image Deployment
About Acronis Snap Deploy
Acronis Snap Deploy is a powerful OS deployment software that enables you to deploy a custom system image backup to multiple devices, including laptops, desktops, and servers, across various Windows operating systems, from XP to Windows 10 and Server 2019.
Sometimes, you will get the following errors:
- Acronis Snap Deploy no network interfaces are available.
- No block devices found.
- No RAID disks.
If you're searching for a free alternative to Acronis Snap Deploy, the following information may be helpful.
Free Acronis Snap Deploy Alternative - Qiling Image Deployment
Qiling Image Deploy (AID) is a free image deployment software designed for various organizations, including enterprises, small businesses, educational institutions, government organizations, and individuals. It allows for easy deployment of operating systems to multiple PCs or servers.
The main features are listed below:
1. Unlimited image deployment solution.
With Qiling Image Deploy, you don't have to worry about the number of images or workstations you want to deploy, as it offers a completely free service. In contrast, other alternatives like Acronis Snap Deploy may charge a significant amount, up to $1,000, for deploying to 50 computers.
2. Process monitoring in real-time
You can monitor the deployment progress on your server computer, tracking IP addresses and statuses of client computers in real-time. Additionally, you can manage these devices remotely, providing a convenient and centralized control over the deployment process.
3. Pre-set computer name
You can manually assign computer names to all client computers, and monitor the deployment process in real-time, allowing for a high level of visibility and control throughout the process.
4. Support for Windows PCs and servers.
This solution supports an unlimited number of PCs running Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP, Vista, as well as up to 20 servers running Windows Server 2003, 2008 (R2), 2011, 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019, or 2022.
This solution allows for simultaneous deployment of system images to multiple client computers, but requires setting IP addresses and networks for each computer, a time-consuming process. Furthermore, the deployed computers may fail to boot if their hardware differs from the computer on which the system image was created.
To avoid these issues, it's suggested to try Qiling Image Deploy Technician or the integrated Qiling Image Deploy in Qiling Disk Master Technician or Tech edition and deploy image to dissimilar hardware machines. The second one is recommended, because it not only supports Legacy BIOS mode, but also UEFI mode.
Safely Deploy System Image to All the Computers Simultaneously
To deploy a system image to multiple computers, you can utilize the Qiling Image Deploy Free edition. Additionally, it's necessary to create a system image or disk backup on a computer without a unique SID (Security Identifier) using a free backup software, such as Qiling Disk Master StandardTo avoid these issues, it's suggested to try Qiling Image Deploy Technician or the integrated Qiling Image Deploy in Qiling Disk Master Technician or TechPlus edition and deploy image to dissimilar hardware machines. The second one is recommended, because it not only supports Legacy BIOS mode, but also UEFI mode.
Due to the unique Security Identifier (SID) assigned to each Windows installation, using the same SID on multiple computers can cause conflicts. To avoid this, you must boot into Windows PE immediately after removing the SID, as Windows will otherwise create a new one. Here are the overall steps:
1. Create a bootable USB drive using Qiling Disk Master.
2. Remove the SID (Security Identifier) from the computer you want to backup.
3. Boot the computer you want to backup from the created bootable USB and create a system image using Qiling Disk Master.
4. Create a Windows PE environment using Qiling Image Deploy, either automatically or manually.
5. Boot all client computers and deploy the image to multiple machines using the system backup created earlier.
Ensure all computers remain on the same LAN and that client computers support PXE boot or network boot, then proceed with the following steps to deploy the Windows 10 system image to multiple machines.
1. Download and install Qiling Disk Master Standard, then create a bootable USB drive using the software.
- Click "Tools" > "Create Bootable Media".
- Select the "Windows PE" bootable disc type in Qiling Disk Master Standard.
- Choose the boot device type from the options: USB, CD/DVD, or ISO file.
- Click "Next" to create a bootable media that can be used to boot any computer.
2. Remove the SID from the computer you want to backup.
- Press "Win + R" and enter "sysprep" in the Run dialog to find Sysprep.exe.
- Run Sysprep.exe, select the "Enter System OOBE" option, check the "Generalize" box, and choose "Shutdown" to prevent compatibility issues after deployment.
3. Boot the well-configured computer from the bootable USB and create a system image using Qiling Disk Master.
- Insert the bootable USB1. Set the bootable USB created in Step 1 as the first boot option and boot from it.
- In the main page of Qiling Disk Master, click "Backup" > "System Backup" or create a disk backup by selecting Disk Backup.
- Select a network share or NAS to store the backup image and click "Proceed" to execute the operation, ensuring the network path is on the same network segment as all client and server computers. For detailed steps, refer to the "backup Windows 10 to network drive" guide.
4. Create Windows PE automatically or manually.
- Download and run Qiling Image Deploy Free edition on the server computer, which can be any Windows system version 7 or higher, as this version does not require Windows AIK/ADK installation.
- Launch the image deployment software, select "Create WinPE automatically", enable DHCP, and click Next to create a bootable ISO file and prepare for network booting of client computers.
Notes:
- If WinPE is incompatible with your hardware, select "Create bootable WinPE ISO manually", add compatible device drivers to WinPE, and manually select ISO files to create a custom WinPE ISO.
- If using a router, enable the DHCP server to automatically assign IP addresses to computers, but ensure there is only one DHCP server within the LAN to avoid IP address conflicts.
5. Boot all client computers and deploy the system image to them simultaneously.
- 5. Start all client computers and set PXE boot or network boot as the first boot option, then monitor the Qiling Image Deploy for the "The service has started, waiting for connect…" prompt, displaying the server and client IP addresses and connection statuses.
- Once all client computers boot from the network successfully, confirm that they are connected in the Qiling Image Deploy and click "Next" after ticking "I confirm all the client computers have connected".
- Add a NAS device by clicking "Browse" > "Add share or NAS device", and input the display name, IP address, username, and password, then select the backup image (.fvd) to be deployed.
- Select the client computers to deploy the image to by choosing either "All" to deploy to all online clients or manually selecting specific client computers by their IP addresses.
- Configure the deployment settings by specifying the disk number and the number of client computers to deploy to at one time. If your computer has only one disk, the default disk number is 0. Ensure that the disk number is consistent across both server and client computers.
- Click the "Start Deploy" button to initiate the deployment of the image to multiple computers.
Notes:
- If you encounter issues with IP addresses and network settings or boot failures due to hardware incompatibility, consider using the Qiling Image Deploy Technician edition.
- Alternatively, you can use Qiling Disk Master Technician or TechPlus edition, which not only supports all features in the Qiling Image Deploy Technician edition but also allows for backing up systems, disks, partitions, or files.
You can now view the image deployment progress for each client computer on the Qiling Image Deploy.
Write in the End
Looking for a free Acronis Snap Deploy alternative? Qiling Image Deploy can deploy images to multiple computers and boot from them. For added convenience, try Qiling Image Deploy Technician, which can automatically present IP addresses in batches and perform dissimilar hardware restore to prevent boot failures.
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