Using Atola Boot Image

This guide explains how to acquire internal drives of a laptop or server without removing them, using the boot image and Atola imagers.

What you need

• Atola Boot Image E01 file
• An Atola imager: TaskForce 2, TaskForce, or Insight Forensic
• Network link between the remote PC and your Atola imager
• Ability to boot the remote PC from USB
• USB stick of 16 GB or larger

Workflow

1. Download the E01 file from the download page.
2. Write it to a USB stick with an Atola imager:
   • Insight Forensic: Write from file (Device Utilities > Write from file)
   • TaskForce 2 / TaskForce: Restore image file to device (Image > Select the boot image file as Source)

   The E01 file has to be written to the stick by an imager. Copying it onto the stick as a regular file does not produce a bootable device.

3. Boot the remote PC from USB
   1. Insert the USB stick.
   2. Enter BIOS/UEFI settings (see the hot keys table below).
   3. Disable Secure Boot. Enable USB boot.
   4. Select USB as the boot device.
   5. Save changes and reboot the PC.
4. Wait for automatic setup. The boot image does the following:
   • Write-protects all internal drives except the boot device.
   • Exposes those drives as iSCSI targets on the network.
   • Displays the system IP address on the screen.
5. Note the IP address shown on the remote computer’s display.
6. Connect from your Atola imager using that IP address and image the remote drives, selecting them via iSCSI:
   • TaskForce 2
   • TaskForce
   • Insight Forensic

BIOS/UEFI hot keys by manufacturer

Compatibility

Real-world compatibility depends on the remote PC, not on a fixed list of drive models:

• The computer must be able to boot from USB.
• Linux drivers must be available for its storage controller and network interface.
• The operating system must see the storage devices you intend to acquire.
• There should be no blockers such as an unsupported RAID controller or hardware encryption that keeps the drives inaccessible.

Custom Linux environments

If you need a custom Linux setup instead of the boot image, use the standalone iscsi-targets script.

Troubleshooting

PC does not boot from the USB stick

• Confirm the USB stick was restored from the E01 file, not copied as a regular file.
• Use the one-time boot menu (F2, F10, F12, Esc, or see the table above) and select the USB device.
• In BIOS/UEFI settings, enable USB boot and, if needed, disable Secure Boot.
• Try another USB port or another USB stick.

No IP address is shown

• Check that the network cable is connected and the link is up.
• Confirm the NIC is supported by Linux. Install the necessary drivers if needed via apt.
• If the network requires a static IP, you may need a custom Linux environment and the iscsi-targets script instead of the boot image.

Atola imager does not discover iSCSI targets

• Verify that your remote PC and the imager are on the same network (or that firewall rules allow iSCSI traffic, typically TCP port 3260).
• Enter the IP address exactly as shown on the remote screen.
• Confirm the boot image finished setup and that drives were exposed as targets.

Still stuck?

Contact Atola support with your computer motherboard model, storage controller and NIC details.