Best Free Acronis Snap Deploy Alternative for Image Deployment

About Acronis Snap Deploy

As an OS deployment software, Acronis Snap Deploy allows you to deploy a custom system image backup to multiple laptops, desktops, or servers simultaneously in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Server 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019 (including R2).

Sometimes, you will get the following errors:

• Acronis Snap Deploy no network interfaces are available.

• No block devices found.

• No RAID disks.

If you are looking for Acronis Snap Deploy alternative free, the below words will help you a lot.

Free Acronis Snap Deploy Alternative - AOMEI Image Deployment

AOMEI Image Deploy (AID) is a free image deployment software that allows you to easily deploy OS to multiple PCs or servers. It is made for enterprise, small business companies, educational institutions, government organization, and individual, etc.

The main features are listed below:

1. Unlimited image deployment solution.

You do not have to worry about how many images you want to deploy or how many workstations or PCs. It is completely free while other Acronis Snap Deploy alternatives may charge you $1,000 to deploy 50 computers.

2. Process monitoring in real-time

You can monitor the deploying progress on your server computer, including all the IP address and status of the client computers. You can manage them remotely.

3. Pre-set computer name

You can manually distribute computer name to all client computers. Real-time process monitor

4. Support for Windows PCs and servers.

You can use unlimited PCs running Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista or 20 servers running Windows Server 2003/2008 (R2)/2011/2012 (R2)/2016/20192022. 

With it, you can easily deploy system image to multiple client computers simultaneously, but you need to set IP address and network for each computer. It will take a lot of time. Besides, the deployed computer may fail to boot if the hardware of it is not exactly the same as the computer you create system image on it.

To avoid these issues, it's suggested to try AOMEI Image Deploy Technician or the integrated AOMEI Image Deploy in AOMEI Backupper 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.

Safely Deploy System Image to All the Computers Simultaneously

Here you will use AOMEI Image Deploy Free edition to deploy system image to multiple computers. Besides, you need to create a system image backup or disk backup on a computer without SID using free backup software, AOMEI Backupper Standard, for example.

Since every computer has an unique SID (Security Identifier) when you install Windows on it and using the same SID on multiple computers will cause conflicts. And you need to boot into Windows PE immediately after remove SID, otherwise your computer will create a new one. Thus, the overall steps are below: 

1. Create a bootable USB with AOMEI Backupper.

2. Remove SID on the computer you want to backup.

3. Boot the computer you want to backup from the created bootable USB and then create a system image with AOMEI Backupper.

4. Create Windows PE automatically or manually with AOMEI Image Deploy.

5. Boot all the client computers and deploy image to multiple computers with the created system backup.

Then, please ensure all the computers stay in the same LAN and client computers are support PXE boot or network boot. And refer to the following steps to deploy Windows 10 system image to multiple computers:

1. Download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then, create a bootable USB with it.

• Click "Tools" > "Create Bootable Media".

• Select bootable disc types - Windows PE. 

• Select boot device - USB, CD/DVD or ISO file.

• Then, click "Next", it will create a bootable media for you to boot any computer.

2. Remove SID on the computer you want to backup. 

• Press "Win + R" and enter "sysprep" in the textbox to find Sysprep.exe.
• Run it and choose Enter System OOBE, tick Generalize option, and select Shutdown. This step is necessary for users to avoid compatible issues after deployment.

3. Boot the well-configured computer from the created bootable USB and then create a system image with AOMEI Backupper.

• Insert the bootable USB created in the Step 1, set it as the first boot option and boot from it.
• In the main page of AOMEI Backupper, click "Backup" >  "System Backup". Also, you can create a disk backup by selecting Disk Backup in the following picture.
• Then, select a network share or NAS to store backup image and "Start Backup" to excute this operation. Note the network path should be on the same network segment with all the client computers and server computer. For detailed steps, you can refer to backup Windows 10 to network drive.  

4. Create Windows PE automatically or manually.

• Download and run AOMEI Image Deploy Free edition on the server computer. It does not have to be a server system. But it's suggested to use Windows 7 and higher version, since the previous system requires you to install Windows AIK/ADK to ensure you can create Windows PE successfully.
• Launch the image deployment software, click "Create WinPE automatically" to create a bootable ISO file and tick "Enable DHCP", so you can boot up client computers over network. Then, click Next.

Notes:

• If there are drivers being incompatible with your hardware and the WinPE cannot start up the client computers, select "Create bootable WinPE ISO manually" option. It allows you to create Windows PE and add compatible device drivers into WinPE by clicking “Make WinPE” in the main page and then “Add Drivers” . Then, you need to select ISO files manually by clicking “Browse”.
• Usually, the DHCP server is enabled if you use a router and used to assign IP address for computer. And it's suggested to tick  "Enable DHCP" to ensure your computer can be connected to network automatically. Note  there has to be and one only DHCP server within LAN, otherwise, the client IP address distribution may be messed up. 

5. Boot all the client computers and deploy system image to multiple computers.

• Start all the client computers and set PXE boot or network boot as the first boot option when you see  “The service has started, waiting for connect…” prompt in the AOMEI Image Deploy. Then, you will see the IP address of server and client computer as well as the connection status on each client computer.

• At the same time, when all the client computers boot from network successfully, you will see "Client computers connected" in the AOMEI Image Deploy. Tick "I confirm all the client…" and click "Next".

• Afterward, click “Browse” > “Add share or NAS device”  and input the display name, IP address, user name and password. Then, select the backup image (its file name is .adi) you want to deploy.
• Select all the online client computers or some of them by  ticking "All" or manually selecting IP address for client computers.
• Afterward, set the disk number and deployed computers at a time. 0 is the default number of destination disk and it occurs when your computer only has one disk. Please keep the disk number of server computer and client computers are exactly the same. 
• Finally, click "Start Deploy" to deploy image to multiple computers.

Notes:

• If you don't want to set IP addresses and network, or encounter boot failure due to dissimilar hardware, try AOMEI Image Deploy Technician edition.
• Also, you can use AOMEI Backupper Technician or TechPlus edition, which supports all features in the technician edition of AOMEI Image Deploy and is able to backup system, disk, partition or files.

Now you could view the image deployment progress of each client computer on the AOMEI Image Deploy. 

Write in the End

Best free Acronis Snap Deploy alternative - AOMEI Image Deploy can help you deploy image to multiple computers and boot from it. But if you don't want to waste time doing follow-up work after deploying image, try AOMEI Image Deploy Technician. It supports batch presenting IP addresses automatically and performing dissimilar hardware restore to avoid boot failure.