WinPE was originally intended to be used only as a pre-installation platform for deploying Microsoft Windows operating systems, specifically to replace MS-DOS in this respect.

Many customized WinPE boot CDs packaged with third-party applications for different uses are now available from volunteers via the Internet.

Windows Recovery Environment can also be installed to a hard drive partition by OEMs,[28] and customized with additional tools such as a separate system recovery tool for restoring the computer back to its original state.

[29] As of Windows Vista SP1, users can create their own bootable CD containing the recovery environment.

[31] Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT), sold as a part of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, is yet another toolset based on Windows PE that performs diagnostic and recovery on an offline copy of Windows.