WinPE 2.0 & Image X from Microsoft

IMAGEX Imaging Process

 

PART ONE - SETUP

 

Prerequisites;

 

1. WAIK server setup.

2. Install to C:\waik ( You can follow Microsoft’s instructions of placing it in Program Files\Windows AIK\, but holy cow,  that’s a lot of typing for nothing, when you can keep it short and simple by putting it in C:\WAIK)( On top of that all of your command strings must have “.” in them to accommodate the spaces in folder names)

3. Shared folders for imaging transfers and permission sets on those folders. ( must have local admin permissions)

4. Create a “mount” folder in each sub folder of shared folders (for each image).

.iso burning software for creating WinPE disks. (Roxio works well, CD Burner XP)

 

 

 

 

Creating the first WinPE 2.0 disk with image X

 

My Way                

 

1. Open WPETCP ( Windows PE Tools Command Prompt )

2. Enter “copy (architecture type x86, ia64 or amd64) C:\winpe”. Example for x86 would be: Copype x86 C:\winpe

3. To open your winpe.wim image for editing that you just created enter; imagex /mountrw winpe.wim 1 mount   Become accustomed to this command you will use it a lot. ( note the “1” in the command line, it represents the base image of winpe.wim)

4. To install the imagex program into the mounted winpe.wim folder do this at the C:\ prompt; Copy C:\waik\tools\x86\imagex.exe c:\winpe\mount\windows\system32

5. Your WPETCP should be back at the C:\winpe.

6. To unmount and lock in your added changes you just made; imagex /unmount c:\winpe\mount /commit (commit locks it in)

7. To overwrite your default winpe.iso image do this at the C:\ prompt; xcopy c:\winpe\winpe.wim c:\winpe\iso\sources\boot.wim /y

8. To create new iso image to burn at C:\winpe prompt; oscdimg –n –h –betfsboot.com iso winpe.iso

New WINPE with image x is ready to burn to disk.

 

Microsoft specific way

Note: I tried following the commands given in the 70-622 exam books, but never could get a functioning CD with imagex on it. So, here is how to do it if you install WAIK with default parameters.

 

1. Open WPETCP ( Windows PE Tools Command Prompt )

2. Enter this command: Copype x86 C:\WinPE_x86 (architecture type x86, ia64 or amd64)

3. To open your winpe.wim image for editing that you just created enter. imagex /mountrw winpe.wim 1 mount

4. To install imagex.exe into WinPE.iso. Copy “C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86\imagex.exe” C:\WinPE_x86\mount\windows\system32

 Create “Wimscript.ini” file to copy into system32 folder also. Example of a Wimscript.ini file in Notepad. ( this is to exclude certain files and not compress critical files when images are taken of computer)( This has been added since my last instruction)

[ExclusionList]

ntfs.log

hiberfil.sys

pagefile.sys

"System Volume Information"

RECYCLER

Windows\CSC

[CompressionExclusionList]

*.mp3

*.zip

*.cab

\Windows\inf\*.pnf

6. To copy your Wimscript.ini file into mount folder. Copy C:\waik\Wimscript.ini C:\WinPE_x86\mount\windows\system32 ( where C:\waik is where file resides)

7. To unmount and lock in your added changes you just made; imagex /unmount c:\WinPE_x86\mount /commit (commit locks it in)

8. To overwrite your default winpe.iso image do this at the C:\ prompt; xcopy c:\WinPE_x86\winpe.wim c:\WinPE_x86\iso\sources\boot.wim /y

To create new .iso image to burn at C:\winpe prompt; oscdimg –n –h –betfsboot.com iso winpe.iso

 

 

 

 

Syspreping images (options for different systems)

 

1. All XP/Server2003/Vista operating systems must be sysprepped in normal sysprep style using the mini-setup wizard. No other options exist unless you are just making a back up of your personal computer.

Answer files can be built for Windows Vista image from the original install disk of the “full” version of Vista using the Windows system image manager. So a sysprep image of vista is only required for the final image to be deployed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART TWO - CREATING IMAGES

 

Creating an image using image X

Note: in creating non-hardware specific .wim images it is important to keep 5 things in check.

 

1. All created images within a large multi-image .wim file (max is 9 different versions) must use the same compression level when imaged. (compression none, fast, or maximum)

2. All created images must be of the same type: sysprepped or non-sysprepped images.

3. It’s a good idea to keep an excel doc located in the same folder to keep track of what images are what.

4. Keep different operating systems in different .wim files ( XP, 2003 Server, 2000, and Vista)

Image stacks must be named the same with different version numbers. ( Example of a naming convention: XPSYSPREP.wim 1 or VISTASYSPREP.wim 1)

 

Using the WinPE disk to create a .wim image

 

My Way

 

1. Create a shared folder on the WAIK server and set permissions for administrator access.

2. Boot up computer to be imaged with WinPE disk.

At WinPE command prompt; create mapped drive to shared folder on WAIK server using this command: net use V: \\servername\sharename

1. When asked for username remember to put: server name\username then password, or on a domain, place domain name\username then enter, then password

2. Once again at the WinPE command prompt enter: imagex /capture c: V:\filenameyouwant.wim “fatfitz special” /compress none (The “fatfitz special” will identify your image version in the stack much easier)

After its completed you can look at the folders and files by entering: imagex /info V:\filenameyouwant.wim

 

Microsoft’s Way;

  imagex /compress fast /capture C: C:\filenameyouwant.wim “fatfitz special” /verify

 

 

Variables to this;

 

1. You could enter: imagex /capture c: d:\filenameyouwant.wim “fatfitz special” /compress none for imaging to a USB HDD. ( where d:\ is your USB HDD)

Stacking versions will require an added command line entry of: imagex /append c: V:\filenameyouwant.wim (version number goes here up to 2 - 9) “fatfitz special” /compress none

Notes:

/compress (none, fast, or maximum)

/verify (check for errors and file duplication)

 

 

Preparing a new computer for image

 

1. Boot computer to WinPE disk.

2. At WinPE command line enter: diskpart

3. Enter select disk 0 or disk that you are imaging.

4. Enter: clean.

5. Enter: create partition primary

6. Enter: assign letter=c:

7. Enter: active

8. Enter: exit

Enter: format c: /q /y

 

This will clean the former HDD of all indexing and then reformat the drive in NTFS.

 

 

Imaging a fresh computer for a .wim file

 

1. After completing the above cleaning process.

At WinPE command prompt enter: net use V: \\servername\sharename

1. When asked for username remember to put: servername\username then password, or on a domain, place domain name\username then enter, then password.

2. At the command prompt enter: imagex /apply V: \filenameyouwant.wim 1 c: /restart (remember that “1” states version number of image in the stack of the .wim file)

Computer will go through process and then asks to be restarted.

 

Notes:

You could also image from a USB HDD by using: imagex /apply D: \filenameyouwant.wim 1 c:\

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART THREE - EDITING WIM FILES

 

The difference between Ghost and .wim files is that you can edit them while they are being stored. That’s why .wim files are so appealing!

 

Mounting a .wim file

 

1. Within each folder of .wim’s you have a folder named “mount”. An example on my test server; folder “C:\wim” has within it an “ibmt40.wim” file and a “mount folder” and a “excel” document explaining the versions of .wim’s.

2. Open your WPETCP command prompt on the WAIK server.

3. Change directories to reflect correct file, an example: C:\wim should be at the command prompt as in the example and path above in line 1.

4. Enter command line: imagex /mountrw ibmt40.wim 1 mount

Once this has finished you can edit any file or folder within the “mount” folder.

 

Variables

 

6. From the root of the WPETCP command line you can also use they full path version for step 4 above. It would be: imagex /mountrw c:\wim\ibmt40.wim 1 c:\wim\mount or you could have one 1 “mount” folder at C:\mount that would do all your mountings.

7. The WAIK server is not capable of doing more than 1 mounting at a time and all mounted images must be unmounted before another is mounted.

8. If you just wanted to view a .wim image then you could use the command line of; imagex /mount c:\wim\ibmt40.wim 1 c:\wim\mount , this would be “read only”. And yes, you do have to unmount it when finished.

Notice also the version number can be changed to open different versions of the same .wim file.

 

 

 

 

Unmounting a .wim file and saving changes

 

10.  Open WPETCP and CD to your wim image an example in above case would be: imagex /unmount c:\wim\mount /commit

You must use the /commit command or no changes will be made to your files and version numbers are not required when Unmounting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding network drivers to your WinPE disk

 

You must find the folder of the computer in question and copy the network drivers’ folder over to the WAIK server. An example is when I added VMware virtual NIC drives to the WinPE disk. It was located at: “c:\program files\vmware tools\drivers\vmxnet” of the vm image.

Copy the contents of that folder to a new created folder at C:\drivers on your WAIK server.

Open WPETCP and change directories to: c:\winpe.

Then mount the winpe image: imagex /mountrw winpe.wim 1 mount

Enter: peimg /inf=c: \drivers\vm*.* c:\winpe\mount\windows

 

Line # 5 will change depending on what drivers you are going to add. In this case both .inf drivers started as “vm” and so I created a wildcard to capture both at one time in \vm*.*, otherwise I would have had to do 2 lines of command in line 6.

 

peimg /inf=c: \drivers\vmxnet.inf c:\winpe\mount\windows and peimg /inf=c: \drivers\vmware-nic.inf c:\winpe\mount\windows

Unmount your changes and commit: imagex /unmount c:\winpe\mount /commit

We will now need to overwrite the boot.wim folder to create a new .iso image, enter: xcopy c:\winpe\winpe.wim c:\winpe\iso\sources\boot.wim /y

Now change directories in WPETCP to: C:\WAIK\tools\PETools.

Then create new .iso image:  oscdimg –n –h –bc:\winpe\etfsboot.com c:\winpe\iso c:\winpe\winpe.iso

A new boot CD can now be created with the .iso image in the C:\winpe folder with third party software which will contain your new network drivers.

 

PART FOUR - ANSWER FILES

 

 

PART FIVE - LINKS TO INFORMATION

Basis for this document

 

My own experiments on: servers with VPC 2007 and VMware 6.0, plus physical boxes on same subnet.

 

Microsoft’s TechNet

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/44fc4bd3-b302-44b0-b163-70092476e01e1033.mspx?mfr=true

 

Mark Minasi’s News Letter

http://www.minasi.com/newsletters/nws0702.htm

 

Microsoft’s; 70-622 training kit book - Chapter II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This product is free and all items can be downloaded from Microsoft.

This product will image your computer to a small size .wim file. It is easy to set up and use.

Below are the instructions for basic use with a WinPE disk.

 

This is Legacy data, please see my WinPE GUI Bootdisk page. But If you are using XP and Vista stay here and use it.