Abstract

This article will help you create and deploy Windows Vista Windows Imaging (WIM) images.

What's WIM and why should I use it?

Windows Imaging (or WIM) is the new generation from Microsoft for imaging format; the newest operating systems (from Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs) are coming in single WIM file that ready to deployment.

WIM is the new Microsoft imaging format, which have been in use since SMS OS Deployment Feature Pack (OSDFP) that may know WIM from the first version (1.0), today WIM is included in the new Windows Vista and Server 2008 installation media and also from the Windows PE 2.0 WIM file (placed in the Windows Vista/Server 2008 media as "boot.wim").

WIM images are file-based image and not a sector-based image so that the image deployment can't perform damage to your data.

What do I need in order to capture and deploy my own Windows Vista image?

You'll need a test machine that met the Windows Vista hardware requirements, on this computer you'll need to install the operating system that you want to capture to an image and to deploy, and also a DVD-RW/NIC/Removable large disk in order to transfer the image.

In addition to the test computer you'll need another computer (technician computer) with Windows XP Professional SP2 or later, in order to create the custom Windows PE media that you start the reference test computer from.

Beside this you'll need to create a Windows PE 2.0 custom media that will support WIM and contain the ImageX utility, in order to create this customize Windows PE 2.0 media follow these steps:

1. Download and install the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) on the technician computer.

2. From the technician computer type these commands from the command line (CMD) in order to create the custom Windows PE 2.0 media:

2.1. Cd Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools

2.2. Copype.cmd x86 C:\PE_Media (when x86 is the CPU architecture, and C:\PE_Media is the destination path that store the Windows PE files, if you're not preparing to use Windows PE on 32-Bit platform or to get additional information type "Copype.cmd /?").

3. Copy ImageX utility to the Windows PE media by typing this command in the CMD:

Copy “C:\Program files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86\imagex.exe” C:\ PE_Media\iso\appz (when appz is the subfolder that will store your tools)

4. Copy these lines into a text file and save it as wimscript.ini in C:\ PE_Media\iso\appz.

[ExclusionList]

ntfs.log

hiberfil.sys

pagefile.sys

"System Volume Information"

RECYCLER

Windows\CSC

[CompressionExclusionList]

*.mp3

*.zip

*.cab

\WINDOWS\inf\*.pnf

5. Create from the Windows PE files an ISO image by typing these commands from the CMD:

Cd Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\

Oscdimg -n –bc:\PE_Media\etfsboot.com c:\PE_Media\ISO c:\PE_Media\winpe_cd.iso

6. Burn the winpe_cd.iso into a blank CD media using a CD burner and CD burning software like Ahead Nero.

 

Create your test (reference) computer

After you create your Windows PE custom media, install your test (reference) computer that is the master computer that designed for cloning on workstations.

It's recommended that you'll install your master test computer by following these steps:

1. Install a clean copy of Windows Vista on your hard disk drive.

2. Install & configure additional programs such as your corporate antivirus, Office tools, IM application, Windows updates, etc.

3. After installing and setting your computer, run Sysprep.exe from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep.

Note: Unlike earlier versions of Windows, The Sysprep file located in a local directory in Windows\System32, and don't require any file extraction like earlier versions that provide separately the Sysprep files at Windows CD in Support\Tools\Deploy.cab.

4. Check the Generalize box, and click on OK.

 

Capture your operating system into an image

After clicking on OK at the Sysprep tool, the Sysprep Prepartion Tool will remove your local SIDs (security identifiers), logs, and also reset the activation grace period time to 30 days and reboot your system.

Follow these steps to capture your system into an image:

1. After Sysprep reboot the system set the computer BIOS to boot from CD/DVD first.

2. Insert the custom Windows PE media that you've been create to the CD/DVD drive.

3. Boot from the Windows PE media.

4. Type these commands from the Windows PE command line utility in order to capture an image:

Cd appz

Imagex /capture C: D:\BenShushan.wim “Netanel's Gold Image”

 

Note: C: means the OS drive that you want capture to an image, D:\BenShushan.wim is the image name and the place that the ImageX utility creates the image, and the "Netanel's Gold Image" is the image note that can help you identify your image.

You can compress your WIM image to maximum using this command instead:

Imagex /capture /compress max C: D:\BenShushan.wim “Netanel's Gold Image”

5. It's recommended to copy or burn your image to a different computer, if your computers connecting to a network you can run from Windows PE the NET USE command to map a network map and to copy the image to a network share/map, for example in order to map a drive and copy the image into the network drive type these commands:

5.1. Net use M: \\share\deploy (when deploy is shared folder on computer named share).

5.2. Copy D:\BenShushan.wim M:

 

The deployment process

You can deploy your customize WIM image using a few methods:

1. Using a deployment server like Windows Deployment Services (WDS), a WDS server can deploy a single WIM image up to 80 clients simultaneously.

2. Using Systems Management Server with OS Deployment Feature Pack and the latest Service Pack or System Center Configuration Manager.

3. Using Business Desktop Deployment (or BDD) Solution Accelerator.

4. Using a custom Windows PE CD/DVD.

 

In this article I'll explain how to deploy the image using your custom Windows PE media:

1. Start the computer, and set the BIOS to boot from CD first.

2. Boot from your custom Windows PE CD.

3. If the computer is contain a new hard disk drive it's recommended to run these commands from the Windows PE command line utility:

 

Diskpart

Select disk 0

Create partition primary

Active

Exit

Format c:/fs:ntfs /q

Note: you can also create a custom batch file that will contain these commands and configure Windows PE to perform these tasks automatically.

4. Type these commands in order to connect your computer to the network drive that contains the OS WIM file:

Cd Apps

Net use M: \\share\deploy

Copy M:\BenShushan.wim C:

ImageX /apply C:\BenShushan.wim 1 C:

 

The last command will deploy your first WIM image in the BenShushan.wim file on the C: drive.