Creating autounattend.xml results in Windows Image Error

nmein · 02 Nov 2016

Hey,
I have created a autounattend.xml file using the Windows System Image Manager. When validating, everything comes back clean. However, when deploying it ends up failing with the message in the second set
I am deploying using this method to an Intel Compute Stick:

Use Rufus to "install" Windows iso to a Bootable USB drive.
Drop autounattend.xml into the root of the USB drive
Boot USB device, let the software do it's thing.

What actually happens:

Use Rufus to "install" Windows iso to a Bootable USB drive.
Drop autounattend.xml into the root of the USB drive
After a few minutes, Windows Setup complains: "Windows could not collect information for [OSImage] since the specified image file [D:\Sources\] does not exist

A few things about this:

I never specify D:\Sources anywhere in my autounattend.xml
Auto

I was not planning on doing this with Sysprep, I was planning on dropping the autounattend.xml file directly on to the root of the USB drive and let it install the image automatically rather than booting through WDS or something similar.

I have been reading Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Windows 10 Forums in case sysprep is the absolutely best way though.

Kari · 02 Nov 2016

nmein said:

I never specify D:\Sources anywhere in my autounattend.xml.

The D: drive in this case is the USB containing Windows setup files, the install media. It's folder structure is always the same, the Sources folder containing actual install files:

Creating autounattend.xml results in Windows Image Error-image.png

Most important of those files in Sources folder is install.wim:

This is the image the error message you receive refers to. For some reason setup can't find D:\Sources\install.wim.

What that reason is, I don't know. I would start from scratch by downloading an official ISO from Microsoft and recreating the install media. I would also redo the answer file being sure I use the install.wim of my newly re-downloaded ISO to create the catalog file.

Kari

nmein · 02 Nov 2016

Kari said:

Clipped for brevity
Kari

Would simply specifying D:\Sources\install.wim be enough to hopefully resolve the message in the InstallFrom section of the answer file?

The image is from MSDN and the install media was created by Rufus as I mentioned.

Kari · 02 Nov 2016

nmein said:

Would simply specifying D:\Sources\install.wim be enough to hopefully resolve the message in the InstallFrom section of the answer file?

Assuming that the install.wim is in Sources folder already but installation is not able to find it, that would change nothing.

I would do simply a normal clean install using the USB already created with Rufus. OK, it's not unattended and needs a few mouse clicks but at least Windows would be installed.

nmein · 02 Nov 2016

Kari said:

Assuming that the install.wim is in Sources folder already but installation is not able to find it, that would change nothing.
I would do simply a normal clean install using the USB already created with Rufus. OK, it's not unattended and needs a few mouse clicks but at least Windows would be installed.

I mean, yes, however I am trying to do this for 10 Intel Compute sticks. Eventually, I also am going to need to do this for however many Lenovo X1 Carbons.

Like I said, if Sysprep'ing the device would in the long run, be the better way I am down for that, I just wanted to take the much quicker way for the time being.