Boot into a CMD Prompt and type in the offline DISM commands
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-windows-image
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...-repair-source
@Kyhi or anyone that can help...
I would like some advice on how to add apps to the WinPESE image. I know this topic has been touched on earlier in the thread but from what I gathered, most people were adding portable apps -- which I have successfully done myself after mounting the boot.wim file.
But I would like to add non-portable apps if possible. I successfully installed while booted into WinPESE but after saving the Programs folder to an external USB and merging it into the mounted boot.wim directory, I booted into WinPE again and the app wouldn't launch and showed an error as there were some drivers it needed. I believe there are other files/dependencies the app needs.
Thus, is there a way for me to install whatever apps I need into WinPE and "capture" WinPE while booted into it and save that image to a file?
Last edited by KabyBlue; 04 Sep 2017 at 09:12.
WinPE is kinda recovery environment, not a full Windows, so many apps requiring installing probably won't work.
You need something like WinToUSB (shareware) to install a full Windows on a USB drive/pen, then you may install
whatever you wish on that Windows..
It has been given as a giveaway (free) several times on various web-pages, (genuine,not pirated).
If you use a search engine,you may still find it for free. ;-)
Thnx for the response @Kamala...
I am somewhat familiar w/ that app and might end up going that route. But what I worry about -- since I intend on servicing various PC -- is the size of the VHD and compatibility when booting from USB compared to the lightweight WinPE. I once attempted to boot a PC from a VHD Win7 image on a USB and the setup took quite some time to boot into the OS. Even the WinToUSB developers recommend using extremely fast USB drives -- such as the SanDisk CZ80 to run the VHD.
Also, @Kyhi WinPESE iso files are barely 2GB in size but I would presume a VHD image created by WinToUSB would be more around the +15GB range since it would be carrying the whole OS. @Kyhi WinPESE already has some fine tools. I just wanted to possibly add a few more to my taste. But worst case I might just have to go the VHD route.
Also, can I boot a Win10 VHD on a Windows 7 machine?
1) fast usb flash drives are not that expensive so creating a full windows usb drive is really not that big an issue.Thnx for the response @Kamala...
I am somewhat familiar w/ that app and might end up going that route. But what I worry about -- since I intend on servicing various PC -- is the size of the VHD and compatibility when booting from USB compared to the lightweight WinPE. I once attempted to boot a PC from a VHD Win7 image on a USB and the setup took quite some time to boot into the OS. Even the WinToUSB developers recommend using extremely fast USB drives -- such as the SanDisk CZ80 to run the VHD.
Also, @Kyhi WinPESE iso files are barely 2GB in size but I would presume a VHD image created by WinToUSB would be more around the +15GB range since it would be carrying the whole OS. @Kyhi WinPESE already has some fine tools. I just wanted to possibly add a few more to my taste. But worst case I might just have to go the VHD route.
Also, can I boot a Win10 VHD on a Windows 7 machine?
You can do more with a full windows drive, but the winpse drive is great for it's primary function as a recovery drive, but is restricted to portable apps only. Of course, I use both - winpse for most cases, but occasionally full windows for special cases.
Note: it is not well know that you can now create a bootable uefi based flash drive with full windows as CU version now supports multiple partitions on a flash drive. Wintousb can handle this.
2) Sure you can boot from a Win10 vhd from Windows 7.
Hi.Thnx for the response @Kamala...
I am somewhat familiar w/ that app and might end up going that route. But what I worry about -- since I intend on servicing various PC -- is the size of the VHD and compatibility when booting from USB compared to the lightweight WinPE. I once attempted to boot a PC from a VHD Win7 image on a USB and the setup took quite some time to boot into the OS. Even the WinToUSB developers recommend using extremely fast USB drives -- such as the SanDisk CZ80 to run the VHD.
Also, @Kyhi WinPESE iso files are barely 2GB in size but I would presume a VHD image created by WinToUSB would be more around the +15GB range since it would be carrying the whole OS. @Kyhi WinPESE already has some fine tools. I just wanted to possibly add a few more to my taste. But worst case I might just have to go the VHD route.
Also, can I boot a Win10 VHD on a Windows 7 machine?
You can do a normal install on the usb drive/pen, does NOT need to be VHD/VHDX.
Either way, you can put any portable apps on the stick/drive to carry around with you,which you think are fine not to be
installed anyway.
If you decide to clone your current OS (also possible with wintousb) to the HDD/pen, do -NOT- run the portable version on the
same machine,or it will mess up things.
Read more about this on the author's web-page.
Oh yeah, they do have a freeware version which allows you to do some of these things for free aswell..
VHD/VHDX "image" of the OS might be good idea if you have portable apps directory also on that drive, and want to make sure no virus writes anything on the actual installed windows on that usb device. (well,make no mistake, virus can write on them, but +90% won't..)
That way it is also good,if you just want to use some portable apps only,off that usb-device, and not the installed windows..
just remember reading+writing to VHD image is a lot slower than a direct write.
If you have something like Sandisk Cruzer Extreme 128gb usb 3.0 pen, it is quite fast on read+writes.. (+150mb/sec) .. anything that reads/writes below 70mb/sec off the pen/drive is gonna make your windows quite slow..
Just saw this thread and I would like to thank you all especially Kyhi for this! Will try this out!
Use an external USB > HDD or SSD
Create one 500mb partition (say E: ) and set as active
Create a 50GB partition (say F: ) and then APPLY the windows install.wim to that partition (using DISM)
then open a command prompt (Admin) and type
bcdboot F:\Windows /s E: /f ALL
you will now have a bootable UEFI and Legacy USB HDD or SSD containing windows
boot to the USB Drive finish windows setup, add any needed drivers, install any needed programs
or you can create VHD's and boot them from a single larger partition - instead of applying windows to the partition
But it is basically the same thing, just takes longer to expand the VHD before boot. and the files size is basically the same...
PS:
Installing non-portable apps into WinPESE is a little more involved as there are registry entries, file dependencies' and files that are installed in different folder locations (win32, syswow, etc.)
We usually monitor the changes in a HOST OS and then write a script to duplicate the setup in WinPE
