DISM - Clone and Deploy using FFU Image  

Kari said:

As I told, I got to login screen only when I first removed EFI, MSR and Recovery partitions from VHD using a third party tool.

Before writing this off as a bug, I really would like to see the link to official documentation stating the FFU can be applied to a VHDX file.




I have been using FFU images since it has been possible to create deployment images. I will customize image in Audit Mode on reference Hyper-V virtual machine, generalize it with Sysprep, capture that image to FFU, and apply it to any VM or physical image. It has never failed.

Being much faster than imaging programs, both capture and applying it, FFU is a really good alternative. To test it, to get piece of mind, use Macrium to create an image backup before applying an FFU image first time.

You can also test in Hyper-V; capture and apply FFU images from and to virtual machines.




Disk type is irrelevant. An FFU image, regardless if it was captured from VHD, VHDX, HDD or SSD, can be applied to any SSD or HDD.

 Some interesting but totally trivial, off topic background info

FFU imaging was originally used to deploy Windows Mobile images, and brought to Insiders early 2015 in Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (WICD):
Attachment 235640

In fact, in March 2015 I was making a video about using WICD, to show how to create WIM or FFU deployment images from scratch. Screenshot from that video:
Attachment 235637
(Click to enlarge.)

You could create various image types:
Attachment 235638

However, before getting my video ready, Microsoft removed the imaging part of WICD, and it was renamed to Windows Configuration Designer (WCD), dropping the word Imaging. I never published that video, as it became useless.

We had to wait almost two and a half years, until version 1709 brought FFU imaging back.

Microsoft has been a bit sloppy regarding the name of the tool. Although imaging is no longer included in tool and its official name, building images is not possible with it, its Start menu entry still uses old name (WICD). Also, although application titlebar today shows the current name, everywhere else you can still see references to old name and acronym:
Attachment 235639

Windows Configuration Designer is part of Windows 10 ADK: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...ed/adk-install

Kari

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/dism-image-management-command-line-options-s14

I connected the vhdx to Hyper-V but it failed to boot until I used the Reflect "fix windows boot problems" and then it was fine.

I just cannot see why it would work in Hyper-V but not in native booting - done this many times with Reflect. Still in the end, no big deal.

@Martin, I got it working, after some logical thinking (read: guessing). Doing last tests now to repeat the process, to deploy FFU image to a virtual hard disk and native boot from it, will post when I am sure it works.

Kari

Kari said:

@Martin, I got it working, after some logical thinking (read: guessing). Doing last tests now to repeat the process, to deploy FFU image to a virtual hard disk and native boot from it, will post when I am sure it works.

Kari

@Kari - Great - may be a useful addition to your tutorial. I admire your tenacity.

lx07 said:

Will this copy everything on the disk even if Windows doesn't understand it? For example of you dualboot Linux and have a ext4 partition? It is a sector copy so it should right?

As the disk is cloned sector by sector, it is logical to assume absolutely everything will be cloned. Any dual boot and boot records on the disk will be cloned.

I must admit, though, that I have only tested with Windows / Windows dual boot scenarios.

Kari

OK, about applying an FFU image to a virtual hard disk.

First, virtual hard disk file must be .vhdx, it will not work if applied to a .vhd file.

Second, the applied FFU image must be captured from a generalized (sysprepped) Windows. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to capture an existing Windows installation to FFU image to be applied to VHDX, because generalizing will usually fail. Applied to physical disks, no need to generalize, but to apply to a virtual hard disk, generalizing is a must.

Trying to generalize an existing Windows installation on a test machine, I first removed all Store apps and their provisioning, which typically cause Sysprep with /generalize switch t fail. It did not work. Even after disabling reserved space in registry, I kept getting this error:

Code:

2019-06-01 15:16:15, Error SYSPRP Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk: Audit mode cannot be turned on if reserved storage is in use. An update or servicing operation may be using reserved storage.; hr = 0x800F0975

I am quite experienced Sysprep user, but hit the wall here; nothing I tried to generalize an existing Windows installation worked. I am open for new ideas, though.

However, I had no issues in what I tried next.

Using a Hyper-V VM with 256 Gb VHDX as reference machine as I always do, I installed Windows 10 build 18908, and booted it to Audit Mode. After image was customized on reference machine, software I want to be pre-installed and everything else done, I sysprepped it with /generalize switch and my answer file, then booted to WinPE and captured an FFU image. I applied this image to a new VHDX file, added it to Windows boot menu, and it worked perfectly.

I have now repeated this several times, without an issue. The key is generalizing; I have tried just to run Sysprep, without /generalize switch, but in that case the captured FFU images work as they should when applied to physical disk, but not when applied to a virtual hard disk.

Sorry, Martin, not what you wanted to hear. Anyway, I can now confirm that an FFU image can be applied to a virtual hard disk, and be used as native boot VHDX, but the captured image must be from a generalized Windows image.

Kari

Kari said:

OK, about applying an FFU image to a virtual hard disk.

First, virtual hard disk file must be .vhdx, it will not work if applied to a .vhd file.

Second, the applied FFU image must be captured from a generalized (sysprepped) Windows. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to capture an existing Windows installation to FFU image to be applied to VHDX, because generalizing will usually fail. Applied to physical disks, no need to generalize, but to apply to a virtual hard disk, generalizing is a must.

Trying to generalize an existing Windows installation on a test machine, I first removed all Store apps and their provisioning, which typically cause Sysprep with /generalize switch t fail. It did not work. Even after disabling reserved space in registry, I kept getting this error:

Code:

2019-06-01 15:16:15, Error SYSPRP Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk: Audit mode cannot be turned on if reserved storage is in use. An update or servicing operation may be using reserved storage.; hr = 0x800F0975

I am quite experienced Sysprep user, but hit the wall here; nothing I tried to generalize an existing Windows installation worked. I am open for new ideas, though.

However, I had no issues in what I tried next.

Using a Hyper-V VM with 256 Gb VHDX as reference machine as I always do, I installed Windows 10 build 18908, and booted it to Audit Mode. After image was customized on reference machine, software I want to be pre-installed and everything else done, I sysprepped it with /generalize switch and my answer file, then booted to WinPE and captured an FFU image. I applied this image to a new VHDX file, added it to Windows boot menu, and it worked perfectly.

I have now repeated this several times, without an issue. The key is generalizing; I have tried just to run Sysprep, without /generalize switch, but in that case the captured FFU images work as they should when applied to physical disk, but not when applied to a virtual hard disk.

Sorry, Martin, not what you wanted to hear. Anyway, I can now confirm that an FFU image can be applied to a virtual hard disk, and be used as native boot VHDX, but the captured image must be from a generalized Windows image.

Kari

Thanks - I cannot help thinking there is a bug somewhere causing this. I guess we will never know.

cereberus said:

I did an interesting test today.

That really is interesting. Thanks for testing.

cereberus said:

FFU was really fast by comparison!

It is fast, fastest cloning method I've seen.

Kari