ESD to ISO - Create Bootable ISO from Windows 10 ESD File  

This video needs to and will be remade; at the moment it's done using an older version of the tool, on an earlier build of Windows 10. However, although both Windows and this tool have changed the process itself has remained the same. I thought it might help some of you guys, so I will embed it here.



Video shows how you can grab the ESD file even before the upgrade process starts. This is practical if you have no intention to wait through the whole upgrade process but want instead just make the ISO for a clean install.

If you do want to let Windows Update to upgrade your Windows 10 and only create the ISO for later use and Windows maintenance, use this link to see the video starting at the point where you already have secured the ESD file (at 6 minutes 15 seconds): ESD to ISO - YouTube

Kari

Thanks @Kari!

Kari said:

This video needs to and will be remade; at the moment it's done using an older version of the tool, on an earlier build of Windows 10. However, although both Windows and this tool have changed the process itself has remained the same. I thought it might help some of you guys, so I will embed it here.



Video shows how you can grab the ESD file even before the upgrade process starts. This is practical if you have no intention to wait through the whole upgrade process but want instead just make the ISO for a clean install.

If you do want to let Windows Update to upgrade your Windows 10 and only create the ISO for later use and Windows maintenance, use this link to see the video starting at the point where you already have secured the ESD file (at 6 minutes 15 seconds): ESD to ISO - YouTube

Kari

Thanks, Kari. You taught me well.... even if I don't really need it, I'm conditioned to snagging the install.esd before it gets away! Good Boy Scout stuff, I guess...

I found this script inserted in the Deployment Research > Research
page but I can not understand why the author creates, first, an empty volume image in the boot.wim and install.wim files, and then they are deleted. Why?

Thanks

Bye

balubeto said:

I found this script inserted in the Deployment Research > Research
page but I can not understand why the author creates, first, an empty volume image in the boot.wim and install.wim files, and then they are deleted. Why?

Thanks

Bye

It's a bit technical, but I'll try to explain as simply as possible.

Dism needs to know which image to work with inside the file specified - To do this it needs a handle or memory pointer - the only way to allocate that is with the Capture-Image command.

The Export-image command then uses that memory allocation to find the image.
It's thus just due to a deficiency in the Dism API.
The Wim-lib API is a better solution in that it acquires the handle automatically prior to the export function.

Superfly said:

It's a bit technical, but I'll try to explain as simply as possible.

Dism needs to know which image to work with inside the file specified - To do this it needs a handle or memory pointer - the only way to allocate that is with the Capture-Image command.

The Export-image command then uses that memory allocation to find the image.
It's thus just due to a deficiency in the Dism API.
The Wim-lib API is a better solution in that it acquires the handle automatically prior to the export function.

I'm sorry but if I were writing only:

Code:

dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:2 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:4 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\install.wim /Compress:Recovery

DISM would not work the boot.wim and install.wim files? Why?

Thanks

Bye

balubeto said:

I'm sorry but if I were writing only:

Code:

dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:2 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:4 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\install.wim /Compress:Recovery

DISM would not work the boot.wim and install.wim files? Why?

Thanks

Bye

It simply does not know where to look.

I would strongly advise using wimlib-imagex instead - it has better ESD compatibility as well as faster compression/decompression routines - it's also Linux compatible BTW.

Superfly said:

It simply does not know where to look.

I would strongly advise using wimlib-imagex instead - it has better ESD compatibility as well as faster compression/decompression routines - it's also Linux compatible BTW.

I think I understand:


The commands above must have an existing .wim file to work. Right?

Thanks

Bye

In the script of the Deployment Research > Research
link, the boot.wim file will have two bootable volume images:

Code:

# Export base Windows PE to empty boot.wim file (creating a second index)
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:2 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable


# Export Windows PE with Setup to boot.wim file
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:3 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable

Why?


What is the difference between this volume images?


Thanks


Bye

balubeto said:

In the script of the Deployment Research > Research
link, the boot.wim file will have two bootable volume images:

Code:

# Export base Windows PE to empty boot.wim file (creating a second index)
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:2 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable


# Export Windows PE with Setup to boot.wim file
dism.exe /Export-image /SourceImageFile:$ESDFile /SourceIndex:3 /DestinationImageFile:$ISOMediaFolder\sources\boot.wim /Compress:Recovery /Bootable

Why?


What is the difference between this volume images?


Thanks


Bye

The first image is the decompression of the setup files ( setup.exe etc), the second the bootable image.