Hi, I formatted my hard drive and formatted it. I run a full clean install on the entire drive. Sometimes, I found windows creates extra partition or more during setup. Sometimes it is called "100 MB Healthy (EFI System Partition). Another time it creates extra one or more partitions with a title "system reserved or something alike." So what is the logic behind it, and when it is done!?
A separate boot partition is needed to access the system if you encrypt the OS partition (both on MBR and GUID disks) On UEFI a additional FAT32 partition is needed to boot according the UEFI specs, but most modern UEFI machines can boot happily from NTFS, so you can boot from a single partition also on UEFI machines. The recovery partition is not needed as the recovery image can reside on the main partition w/o any problem, perhaps any sane minded person would have at least two OS in dual boot, making the recovery partition useless. On preinstalled machines you usually have also restore partition to restore the system to the factory setting, handy for the average Joe, a waste of space for experienced users.
Thanks a lot for the info as it is a new area for me. I used to see this layout a lot of times but never understood it fully correctly. It happened a lot that I tried to use the tool WINNT to deploy Windows but always failed to find a UEFI or a BOOT partition and always got a red flag. Always ended up installing everything manually which takes a lot of time. Sometimes I get about 20 or 50 machines to deploy Windows and add software and drivers and I hate my life when it happens as it takes a lot of time. Some of the machines are Dell, others are HP or Lenovo so you can imagine how much effort it takes. The best I can do is use the Acronis 2014 image, but it does not fit everything because sometimes Windows updates are downloading drivers or software updates. For any model I get I do the install and the drivers and update, and then do acronis backup and add this backup to my archive in case I get a new machine, and I am running out of storage. What I would LOVE to learn is how to deploy everything automatically. I see videos on YouTube where the machine just powered on and then it boots, and then it goes to a network path where it is getting the Windows installation files, and then it starts to deploy and then it is done. This is like magic for me. I have tried several times to learn it but did not find clear training to do so. If anyone is interested in telling me a place or a guide to learn it from scratch and he/she asks me to pay I can pay you for your time or your experience to guide me. I am an old man, but I am not embarrassed to say that it got me depressed that I do not know how to learn it or where is the right source to learn it from Scratch. I want to learn how to do it manually and apply those magical scripts to deploy things. If you know any YouTube or Udemy or any other courses that explain these fundamentals I can understand it. The link from the learning website by Microsoft has anything I do not follow. This Windows PE thing, I used to think that it was a hack build done by others but it is my 1st time seeing it mentioned on the Microsoft website. The dream scenario I would love to learn is how to do a deployment for Windows and let updates run automatically. In the old days, I used to do so with Windows XP and I used to visit a forum titled msfn dot org and another forum titled retestrak dot nl and use a tool titled nlite and another one titled Windows Post Installer and add a switchless installer for different applications using 7zs or winrar, and I build an office 2003 installer compressed in about 80 MB. then I dropped the entire field and worked in another field, but life brought me back out of my hand or my control to this field again and it is the only thing I have now to do for a living, so this is why I want to learn it and to save time doing things. I have a little shop now to deal in imported used machines like hp or Dell....etc so I install Windows, and make backups...etc, and the more clever I am the better I can do in that area. I do not know why I mentioned all of that ... but this is me and this is why I asked ... sorry for bothering you or wasting your time with my goofy things.
Hi I refuse to use UEFI partitions, when possible (we discussed the matter in another thread) Whatever speaking of WINNTSETUP installer which is the only thing I use to deploy, I had failures as well. But if I really need the GPT layout I workaround the problem just deploying as MBR then I use mbr2gpt command (a stock command on recent Windows versions) to convert to GPT (it's matter of few seconds). P.S. as usual I suggest to get familiar with native vhds, which (among a bunch of endless advantages) makes the decision of formatting to MBR or GPT almost not relevant (You can have MBR virtual disk bootable from either MBR or GPT physical disks, you can have UEFI virtual disk bootable from either GPT or MBR physical disks)
Start your windows install. At the 1st screen you then press shift+F10 to open a cmd prompt. you could then run: Code: diskpart /s D:\CreatePartitions-UEFI.txt Change D:\ to whatever path you have to the CreatePartitions-UEFI.txt text file. This will create the partitions as layed out in that file. I would also change from 500 to 650 as winre.wim is bigger these days. Type exit to close the cmd prompt. Continue with your install and that layout will be used...
Thanks a lot for your help. I am using the WINNT tool to deploy or install Windows, and it does not show this screen, so is there any way to apply this .txt file contents while using the WINNT tool? Thanks indeed.
After several times I was able to run the apply image bat file, and done the partitions as I want. But it is installing LTSC not the IoT. I need the IoT. I mean the .iso has two editions, LTSC & IoT. I searched for the .esd for the IoT to extract it and convert it to .iso, but many reported that it is only in .iso. So, how to let the IoT got installed when I deploy!? While it consumed a lot of time to do a very few steps, but can not deny that I am really excited and happy doing it. But some lines in the script about DISM I was not able to run it. I am posting from mobile.
This is the part of the script that I do not know how to apply... Spoiler Code: @echo ********************************************************************* @echo == Apply the image to the Windows partition == @SeT /P COMPACTOS=Deploy as Compact OS? (Y or N): @If %COMPACTOS%.==y. set COMPACTOS=Y @echo Does this image include Extended Attributes? @echo (If you're not sure, type N). @SeT /P EA=(Y or N): @If %EA%.==y. set EA=Y @If %COMPACTOS%.==Y. if %EA%.==Y. dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:%1 /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\ /Compact /EA @If not %COMPACTOS%.==Y. if %EA%.==Y. dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:%1 /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\ /EA @If %COMPACTOS%.==Y. if not %EA%.==Y. dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:%1 /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\ /Compact @If not %COMPACTOS%.==Y. if not %EA%.==Y. dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:%1 /Index:1 /ApplyDir:W:\ @echo ********************************************************************* @echo == Copy boot files to the System partition == W:\Windows\System32\bcdboot W:\Windows /s S: @echo ********************************************************************* @echo Next steps: @echo * Add Windows Classic apps (optional): @echo DISM /Apply-SiloedPackage /ImagePath:W:\ @echo /PackagePath:"D:\App1.spp" /PackagePath:"D:\App2.spp" ... @echo. @echo * Configure the recovery partition with ApplyRecovery.bat @echo. If anyone may guide or highlight the starting point that would be awesome.
If you applied the image with dism then you probably applied index 1 which is Enterprise LTSC, index 2 is IoT in that ISO... You should have a look at murphy78's DiskPart and Apply Image Script: https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/murphy78-diskpart-and-apply-image-script.53532/
Click the link there to go to the diskpart script project and read the part about "Integration Instructions" You have you mount the boot.wim image 2 and copy the files in. Then unmount. You can't simply copy into the iso.
Really honored that you are replying to me, I used to download the torrents you used to do several years ago from the pirate bay. You are one of the genius people I've known over the internet. Will follow your advice to the letter. Thanks once again..
Dunno if it helps but. WHAT I DO..... 1 Have windows installed on a external drive. ie...windows to go ...etc (use win to usb ) 2.Boot to the external hd....From there i have Macrorit Partition Expert installed and AIOME or various partition software. 3.Select the drive on the pc....delete all partitions or....WIPE drive...i usualy wipe drive zero out the whole thing. 4 shut down....unplug external hd with windows to go... 5.plug in your favorite flavor of windows...install to a clean bare HD thats been zero'd out. this ensures the partiton table is clean and the partitons are fresh. avoiding any errors. something to think about.....
I want to say it depends on what software you used to partition the hardrive... ive run into that before and its annoying. Thats why i use Macrorit P E. GPT is good for multiple partitions on one disk.... when i partition, im old school i go NTFS or exFat depending on size of drive. back up your data on that drive.... wipe it and re-partition it to use the full disk. Either GPT or NTFS....choice really. also if you have used that drive in the past for windows thats why there's extra partitions on it. its a harddrive for data...sometimes simple is better.......if your used to running scripts by all means i like fast n simple. ill boot to that external drive and wipe a drive on a computer or system without having to put an OS on it first... saves time... we only have so much time on this planet anyway.... in the past i used to use Fdisk and stuff....from command prompt. i remember the unsure issues...and headaches..... ahh win 95 days....
If your time allows, may you link the exact place that includes the integration because I've tried several times but not able to figure it out, thanks for your valuable time helping me. Golden days, the tiger wallpaper I learned a lot from your replies. Thanks a lot my friend