Intergrating drivers. boot.wim or install.wim ?

Discussion in 'Windows 7' started by tnx, Mar 24, 2012.

  1. tnx

    tnx MDL Expert

    Sep 2, 2008
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    Hi all.
    tn here,messing again,I have nowt better to do.

    Been messing about now for a wee while making my self my own uptodate Windows 7 SP1 x64 install disc.
    I have sacked RT7 Lite all together.
    I have learnt how to use DISm GUI 3. This is a nice little tool.
    Also I learnt a lovely little .cmd from NICK@NUMBER11 ( I thank you ) This is really neat.
    I have altered his coding to suit my needs ever so slightly and it works really well.

    I have a question though regarding intergrating drivers. Where to and why there ?

    What I mean is do I just intergrate them into the "install.wim"
    or into the "boot.wim"
    or both ?

    Another thing. I have removed all the index's from the Windows 7 install.wim and just left the Ultimate index (index 1)

    In the "boot.wim" there are two index's
    I have tried intergrating drivers into just the "index :2" and some work while others dont.
    I have not tried intergrating the drivers into both index's. I am actually doing this as I type.
    Not tested it yet. It was on my mind to know what the differences are between "boot.wim index 1 and index 2"

    Infact can the same driver be intergrated into both the "install.wim" and the "boot.wim. ( index 1 and index 2 )
    Or is that just been silly.

    Is there a rule of thumb on where a certain type of driver should be intergrated into to ?

    I am sure somebody on here can help me out with these questions.

    Any way.
    Thanks for reading this rather long winded post...;)

    Cheers :cool:
     
  2. Tito

    Tito Admin / Adviser
    Staff Member

    Nov 30, 2009
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    Integrate them in install.wim.

    Boot.wim has two images; one for installing windows, other one for the recovery environment. Integrating drivers in boot.wim is useless except mass storage drivers.
     
  3. tnx

    tnx MDL Expert

    Sep 2, 2008
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    ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

    What you just said then makes a lot of sence.
    What I mean is, I am actually installing Windows 7 onto a SATA HDD but using another smaller 55Gig SATA HDD via my e-SATA port to install from. This took me a little while to figue out that I had to intergrate the SIL SATA driver into the "boot.wim" index 2. so my machine would boot from that port.

    This is what go me to thinking where to intergrate my drivers to.

    "install.wim" it is then.

    Cheers...

    ohhhh. One more thing just pops into mind.
    My NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT disply drivers will NOT intergrate into "install.wim" it does not matter if I use a command line of the DISM gui tool but they do go into "boot.wim" index 2.....
    They seem to work ok.
    Is this just a waste of time ?

    Thanks very much for the pointers on this...;)
     
  4. tnx

    tnx MDL Expert

    Sep 2, 2008
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    Question....

    Which "boot.wim" index is which.
    Slightly confused..
     
  5. NICK@NUMBER11

    NICK@NUMBER11 MDL Expert

    Mar 23, 2010
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    #5 NICK@NUMBER11, Mar 24, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2012
    Unpack the exe installer and then the Nvida Driver will work ok

     
  6. tnx

    tnx MDL Expert

    Sep 2, 2008
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    Will give that a go. Never thought of doing that.

    Cheers.
     
  7. Flipp3r

    Flipp3r MDL Guru

    Feb 11, 2009
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    #7 Flipp3r, Mar 26, 2012
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2012
    You can install USB & Raid/AHCI drivers to both Index 1 & 2... ei, Add USB3 support...
    If you use WinPE over the network, you can add Network drivers... etc...
     
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  8. BetaTesta

    BetaTesta MDL Senior Member

    Aug 6, 2022
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    Is this assertion still valid for current Windows isos?
    TIA
     
  9. pm67310

    pm67310 MDL Guru

    Sep 6, 2011
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    Yes
     
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  10. BetaTesta

    BetaTesta MDL Senior Member

    Aug 6, 2022
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    @Tito says "recovery environment", I assume he's refering to winre, isn't he?

    NTLite reports this for the boot.wim:
    wims layout.png

    Why Windows PE for the Index 1?
    As far as I know WinPE (Windows Preinstallation Environment) is different compared to WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment), well rather similar.
    TIA
     
  11. pm67310

    pm67310 MDL Guru

    Sep 6, 2011
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    Winre = recovery

    integrate if you use , but better avoid and use tools like hirens boot cd or sergei strelec

    Boot wim index 1 = windows install via network

    Boot wim index 2 = windows standard setup ( dvd , iso , usb install )

    Install.wim = os image

    => integrate storage drivers only

    drivers to boot.wim ( index 2 only) and install.wim

    Integrate usb and graphic driver if your os was windows 7 media

    Integrate network driver only if you use mass deployment like mdt sccm

    ( except video driver for windows 7 ) because setup error if you use uefi tricks

    Resume

    Standard user integrate

    storage driver to boot.wim index 2 / and install.wim
     
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