MSMG ToolKit

@MSMG I'm trying to create an iso which works with the most recent "Moment 2" update. I downloaded the compatible ISO using UUP. Downloaded 3 recent CUs and installed them using WHD method (I put them all in the same folder and did it at once, did I do something wrong. I DIDN'T integrate the 50-ish mb .Net updates since I thought windows will update them and I couldn't see much mention of them in this thread). It gave me a few errors about duplicate or missing files found but then installed the rest. Applied source, loaded source, removed components and yada yada. Booted into windows and everything works but the updates didn't really get integrated (it still gave me a prompt to download most recent CUs and I did), which in turn brought back the infamous explorer crash/blinking on latest version of windows. Is it related to my removed components or me integrating updates wrong in some way? I've been struggling with this for quite a few days now.

Thanks for creating this amazing tool.

 

You won't have a working Windows Store anyway since you have the option to delete other stuff that's also required.

But actually, do you have any plans on including the possibility of using unattended installation? Seems like it shouldn't be any trouble yet the toolkit doesn't have that very useful feature, as far as I'm aware.

I don't think this is an issue on all versions though. I had no problem with that whatsoever on 19044.1288.

Why not add the ability to remove Input App and Screen Clipping? Seems like the point of the toolkit, no? At least for windows 10.

 

are components that interlinked?

is it not possible to remove individual components?
removeing the input app by it's self would that not work?
Majid

 

@MSMG

It's a while I think to ask for this...

I wish an option to get MSMG operate not on a mounted WIMs but on a mounted VHD[X]

I mean, personally I never use the ISO for a fresh install.

I just deploy the image (once) to a VHD[x] (and make it bootable).

Then I keep a copy of such file.

When I need a new VM I just copy such disk in the right place and start a new vm

When I need a new OS on baremetal, I just copy the VHD to the right place, and add it to the bootloader

So using MSMG implies a lot of unneeded steps that could be avoided if MSMG had a option to operate on say X:\ (and possibly a option to deploy the current WIM on X:\)

I think that It would be relatively straightforward to add these options, and few checks to avoid meaningless operations on such scenario (like APPLY/Discard changes)

What do you think?

 

an app that we won't name here,
bit of the old nt,
how doo they remove individual components?
I even note that 32 bit versions of the components are removible?
is this a difference in component removal techniques?
I've always been fasinated.
Majid

 

It's a good idea. But before capturing or try to apply the image of an Index you will need to clean up folders and temporary files and use a Dism Commit-Image. So I think saving and using the Apply-Image is the best option. You have to consider whether the time wasted committing or saving is the same and I don't know if it's possible to Apply the image directly from a mount point.

You also have to see the templates for creating the VHDX, in BIOS and UEFI, and mount them to be able to apply the mountpoint (if possible) or the saved index.

 

No, You're operating directly on vhd, there is no commit/discard or whatever. Any modification is made in one step, there isn't any undo chance.

But if you do something wrong just unmount the vhd (which is instantaneous) and overwrite it with another copy and remount it (which is instantaneous as well).

No time wasted waiting for apply, discard. wim mount/unmount and so on.


Capturing it in a WIM is an option, but usually an unneeded option, ISOs in 2023 make sense just for inplace upgrades, for everything else is faster, to skip the ISO thing at all.

Sure.

But keep in mind that MBR VHDs are bootable w/o any problem even if placed in GPT physical disks. So they are fine for most cases.

In case you really need a UEFI VHD, is straightforward (and fast) to convert a MBR one using mbr2gpt.exe (which is present in any recent W10 installation)

So no need for complicate "IF" structures. Just a single option "Press #2 to convert your MBR virtual disk to GPT" would be more than enough.

 

I think I understood, but I didn't see the point.

It would be as if you treated a mounted vhd partition as if it were a mount point for a wim image.
But then, it would not be possible to get the data from an image, as the Toolkit does.

You would have to make a script to mount the windows registry HIVES on that partition and get all the data. I think integrating updates and using ToolkitHelper to remove components would be possible. But you have to keep in mind that each ToolkitHelper is only compatible with SPBuild .1 and currently supported. Thus, if the installed build is not supported, problems will occur. Perhaps if it were possible to remove the previous updates and treat the windows installation as if it were a SPBuild .1... Man, this looks pretty complex and full of problems. But a dedicated script would have to be made for that.

@Bira made a script that I think cleans up updates already embedded in a wim Image. I'm not sure. Only him to confirm.

 

Still dont know how to remove CloudExperienceHost after installation, it makes me frustated....aaarrrgghhhhh

 

here is a model that people can be making, these are online, but transferring the change to the mounted image, just put the numbers of the updates in the variable list, if they are not resetBase, the script will remove, if the numbers of the list is incorporated, go to uninstall updates, and they will have a base

https://forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/disable-remove-telemetry-and-tracking-service.68131/

 

The point is spare (a lot of) time for people like me that understand the value of VHDs AND/OR the simplicity of deploying images instead of using the 1990s setups.exe and ISOs

To summarize

Traditional way

#1 Unpack the stock image in the DVD folder (some time needed)

#2 Select the image and mount it (a good amount of time needed)

#3 Do whatever you like to the image (the usual thing you do using MSMG) (time needed depending on complexity)

#4 Apply the image (a good amount of time needed)

#5 Cleanup the image (a good amount of time needed)

#6 Create the ISO (some time needed)

#7 Copy the ISO to your usual storage location, burn the ISO, Use rufus, whatever depending on your preferences.

#8 Then install the OS, or deploy the image, (again a lot of time needed)
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My way

#1 Create a VHD and mount it (almost instantaneous)

#2 Deploy the stock image to a vhdx (some time needed)

#3 Do whatever you like to the image (the usual thing you do using my hypothetical MSMG) (time needed depending on complexity)

#4 unmount the disk (istantaneous)

#5 add it to bcd (to boot natively) or use bcdboot (before #4) to make it bootable in a VM (instantaneous)

#6 Just boot.
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See the difference? And that's just speaking of a perfect procedure.

In case of multiple mistakes overvriting a 5/6GB file is surely way faster than discarding and remounting a WIM

 

once you remove the components how do you get or save the list of components you have removed so next time you could just use the package list.?

is there a guide or place where i could find all the removeable components description.? a list description is needed so that we know what exaactly each component is or does..

 

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I just analyzed opera here master look, even though it is the official installer directly from the site, it will be installed directly from the users folder, how to proceed with this? that's why I want you to make a package of this opera, so we can see how it will look in the registry