Ok for past few years I have been using a strange method, NTlite to extract wim from ESD, using NTlite to add drivers missing for my multiple pcs, using winreducer to disable services and also tweak a few things, then wintoolkit to add some post install files. Outside of using multiple softwares the only issue I ever came across bar random broken installs so I had to remake image was when installing it always stuck at something, I think it was updating services or system and that took as much as a hour then it took me into first setup screen. This time it didn't work and instead I got "windows has run into an error, a update may help" I tried backtracking on myself and first not using wintoolkit, then not using winreducer, removing drivers NTlite said I already had etc. I then also tried just doing a NTlite image with just drivers added, that worked. I then decided to try NTlite but with tweaks, and new fault, it quickly gets to the "just a moment" screen then hangs, I have left it overnight even and its still stuck. I must of made 15 images so far with various attempts to test what works and nothing seems to work. I also just tried with Dism++ (I am aware I could use normal Dism but it didn't load on my pc) used it to remove all apps bar windows store and store install service, VC, classicpaint and skype. I also put on a few tweaks like removing quick access, pin to etc. and removing things like hello face and unneeded things. Still broken, wont get further than the "just a moment" screen. What am I doing wrong. ....................................... Ok what I want to do to an image is add drivers, Remove libraries, quick access and folders from my computer so I just have network and drive list. Have classic control panel, sound etc but modern login screen. Remove icons like language bar from taskbar, and as a bonus ones like task view, action centre, cortana and search already hidden. Another bonus to disable things like geolocation, telemetry, game bar/Xbox features and all tracking and non essential services. Remove preinstalled apps and start menu apps and onedrive, bar store service, VCredist, Skype, mspaint. A bonus if I can remove any extras such as hello face etc. I have seen a few registry files/scripts for each but im inexperienced with dism to use them hence using NTlite. What am I doing wrong? Any advice to do it easier?
>What am I doing wrong? Any advice to do it easier? Stop using NTLite . If you need to add drivers its ok but as soon as you start to chop things you get ...... what you got . Put windows in first and then if you feel the need to castrate your system use NTLite or a similar program .
I have stopped using NTLite since I can do everything I want to do with DISM GUI (makes adding drivers very easy), W10UI (adds updates in the correct order), MSMG tookit (to do all of my removals) and DISM++ (to remove a few extra things from either a mounted WIM file or live system). I have not had an issue with an install breaking or failing to install for many years now. For example this is what I do with a new laptop top get it ready for someone to use: Use the base install to get all drivers updated and make sure the BIOS is up to date. Use dism /online /export-driver /destination:<destination folder goes here> to export current drivers. Use UUP dump to grab a clean current image. Ask the user what they do and do now want and make a removal list to be used in MSMG toolkit and DISM++. Use MSMG toolkit and DISM++ to do the removals. Use DISM GUI to add the drivers I exported earlier. Convert to ESD (adding drivers makes the image too big for FAT32). Dump the resulting image a bootable flash drive, boot, wipe the existing partitions and then install. I've done exactly this on like 30 laptops now, literally 0 issues. If stuff is breaking you are being too aggressive with your system modifications. At the very least do more of the aggressive stuff post-install and see if that helps. Some people think that Windows 10 is made from glass but it really isn't, at least not anymore. You just need to be reasonable with your modifications.
The thing with Windows 10 now is that too many things are now dependent on other things. For example, let's say I don't need nor want to run the DHCP service because I want to use a static IP - well hell, I can't use the MS Store now even though I have a valid IP address and an internet connection. How those two correlate in Microsoft's head is unbeknownst to me and makes no logical sense. You'd think that the MS Store app would just use my TCP/IP connection and go straight through my gateway to access the Store, but nooooooooo if DHCP is disabled, it flat out won't work. Lovely. It makes no sense, I know, but your best bet is to do like the other said and make minimal changes at best as it seems with the later versions of Windows 10 that dependencies have grown to the point where if you remove/disable one simple thing, your whole OS is borked.
All I was really doing was what was listed above, basically just removing quick access, onedrive and pre installed apps but not store service and adding drivers and removing things like "pin to" or "give access to" The other tweaks were mostly just cosmetic. Thanks for help so far
Problem can be that you make your image ......... but because youve cut parts out you might not be able to update it when updates come out ...... every month = Youll have to do the whole job once a month . If you get it in first with all your programs and drivers and make an image of that you can keep putting it in every month , then update it ........ and then cut things out and do your tune things .
This is absolutely not true. I install CUs every month and nothing I removed comes back. The only stuff that does come back is the stuff that has a tendency to break things if you remove it. All in all it makes sense to only remove the stuff that stays gone as this is typically the safe stuff. Let me grab a screen shot of my mobile workstation so you can see what I mean. EDIT: IMGUR is down, figures.
No offense but this is the reason I'm still on 8.1 you can afford to go complete retard and still don't end up with a broken system. Plus there's nothing I can't do on 8.1 I would be able to on 10.
Not offensive at all. IMO everyone is entitled to using the stuff they own in any way they want. If people love 7, they should be able to use 7. If people hate 30 icons they will never click, they should not have to look at them constantly.
IMO 8.1 is far better than 10 if the end user is looking to slim down the OS. Considerably less chance of ending up with a broken build.
nosirrahx Thank you fotr your personal subective experience and theories . My personal subjective experience is ....... what i said .
Yeah I was fine with 7 but my current setup is recent and Windows 7 doesn't work with it, as is my bedroom pc, back then all I did was use wintoolkit and click a few boxes and that was it. Outside of the visual things which I often don't mind doing after install i.e by a batch file or registry edit its more that I notice when I have a unmodified image even after I spend time post install removing things the installed size is a few gigabytes higher than if I just didn't have them installed in first place and less hassle if I do multiple pcs at once.
Thanks for all the help, I managed to sort it, im not sure if NTLite was the culprit as I tried the toolkit to extract from ESD, add drivers, remove stuff used Dism++ for the things it didnt cover and toolkit again to convert to ESD and make iso and it installed fast. Only one minor issue that occured on previous images, not sure if its pen drive related or something to do with image, after the main install when it goes into windows its missing certain integrated drivers and the pen drive isn't showing until I remove and reattach, not sure if this is down to something in background or not. Anyway to fix that?
Nuhi added a feature to remove stuff from vhd so u can test it before even install in on the host and without reinstall it many times using VHD's parent-child option or u can just install it untouched and then capture it to image and then do the liting thats how i test ntlite its save time