turn XP setup disc / installed system image into a .wim file???

Discussion in 'Windows XP / Older OS' started by stayboogy, Sep 17, 2012.

  1. stayboogy

    stayboogy MDL Addicted

    May 1, 2011
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    #1 stayboogy, Sep 17, 2012
    i've read somewhere (not sure where, can't find the link right now) that it is possible to do a type of sysprep with XP oobe and make the system image into a .wim file to be used like a standard windows vista / 7 install.wim is.

    does anyone have any dependable and accurate information regarding this or a tutorial? i'm sick and tired of using all these slow and undependable setup from usb methods for installing windows xp on devices that don't have cd/dvd drives. not only this, but i would like to make a system image into a .wim that has many of my installed programs and customizations present for using on multiple machines.

    any help greatly appreciated.
     
  2. sebus

    sebus MDL Guru

    Jul 23, 2008
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    #2 sebus, Sep 17, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2012
    Just make an image of XP that you like, sysprep it & capture to anything you want (Ghost, Acronis, wim)

    Then you can restore it on a different hardware & hope that it all works OK

    Just because it is wim image it is not any different then ie. Ghost as a process

    You can NOT convert XP install disk into wim, as it is a different process then Win7 installation

    Seb
     
  3. mfq

    mfq MDL Novice

    Feb 14, 2012
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    #3 mfq, Sep 17, 2012
  4. sebus

    sebus MDL Guru

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    #4 sebus, Sep 17, 2012
    Yes, but it is a completely different wim (like a first MS attempt at it)

    sebus
     
  5. winoutreach5

    winoutreach5 MDL Novice

    Sep 18, 2012
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    #5 winoutreach5, Sep 19, 2012
    Sebus is correct. You will want to configure your Windows XP reference machine as needed and then proceed to make an image of that machine. Microsoft offers a free utility known as ImageX and you can save the image right to your deployment server to be pushed out using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit. To do this, create a Windows PE disk using the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) and then add the ImageX tool. Next, Sysprep your reference machine as Michael advised and then boot from the Windows PE disk and use ImageX to capture your image.

    If you’re new to the process of creating a reference image, using sysprep to prepare the image for capture and then using ImageX for the capturing process, you might find the following videos on the Springboard Series on TechNet site helpful:

    · Capture and Apply Windows Images
    · Prepare an Image Using Sysprep and ImageX

    Also, another resource that might help you is the Basic Windows 7 Deployment video available on TechNet. While, as the title explains, this video is for Windows 7 Deployment, it also explains how to create the Windows PE disk and add ImageX to it.

    In the video, all the steps are the pretty much the same except where Sysprep is found and the unattend.xml file in Windows 7 is sysprep.ini in Windows XP.

    Hope this helps get you pointed in the right direction!

    Jessica
    Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

    (I can't post links yet but if you search for the names of the above recommended videos on the Springboard Series on TechNet website, you should be able to find them. Feel free to message me if you have trouble.)