@FaiKee Please look at this procedure, if it is correct? Spoiler Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"C:\Images\install.wim" /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount attrib –s -h C:\mount\Windows\Windows\System32\Recovery\winre.wim move C:\mount\Windows\System32\Recovery\winre.wim C:\images\winre.wim Dism /Optimize-Image /Image:C:\mount\Windows /WIMBoot Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\mount\Windows /Commit Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"C:\Images\install_temp.wim" /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount DISM /Capture-Image /WIMBoot /ImageFile:"C:\Images\install_wimboot-2.wim" /CaptureDir:C:\mount /Name:"WIMBoot Enterprise_x64 with 8.1 Updates" Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\mount /discard
The MS article's mount folder is \mount\windows, but in my case it is just \mount ; guess you got somewhat mixed up: Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\Images\install.wim /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount attrib –s -h C:\mount\Windows\System32\Recovery\winre.wim move C:\mount\Windows\System32\Recovery\winre.wim C:\images\winre.wim Dism /Optimize-Image /Image:C:\mount /WIMBoot Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\mount /Commit - After this, you need to remove the folder \mount, then make new folder \mount so that you will have a new empty folder. - There is no "install_temp.wim", the above operations saves the optimized contents of \mount back into install.wim, therefore: Dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:C:\Images\install.wim /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\mount DISM /Capture-Image /WIMBoot /ImageFile:"C:\Images\install_wimboot-2.wim" /CaptureDir:C:\mount /Name:"WIMBoot Enterprise_x64 with 8.1 Updates" Dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\mount /discard Also, when you install the wimboot to the new drive, MS article requires the "\windows" folder (where you apply wimboot to)and the "\Windows Images" folder are on the same drive - I didn't do that and got a BSOD after a few runs, anyway, I lost interest and removed everything.
There was this remark in the MS article that made me lost interest: That means if I need to install Windows Update: - EITHER add to the running wimboot, without the wim-treatment, so the footprint will balloon and eventually loss the advantage of wimboot. - OR go back to square 1, make a new custom.wim with sysprep, and fresh install wimboot again. ...... must be a really bad joke, direct from Redmond.
Murphy, Point 1) I like to learn new stuff and to build Windows Images... same as you do. Point 2) I think it is not worth the time to make WimBoot images just to strip almost 8gb and just for "20% faster boot time", i can wait 6 more seconds for Windows to boot... And for the sake of learning.... I am having problems with the WimBoot Images using Windows Bing version... I tried 2 times building it... and failed (maybe it is the PC, will try later with another one.) If you have time try wimbooting the Bing version, and post the results. Thanks!
You mean the pre-release version? Maybe it isn't fully compatible? I remember between 17019 and 17031 they shoehorned in a lot of the previous updates into 2919355. Perhaps in the bing 17029 version they still had an update or two that needed to be changed? I don't know. It's just speculation. I have no idea. I have absolutely zero desire to mess with wimboot and bing images since they would mostly be tablet based. I have a stupid nook tablet and every time I have to type something on that stupid screen keyboard I feel like a toddler. It's infuriating.
Yah... They *Could* do this correctly with a single-partition for the windows install that compresses itself in a data deduplication way, and then have a 2nd partition for the user's data, but let the first drive be flexible in size for updates and such. The way they implemented it, currently, is only good for a pre-integrated OS where you just turn off updates and leave it the way it's shipped. It's just not tolerant to changes. It's a good start, but it's not quite there. I don't know. I think their biggest benefit is also their biggest disadvantage. Everyone always expects their Windows version to be compatible with every windows app that was ever made. Tablets are just not designed to be this inefficient in hardware use. It's a lot of bloat in the way Windows catalogs everything and has official logging programs and registries and different data folders for each user... I'm not saying you can't do some of that on a tablet, but for fu**s sake, trim some fat MS.
Yes, the WinPE version needs to be updated. Using Windows Pro (wimboot) it works normal... and the Bing one just does not work. Anyway, will try later. thanks for the guides you make.
Speaking of trimming some fat, is there any point in liting the install.wim before trying this? I haven't read the whole thread. I have chopped down W8.1 32-bit to 2.4 GB when installed (down from stock 5.1 GB, excl. page and hiber) , but there's no way I could get down to that sweet 1.3 GB I did with W7 RTM...
It depends how much you cut. Win8.x is really interconnected. A lot of decent cuts will break the store. Breaking the store on a tablet, which this wimboot is targeted for, would be a bad thing. I've played with a lot of methods of reducing images in the last week or so. Starting with a CoreN or Embedded seems to be a good start, but to really cut any decent chunk out of the install requires gutting all the language files. I've tried removing all the payloads on the disabled features, and it doesn't help very much.
Since I'm not that good with DISM I used Winreducer. It's actually pretty good these days, probably the best I've seen since vlite. I think there's even a "Preserve Store" option, but I could be wrong. I started with Core and got to 2.4 GB, and when Embedded showed up I applied the same preset file on that one. The result was both having about the same install size, don't remember which one was the smallest (difference too small to even bother with Embedded in the future), but Embedded used maybe 50 MB less RAM. Pretty sure I didn't break the Store, but I'm not so sure about touch input since I don't have a tablet in the first place.
Yah it's like I said, each thing doesn't remove much but has a high likelihood of breaking important things. The 2 major size reducers for me were the winre and the extra language files.
I tried that small ISO again in Virtualbox. I could install and use the FB app with no issues. Now I see that Winreducer have switches for protecting ModernUI, Office, Sysprep, VMWare, Activation GUI, etc. I just had forgotten about it. My settings aren't that extreme, tablet support and WMP is still there, for instance.
Add additional content to install.wim The following link htt p://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn594399.aspx in text & 2nd image mentions that you can add a custom.wim which is used to house the newer updates. The WIMBoot process supports creating a separate custom.wim file for final customizations, such as Windows updates, build-to-order apps and drivers, or other changes that typically happen on the factory floor. This means you don't have to recapture these updates into the fully-loaded install.wim. This change can potentially save time during the manufacturing process. If the user refreshes the image, the push-button reset tools refresh the pointers to both the install.wim and the custom.wim file. The italic section means that you can include the latest windows updates just be rebuilding the custom.wim. Could this also be used with the wimboot.wim?
Yes, it's only used with wimboot installs, but like I said; the problem is that the partitions are not resizable with ms's default tools. You'd have to use a custom partition program in winpe to modify them when you capture the custom.wim
Wouldn't it just require that they leave enough room in the recovery partition to handle the expanding custom.wim. I was trying to help people who didn't want to go through the entire capture process just for windows updates. 500 GB & 1 TB Samsung Evo 840 SSD are available for $335 & $599 Australian. You could quite happily allow 64 GB for restore partition. My Asus G75VW has a 256GB SSD with a 25 GB recovery partition. Removing all the bloat ware that comes with the factory OS. I could probably include office & stuff that I actually use with latest windows updates within this size. I'm going to have a play this weekend with a spare 256 GB SSD & try.
I think you misunderstand the custom.wim It's static, not expandable. Once you run the custom pass, it creates the custom wim and moves the file pointers to point to the custom wim. Also, apparently this wimboot is more for the small storage space ssd devices such as 16/32gb tablets. At first, I thought it would be a big speed increase, but it's not. It's more of just a space saver at the expense of needing a damn phd in integration to get working
Could you point me at documentation on how to do the custom pass as I couldn't find any when I tried which also mentioned the wimboot.wim.