Deploy & Compare VHDs of many portable Windows To Go WTG Creators

[crashnburn4u]

Deploy & Compare VHDs of many portable Windows To Go WTG Creators Apps with your support

 

A. What I'd like to do: 

 

1. Deploy VHDs created by each of these tools. 

 

- I'll be doing many instances of this, so I'd like to make it as SIMPLE, EASY & AUTOMATED as possible. 

- Deploy with minimal interaction, configured & working devoid of pesky features, such as Windows update disabled

- Open to other suggestions on these sample deployments

- Whether I should VM or Native Boot them?

 

I am wondering which of the following I should use as I am familiar with DISM

- DISM (DISM++/ DISM GUI) + Silent/ UnattendedAnswerFile.Xml + MSDN ISO - Install.Wim {Would it better to extract it ahead of time} (Also, how do I add .xml on commandline when I am booting from DVD/ .ISO - via a USB Flashdisk?)

 

Do I need any of the following?

+ Customized Install.wim - Customize using.. ?? 

+ Some of the MDL Tools like MSMG Toolkit

+ I did read about MDT and I am wondering if it would be overkill to learn for this.. ??

 

2. Compare how they are deployed - Understand the differences

 

- File/ Directory Structure Comparison - I'm gonna use Beyond Compare for that

- Registry Comparison - Any recommendations on apps that can do this well for entire Reg?

- Any other comparisons I should perform to see differences

 

 

B. WTG Creators under evaluation: (Open to try any more app suggestions as well)

 

- WTG - Enterprise

- DISM – Powershell Scripts

- WTG Creator – extracted for use in – Pro Volume

- WinNTSetup - MSFN

- WinToUSB

- AOMEI Partition Assistant

- WiNToBootic

- Easy2Boot/ RMPrepUSB

- Rufus

Maybe some more.

 

deploy, compare, vhd, wtg, windows-to-go

Edited September 16, 2015 by crashnburn4u

[jaclaz]

Oh, noes , NOT AGAIN.

 

Maybe, just maybe, you are starting to make this a tad bit (please read as largely) repetitive:

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/174440-primary-os-as-a-portable-windows-windowstogo-on-vhd-–-doing-it-the-right-way/

(besides all the posts on the Wintsetup thread and other threads here and on other boards)

 

Try doing a few builds at random and compare them, then choose one that provides you the "best" result (according to you), and then IF you find in one of them a flaw (or something that similarly you do not like) then you may well ask for support for that specific build.

 

There is NOT a "best" way or a "best" tool, and anyway suggestions will largely be by people that have NOT tested all the ways/tools you listed, most people wanting to build a "portable Windows" of some kind try just one method and if it works won't test other ones, and the final result will be the same or mostly the same whatever tool/builder you use: it is the final result that either satisfies your requirements or that does not.

 

Just do it.

 

jaclaz