Repair Windows by Imagex /APPLY

[Ulaiphur]

Is an imagex /apply operation the same as a Windows DVD Repair operation? Say we have a system with many corrupted files, HDD issues. Would the imagex /apply be able to fix it? Everything will get overwritten obviously but the user registry hives will remain intact, correct? I'm assuming some if not all user application will no longer work but windows would be fully repaired.

Has anyone tried this? Is this a better way than windows repair?

Thank you

Edited March 27, 2016 by AlexCeed

[Tripredacus]

It depends on the contents of the WIM file you are using. If it contains registry hives (as a system image would) then they will overwrite. Imagex was primarily used to lay down an OS into a blank disk.

[jaclaz]

On 26/03/2016 at 1:49 AM, AlexCeed said:

Is an imagex /apply operation the same as a Windows DVD Repair operation?

No.
jaclaz

[Ulaiphur]

I'd like to discuss this topic further.

Quote

It depends on the contents of the WIM file you are using.

Say it's the same .wim used to install the windows.

Quote

If it contains registry hives (as a system image would) then they will overwrite.

No, I'm talking about everything else EXCEPT the registry hives. In this case, all of the user settings would be saved, right?

Edited March 28, 2016 by AlexCeed

[jaclaz]

A windows specific install is essentially made of the Registry (or of settings in it) and the different hives are often "interconnected".
The specific NTuser.dat may well "survive" the re-deploying of a system, but the links to it in SAM (and possibly SECURITY) will very likely be lost.

On the other hand, if the "corruption" you experience is connected to one of those Registry hives (more technically to the files backing them), then you won't solve the problem by leaving them "as they are".
More generally, the sheer moment you "exclude" any file from an /apply, you are not using anymore the /apply but something else, basically you could mount the .wim to a drive letter and copy just the files that you believe corrupted (or, say, alll .exe and .dll files, and BTW good luck with WinSxS and updates).
Really, it cannot (and it won't IMHO) work (if not - maybe - in a very limited, specific number of cases, which will be anyway easier to fix in other ways), but if you are so convinced that it may work, why don't you simply try doing it next time you have a corrupted install?

jaclaz