Imagex and Spanned images

[zorphnog]

Due to a disconnected environment, I have to deploy all systems via DVD. I am trying to apply a .wim image that is split onto two discs. The image is a little over 5GB and I can only use SL DVD's so I had to split it into two .swm files. I've built a PE DVD boot solution that loads PE, partitions, formats, and begins applying my image. I've been using imagex to try and apply the image:

imagex /apply e:\custom.swm 1 c:\

OR

imagex /ref e:\custom*.swm /apply e:\custom.swm 1 c:\

In either case, imagex fails when the second .swm file is needed. I'm fairly sure its just a limitation of imagex. However, I've ran accross several articles about the createspannedshares.cmd utility located in the samples folder of the WAIK. This utility allows you to span the vista installation DVD accross several CD's, so I know that it is possible to apply an image spanned accross multiple discs. Although, I'm guessing that the vista installation uses the wimgapi to apply their images instead of imagex.

My question is whether anyone knows of a way to apply an image that is spanned accross multiple discs? Any tools that will allow me to do this, or am I completely missing something trivial? I'm trying to avoid having to develop something with wimgapi.

Edited March 15, 2007 by zorphnog

[zorphnog]

So I guess nobody has any ideas on this? Comments?

[kickenchicken57]

It seems that there is no way to apply a split WIM (swm) file from multiple CD's. The WIMGAPI also seems to be lacking a method to detect when the last file of the first split WIM has been reached to allow you to swap CD's and continue from the next split WIM file from the set.

[kickenchicken57]

It is possible to apply split wim files from the WIMGAPI but when the callback for the apply method tells me that it could not extract a file, I need to be able to swap the disc then and foce a retry. Does anyone have an idea on how to force the wimapplyimage function to retry?

[paper]

i'm in the same situation. My WIM is over 5GB and I need it burned on 2 DVDS. Able to split.. but how to convert to ISO and span it across 2 DVDs?! I've scoured all over the place and have yet to find an answer.. I posted this link in another post.. which looked promising, but I was unable to do the last part.. as it just wouldn't work for me.

http://wmug.co.uk/blogs/larus/archive/2007/04/26/198.aspx

[zorphnog]

i'm in the same situation. My WIM is over 5GB and I need it burned on 2 DVDS. Able to split.. but how to convert to ISO and span it across 2 DVDs?! I've scoured all over the place and have yet to find an answer.. I posted this link in another post.. which looked promising, but I was unable to do the last part.. as it just wouldn't work for me.

http://wmug.co.uk/blogs/larus/archive/2007/04/26/198.aspx

After reading through this article several times, I think he just failed to include several key details. He is trying to overcome the 4GB file size limit of the OSCDIMG iso tool because he is trying to fit the entire image on ONE DVD. Basically he has a high density DVD that can accept more than 4GB of data, but the OSCDIMG tool that BDD uses to create .iso's won't accept a contiguous file over 4GB. So he modified the BDD script to handle split images on a single disc. The line that made me come to this conclusion is the step 9:

9. Perform "Update" the deployment point to generate the ISO file