How to burn a wim file onto DVD?

[Mackhack]

Hi Folks,

hope this is the right subforum.

My question is pretty straight forward. I combined 2 images into one .wim file and want to know now: How can I burn this wim file onto a DVD?

Thanks!

[Jazkal]

You need to be more specific with what you want to do with it.

You can burn any file onto a DVD (if it is smaller than the 4.4gig size of the DVD)

[Mackhack]

It has 2 images inside.

One is a WinRE image for the recovery options and the second one is the appended c: image. Total file size is approximately 2.2 GB

[Jazkal]

Even though you haven't said it, I'm guessing you are trying to create an install DVD that will install your images?

[Mackhack]

Yes sir :-)

[Jazkal]

I'm not sure, but I think you would get more help in the "Unattended Vista" forum.

[jbusato]

1-install Windows AIK

2-run Windows PE Tools Command Prompt

3-type :

copype.cmd <arch> <destination>

(where arch is x86 or amd64 and destination is a path to a work folder (i.e. c:\winpe))

imagex /mountrw <destination>\winpe.wim 1 <destination>\mount

4- create your own folders (and files) under <destination>\mount\ or <destination>\ISO\

(copy imagex.exe too!)

Remember that what you put into mount dir will increase your boot.wim image and RAM usage; if you can use ISO instead (that will be store only on CDROM/DVD - you must put here your .WIM image)

5- add custom command-line scripts (like launch imagex and diskpart to put image onto destination) in Windows PE by using Startnet.cmd. By default, Windows PE includes a Startnet.cmd script located at %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 of your custom Windows PE image. Startnet.cmd currently starts Wpeinit.exe (don’t delete it, you need it for eth and pnp support! )

Remember that you can use %SYSTEMROOT% environment variable to windows folder path; to get cdrom path you should use a 3rd party tool like getcd (http://www.willowhayes.co.uk/); this you should put into MOUNT folder!

6- type:

imagex /unmount /commit <destination>\mount

(this will write changes)

copy <destination>\winpe.wim <destination>\ISO\sources\boot.wim

(this will replace original boot file)

oscdimg -n -b<destination>\etfsboot.com <destination>\ISO <destination>\winpe_x86.iso

(this will create a bootable iso image under your <destination> dir)

copy c:\winpe_x86\winpe.wim c:\winpe_x86\ISO\sources\boot.wim

7- Burn ISO image

I made an unattended hardware indipendent Windows XP installation using this:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista...3.mspx?mfr=true

[Mackhack]

Hi,

thanks for the little tutorial. I'm even more confused now than before. If I use the boot.wim which will be created when I run copype.cmd where or how can I put then my WinRE and the image from the master computer which is combined right now as a .wim file to copy it onto a DVD?

It is just not clear for me.

[jbusato]

You must have 2 .WIM images

1) your image captured from a (clean and syspreped should better) Windows Installation.

This should be putted into a custom folder under the ISO directory so it will be accessible by the batch script

2) a clear Windows PE image (boot.wim) that you will customize and use for loading a live environment that do "cloning" job.

This must be mounted into mount dir and customized; when finished copy it in \ISO\sources replacing the original one.

When I say "customize" I mean edit cmdline batch script for automatically do all the work you want by shell.

If you don't know enough on batch scripting this is another issue

For Example:

Maybe when PE is loaded your RAM DISK is X:, your HDD C: and CDROM D:

X: is the content of boot.wim that is loaded in a ram drive and it's the windows pe os

C: is your HD with your Windows (XP) installation

D: is your DVD with the content of ISO folder (so with sources\boot.wim already loaded and yourfolder\yourimage.wim)

A boot.wim customized with a cmdline batch file like this

wpeinit
format c:
imagex /apply d:\yourfolder\yourimage.wim 1 C:\

will do what you want (OK, this is very simple;).

But you can have other troubles like:

1) I'm sure that CDROM have D: drive letter? (if you have another HD partition for example windows will map the cdrom E:)

2) I'm sure that C: exist? If I have no partition?

Edited May 9, 2007 by jbusato

[jbusato]

Maybe I understood your trouble

Do you want to explode the RE image and append your C image to have an original restored image with your files?

If yes make the work done for yourimage.wim 2 times so

wpeinit
format c:
imagex /apply d:\yourfolder\winre.wim 1 C:\
imagex /apply d:\yourfolder\C_image.wim 1 C:\

and put them into \iso\yourfolder dir

Other issues (CDROM and so on) still remain!

Edited May 9, 2007 by jbusato

[Mackhack]

Thanks for trying to help me out here with that mess.

I'm trying to explain it again. We have a custom PC which is our own product. We installed Windows Vista Home Premium on it over WDS with all applications and setups as we want it. Then we sysprepped it. Before I created the WinRE.wim file which is nothing more then some kind of a Recovery Boot Manager (right???). From the MS OPK Support I received an eMail that I can capture now the c: partition which contains our sysprepped Home Premium into the existing WinRE.wim file? When I use imagex /info... I can actually see both images: The WinRE.wim and the sysprepped image I just appended with imagex /append...

But now my problem is how can I burn that wim file containing the WinRE and c: image onto a DVD.

The reason we wanna have everything on one DVD is so if our customer wants to reinstall Windows he just has to pop in the DVD the boot menu will start (hopefully) and he can select the image which is on the DVD and after that he will have a clean Windows as it was as he bought the PC from us. What we don't want to have is a restore partition on the hard drive.

::Edit:: What I did now is I created a WinRE.wim and mounted it. I placed my sysprepped c: drive image into c:\winpe_x86\iso\recovery. Now I used the OSCDIMG tool and hope it will create some sort of a recovery DVD

Edited May 9, 2007 by Mackhack

[jbusato]

I'm trying to explain it again. We have a custom PC which is our own product. We installed Windows Vista Home Premium on it over WDS with all applications and setups as we want it. Then we sysprepped it. Before I created the WinRE.wim file which is nothing more then some kind of a Recovery Boot Manager (right???). From the MS OPK Support I received an eMail that I can capture now the c: partition which contains our sysprepped Home Premium into the existing WinRE.wim file? When I use imagex /info... I can actually see both images: The WinRE.wim and the sysprepped image I just appended with imagex /append...

Clear! you have a WIM with 2 images

But now my problem is how can I burn that wim file containing the WinRE and c: image onto a DVD.

This is not clear! What do you mean for burn a wim file into a DVD?

The reason we wanna have everything on one DVD is so if our customer wants to reinstall Windows he just has to pop in the DVD the boot menu will start (hopefully) and he can select the image which is on the DVD and after that he will have a clean Windows as it was as he bought the PC from us. What we don't want to have is a restore partition on the hard drive.

Yeah, now I understood! You want something like Recovery CDs vendors give us until few years ago.

Maybe first of all you must understand if a file-based imaging tool (like imagex) is better for your businness then a byte-based one (like acronis, ghost and so on...) Usually you use imagex if you think you will change often it. If this will not occour maybe Acronis (or another) gives you less problems. It seems like the last one is your case but this is something YOU must decide.

But than... what I give you is what you need (I'm talking about the 'tutorial')

Build a recovery CD means make a bootable ISO image that run Windows PE that run cdmlines.txt that run imagex that explode the image from dvd to hd.

If you read it again you see at the end the command

oscdimg -n -b<destination>\etfsboot.com <destination>\ISO <destination>\winpe_x86.iso

that build an iso image (winpe_x86.iso) starting from ISO folder content. It means that if you put your image into this folder it will be burned into the ISO image (so in your DVD too). That's easy (isn't it?)

The hardest work is to customize Windows PE to automatically do the work (launch imagex and explode image into c:)

AFAIK Acronis Loader is a customized version of Windows PE

[Mackhack]

Hi,

yes I saw that OSCDIMG makes a iso file. But I just haven't seen the wood for the trees. So right now I'm buring the first DVD and see what the output will be.

And about my question about how to burn that wim file with those 2 images in it onto a DVD was basically answered with OSCDIMG

[Mackhack]

Has someone DVDBurn.exe for me? I just have cdburn.exe. I don't wanna install the whole Resource Kit just to get that file out!

Thanks.

[vim]

Has someone DVDBurn.exe for me? I just have cdburn.exe. I don't wanna install the whole Resource Kit just to get that file out!

Thanks.

Go here and use this. It will burn BOTH CD and DVD's:

http://www.imgburn.com/