Deploying a captured WIM without using Setup?

C

Clanger

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For a while ive been testing things by extracting an install.wim to the root of a partition that has an existing boot entry created by windows Setup or by EasyBCD and it has drastically sped things up so i want to take this a step further and do an actual full deployment.

I would like to keep the following if technically possible,
Answer file to set location language and KB, activate Administrator account, bypass normal create user account and accept eula, use setupcomplete.

I accept that some things may not technically be possible but so far the advantages have outweighed the disadvantages so if some things are not availible i can compromise :)
 
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This idea isn't novel, in fact IT pros in the SCCM (Windows automation) world perform this task.

When you boot WinPE, Setup actually does DISM /apply-image during the "Copying files" phase. Assuming the disk image is bootable (after BCD config), then you can reboot straight into Windows to finish install.

While this isn't "faster" (it just appears that way), you're missing all the unattended work Setup executes on your behalf. SCCM folks will write their own replacement scripts to do everything that a bare apply-image doesn't do. It's only faster in the sense you're not watching the Setup UI or OOBE.

Dave Segura's OSD is the best public example of this software. Other SCCM folks have their own homebrews.

The point is not so much speed, but very tight control of the installation process and not leaving anything up to chance, or if MS decides to unexpectedly break your finely-tuned install process.
 
Ive found its quicker when deploying a test install,
garlin said:
Assuming the disk image is bootable (after BCD config), then you can reboot straight into Windows to finish install.
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create boot entry with easybcd then extract with 7zip is what ive been doing successfully. still havnt figured out winpe yet :rolleyes:
 
That's because it's bare-bones. There's an almost identical thread on TenForums. If you have a sysprepped image, yes that's the best way to bypass most of the missing automation.
 
I am always working with sysprepped images(it really speeds things up, one of the best things i ever learnt) now unless im actually building one, have you got a link to that 10F thread, might save me asking questions here :)
 
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Clanger said:
Ive found its quicker when deploying a test install,

create boot entry with easybcd then extract with 7zip is what ive been doing successfully. still havnt figured out winpe yet :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Interesting from a sysprepped view!
Quicker? And in minutes? Difference in time from normal deploy/ fresh install?
 
no copying files to a usb key/ or using rufus, less than 10 seconds to extract wim from/to same ssd. do miss setupcomplete though :/
 
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