Need help creating custom multiple edition ISO

F

Foden

New Member
I’m trying to build a custom Windows ISO that will contain these editions, and I’m losing my mind

  • Win 10 Home 32bit
  • Win 10 Pro 32bit
  • Win 10 Home 64bit
  • Win 10 Pro 64bit
  • Win 11 Home
  • Win 11 Pro
I’m using a VM to run NTLite and 2 VM’s to test them – 1 set to Legacy BIOS and 1 set to UEFI BIOS

Each edition needs
  • Legacy BIOS version
  • UEFI drive/partition version
  • Minor tweaks - not too bothered about these right now
  • Google Chrome - installing this is working OK
  • Adobe Reader DC Free - installing this is working OK
  • AVF Free installing - this is working OK

With Win 10 32bit, Win 10 64bit and Win 11 ISO’s I added them to NTLite and then exported the WIM file to another location on the VM. Each install.wim was saved in a separate folder, named after the edition

Win 10 32 Home​
Install.wim​
Win 10 64 Home​
Install.wim​
Etc​

I also copied a Win 10 32bit ISO into a working directory and am using this as the base for my custom ISO. I loaded this directory into NTLite removing all the editions except for Home & Pro

Then I loaded each previously saved editions install.wim file and exported them into the Win 10 32bit\sources folder I had created as my base. I choose no when asked to append to the destination image

Created 2 presets, one for legacy and one for UEFI. These are identical except for the drive/partition layouts

Then I loaded the Win 10 32 home edition into MTLite. Once loaded I selected the Legacy preset went to apply and created the ISO. Once created I loaded up the same Win 32 home edition but choose the UEFI preset and created the ISO

1.jpg

2.png

I also selected Dual architecture. This I know creates x86 and amd64 sections in the answerfile. I still need 32bit and 64bit WIMS correct?

When I test the created ISOs Legacy and UEFI versions work for 32bit editions but UEFI fails on all x64 editions

2.png

I’m at my wits end, have googled and worked through the forum and docs but am just not getting what I'm doing wrong

What is the correct step by step process to get this to work?

Am I supposed to load each install.wim in isolated mode and apply the relevant preset to each of them and save the image, then export those images back into my base Win 10 32?

I feel like I'm almost there, just need pointing in the right direction
 
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I don't believe it's possible to build a combined UEFI/MBR ISO using NTLite alone.

The disk layouts are incompatible, and you're only allowed one answer file per ISO.

Have IT pro's done this? Yes, but it requires a customized WinPE image (not WinPE Setup), and scripting. They use WSIM or other deployment tools to help automate the process. With custom scripting, you can re-partition and copy the right boot files. Afterwards the script invokes Setup to start installation.

This is outside of NTLite's features, though you can use NTLite to prepare each image and append them together. There's enough info out there on making it work, but it's involved. If you want to lower your expectations, make a dual-architecture ISO first. Then copy it and switch out the partitioning in autounattend with UEFI & MBR versions.
 
Place each specific answer file inside panther folder and remove it from ISO root.
also try to have setupcomplete.cmd if you enabled oobe features from ntlite otherways you get specialize error too.
 
garlin said:
I don't believe it's possible to build a combined UEFI/MBR ISO using NTLite alone.

The disk layouts are incompatible, and you're only allowed one answer file per ISO.

Have IT pro's done this? Yes, but it requires a customized WinPE image (not WinPE Setup), and scripting. They use WSIM or other deployment tools to help automate the process. With custom scripting, you can re-partition and copy the right boot files. Afterwards the script invokes Setup to start installation.

This is outside of NTLite's features, though you can use NTLite to prepare each image and append them together. There's enough info out there on making it work, but it's involved. If you want to lower your expectations, make a dual-architecture ISO first. Then copy it and switch out the partitioning in autounattend with UEFI & MBR versions.Hi, I'm not making a dual Legacy/UEFI ISO, I'm creating 1 Legacy ISO and 1 UEFI ISO
Click to expand...

Taosd said:

Combining x64 and x86 ESD together

Hi i'm trying to combine my x64 and x86 esd files together but i really couldn't do it.. i don't combine different versions just the different architectures of same iso
www.ntlite.com www.ntlite.com


hope this direction helps
Click to expand...
You have to do a seperate ISO for each BIOS type
 
crypticus said:
Place each specific answer file inside panther folder and remove it from ISO root.
also try to have setupcomplete.cmd if you enabled oobe features from ntlite otherways you get specialize error too.
Click to expand...
Except you need two copies of every Windows edition. Even with ESD compression, that's 12 images.
 
garlin said:
Except you need two copies of every Windows edition. Even with ESD compression, that's 12 images.
Click to expand...
and the Issue only seems to be on x64 editions

Not sure this is going to work as I had hoped - aim is to be able to give this ISo to non IT people to repurpose PC's for Ukrainian families displaced in the war coming to Canada. I can do sysprepped images but that's more work and even more complctaed forthem to deal with
 
For this project, why not teach your volunteers how to factory reset Windows? You know the donated PC's probably work, and don't have to deal with licensing or driver issues. Most of the real problems won't be the images themselves. When time is urgent, simplify the task.

Later on, consider this ISO for future efforts.
 
garlin said:
For this project, why not teach your volunteers how to factory reset Windows? You know the donated PC's probably work, and don't have to deal with licensing or driver issues. Most of the real problems won't be the images themselves. When time is urgent, simplify the task.
Click to expand...
Thanks, but that's exctly what I'm trying to do - If a donated PC is riddled with virus/malware, which we wouldn't know, it can sutvive a reset. Blowing it away will get rid of it. I appreciate they still have to boot the PC/laptop from off onto the boot media - but it's safer than a reset
 
Maybe I should ask the question a different way

  • I need to create custom installers for several different Windows Editions
  • Windows 10 Home & Pro, 32bit & 64bit
  • Windows 11 Home & Pro
  • Each Edition will need a Legacy setup disk setup and a UEFI disk setup
  • I need an answerfile so that the people running these installers do nothing other than select the Windows Edition they need to install and whether it needs to be Legacy or UEFI

What are the steps that I need to take to acomplish this?

Using NTLite

Many thanks in advance
 
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The easiest path would be to find a GRUB bootloader, and build separate UEFI & MBR ISO's. Users would boot and select one of them.
Past that point, GRUB would boot into WinPE Setup's edition menu and continue as normal. Don't forget ei.cfg

It's two steps, but we know this works already. Ventoy appears popular now.
 
Thanks, I've been looking at/playing with Ventoy - did'nt know about it until a day or so ago. Favourite tool is YUMI, and had been considering what you suggest. However, would like basic customization or I may as well just give them a set of standard Windows ISO's

So far I have not been able to get an x64 with UEFI setup to boot, looks as though the ISO has no UEFI boot info. I scrapped everything and started a fresh. Am adding presets to each image.wim of the editions I need, then import those into a Win 10 32bit ISO folder structure. From that I will create an ISO - obvoulsy using NTLite still at this point

If that doesn;t work I'll probably bin everything and go back to sysprepped images. Have to use Clonzilla to take the image, it's free, and the build a YUMI setup with clonzilla and all the images

Been trying to work this out with NTlite for days on end as I think it's the best option

So adding a preset to each exported image and then exporting those into a copy of a WIn 10 32bit ISO, and creating an ISO did'nt work. It boots, which is good, asks what language you want to start in, shows you a list Editions to choose form. But, then asks where you want to install it (should just blow away the drive). After install it reboots and then fails to find a compatible boot loader
 
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I'm obvioulsy doing something fundamentally wrong here

I just tried to build a Win 10 Home 64bit single edition ISO from a copy of a standard Win 10 64bit ISO. During the Apply stage I selected to remove all other non-essential editions. ISO failes to boot on my VM with

2.png

Can you see from the preset and log what the issue is?
 

Attachments

  • Auto-saved 339f411b.xml
    13.6 KB
  • autounattend.xml
    6.4 KB
  • NTLite.log
    25.8 KB
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Foden said:
I'm obvioulsy doing something fundamentally wrong here

I just tried to build a Win 10 Home 64bit single edition ISO from a copy of a standard Win 10 64bit ISO. During the Apply stage I selected to remove all other non-essential editions. ISO failes to boot on my VM with

View attachment 7036

Can you see from the preset and log what the issue is?
Click to expand...
i dunno., maybe a bit of a stupid question, but did you press any key when asked ?

i get that screen when i dont press a key when requested on a VM
 
Not a stupid question. I power on the VM to firmware then select the CD, it's not that sadly

Have you got mixed x86 & x64 editions on UEFI/Legacy working OK?
 
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Foden said:
VMware Worksation

View attachment 7037

I also have VirtualBox but have not used it for this project - ISO's don't boot there either as I just checked
Click to expand...

so let me get this straight.

on the virtual machine wizard screen, you dont mount an iso, you use installer disc option ?

i apologise, you changed the terminology from iso to cd and back......

just curious as to why so many partitions in the autounattend

and also, that blue screen, i have it here right now, its from the iso timing out when a button hasnt been pressed to install it to the virtual machine
 
Sorry for mixing terms around. I created an ISO via NTLite and mounted it as a CD in the VM. Then I power on the VM to firmware. ALl the options you see are standard items that appear on Vware UEFI, and are not related to the the ISO/CD it is trying to boot from, they are just possible boot options. When i click/select the CDROM drive, as highlighted above it quickly cycles back to the same screen. I can keep hitting the enter key until the cows come home and it still does the same. If i just power on the VM it will give the error previoulsy as it cannot find a boot device. It's not a timeout as I am actively selecting the CDROM boot device and the VM is responding, equally I can cursor up and down in the list. I understand you think it's simply timing out but its not
 
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