What does applying changes to WinRE and boot images do?
- Thread starter Sinical
- Start date
Most changes to install.wim don't need to be re-applied for boot.wim or WinRE.
There are two exceptions:
1. Integrating the same drivers to both boot.wim & install.wim, because WinPE is missing drivers for your NVME, SATA, USB controller or WiFi devices. Most of the time you can re-use the same drivers, but there might be WinPE-specific versions ("F6 drivers") which are a better fit.
2. Enabling the BypassTPM and other HW requirement tweaks from Settings at the same time to boot.wim (WinPE Setup). This is done to save yourself the extra step of separately mounting boot.wim and applying BypassTPM settings.
WinRE generally doesn't need to have updates or drivers added. When Windows installs WinRE to the recovery partition, it will pull the same set of drivers from the live system. WinRE could be updated, but it's not really needed since you only boot into Recovery on occasion.
The monthly update may end up installing a newer WinRE on your live system, so it doesn't really matter to patch the image's copy.
There are two exceptions:
1. Integrating the same drivers to both boot.wim & install.wim, because WinPE is missing drivers for your NVME, SATA, USB controller or WiFi devices. Most of the time you can re-use the same drivers, but there might be WinPE-specific versions ("F6 drivers") which are a better fit.
2. Enabling the BypassTPM and other HW requirement tweaks from Settings at the same time to boot.wim (WinPE Setup). This is done to save yourself the extra step of separately mounting boot.wim and applying BypassTPM settings.
WinRE generally doesn't need to have updates or drivers added. When Windows installs WinRE to the recovery partition, it will pull the same set of drivers from the live system. WinRE could be updated, but it's not really needed since you only boot into Recovery on occasion.
The monthly update may end up installing a newer WinRE on your live system, so it doesn't really matter to patch the image's copy.
Sinical
New Member
It seems like a lot of the extra apps and such get removed though, would doing so cause any breakage beyond what you've already deselected for the install wim? The recovery would get overwritten like you said, so I mean the boot images like the PE and Setup. Would 'debloating' those be dangerous?
What extra apps? WinRE is like WinPE, it has a specific function as a secondary Windows to run a limited set of Recovery tools. It's not a full Windows environment, you don't use it all day. Trying to debloat WinPE doesn't get you much space back. Debloating WinRE is pointless if CU pushes out a whole new WinRE.wim (then you have to start all over).
While some users want to do this, IMO it's not worth the time or hassle. Just because "Reapply tasks across editions" has a checkbox for everything, doesn't mean you need (or should) to use it for everything.
While some users want to do this, IMO it's not worth the time or hassle. Just because "Reapply tasks across editions" has a checkbox for everything, doesn't mean you need (or should) to use it for everything.