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How to create a bootable usb to deploy WIM images

To make a portable WIM imager with no kace support

1: create a bootable kace usb drive with the K2000 boot environment. (use a usb device large enough to also hold the wim's)

2: take the boot.wim file from the .\files\sources directory and put that in a directory that also has the file imagex on your computer

3: create a temp dir below that dir.

so put boot.wim and imagex in a dir c:\modifier create c:\modifier\temp

4: open a command window and go to the folder, enter this command "imagex /mountrw boot.wim 1 c:\modifier\temp"

5: go to .\temp\windows\system32 copy imagex here.

6: edit startnet.cmd and delete everything in it and replace with "cmd".(no quotes)

If you want to automate any of the process's just place them in the startnet.cmd also.

If you want to be able to do diskparts and mbr resets add the needed files to system32

some of things I added to system 32 were batch files to diskpart, format and mbr reset

I created a dpart.bat - diskpart /s wipe_partition.conf

I created a wipe_partition.conf

select disk 0

clean

create partition primary

select partition 1

active

assign

exit

If you go to \\ikbox\peinst login as admin or .\admin (use share pw) and look in preinstall, applications, scripts, etc you can harvest the format and mbr commands.

Once you have all the extra's you need, the next thing is to repackage the wim file.

7: imagex /commit c:\modifier\temp

8: imagex /unmount c:\modifier\temp

replace the boot.wim on the USB drive, create any imaging dir and batch files you want on the drive.  Put your wim(s) on this drive. (found on 2000 at \\ikbox\petemp\imagestore)

Boot target machine, it will winpe boot for you and open a command window, run your uploaded batches from either the system dir or root of usb drive. 

Use imagex commands to deploy the image.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749447(v=ws.10).aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc507842.aspx


Comments

  • There are lots of extra steps listed above that can be avoided. The process is as easy as:

    1. Create your USB KBE
    2. Download and install the image that has your wim deployment. This is a small image with limited files, but also contains your pre, mid-level and post install tasks.
    3. On the root of the USB key, create a folder named ImageStore.
    4. Copy the .wim from \\ikobx\petemp\ImageStore to usb\ImageStore

    The newest version of knit (which you can tell you have if you have 2 partition wim templates) contains an updated apply_wim.vbs file that looks to see if you are running from usb, and if so, it will look for the directory mentioned.

    Corey
    Lead L3 Enterprise Solutions Engineer, K2000
    If my response was helpful, please rate it! - cserrins 11 years ago
    • I'm trying to get this work. I have uploaded Windows 7 media to my K2000 and I have a scripted installation configured for this.

      I have created my USB KBE (downloaded the zip and run the install.exe that prepared my usb media) . In step 2. where do I download this wim deployment? \\k2000\petemp\ImageStore there is no such share. - JFX 10 years ago
      • OK I think it's because I dont have any captured images. - JFX 10 years ago
  • Thanks for the additional info Corey - SMal.tmcc 11 years ago
  • I was able to get this working. I captured sysprepped Windows 7 installation to K2000 and used cserrins post to make my usb media. My problem is that after deploying this captured image from USB I get "ntldr is missing" error on next boot. I think it's missing this 100MB system partition. What is the fix for this to get this working automatically? - JFX 10 years ago
    • Did you capture and deploy both partitions? you also need to have the proper MBR calls if using 2 partitons. - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
      • It was my mistake. I had "install 2003/XP MBR" in preinstall tasks. That should be install Vista/7 MBR. Need to change that and test again :) - JFX 10 years ago
  • when i go to kbox\petemp\imagestore i don't see any wim's however i have many system images in the k2 that function. what am i missing? - rsm11 10 years ago
    • what version of k2000 are you running, they are now in \peinst\wim if you capture them with the built in capture command - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
      • version 3.5.80613, I could not find \peinst\wim. - rsm11 10 years ago
      • have you captured an image yet? - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
  • When I create the usb drive I also found that I do have a .wim under f:\sources\boot.wim. should i move that to f:\imagestore\boot.wim? - rsm11 10 years ago
    • that is the file you strip the commands out of. You put the wim file for the image you want to depoly in imagestore - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
  • Yes, we have several system images already in the k2 that we use and deploy to systems without issue. - rsm11 10 years ago
    • are they native kimages or wim images? - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
  • native kimages - rsm11 10 years ago
    • That is why, they are stored by the file as many files in the system to allow de-duping of files and you cannot access this area of the server, where wims are one big file and stored differently. - SMal.tmcc 9 years ago
  • Can I put a kimage on a bootable USB? - jfrasier 9 years ago
    • no they must be a wim. See reply just above this about why kimages will not work this way. - SMal.tmcc 9 years ago
  • Thanks - jfrasier 9 years ago
  • I have created the usb and copied my wim image and port installs, however, my drivers did not copy across... am I missing something? - glen.craig 9 years ago
    • copy the needed drivers to the target after you deploy the wim, prior to booting. You can use a batch file to do this. Xcopy them from the usb stick to c:\windows\inf\somesubdir and the hardware wizard will then find and use them when rediscovering the hardware after sysprep.

      http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/creating-a-windows-7-sysprep-image-without-having-to-install-any-drivers-at-post-install-tasks - SMal.tmcc 9 years ago
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