Large custom windows iso, not seeing images

DaZzZa · 19 Apr 2024 at 09:26

Morning

I made a large custom windows iso for a laptop that I need to do multiple installs on to try speed the process up as it takes 4 days for them to update, everything has went ok until I try reinstall where it's not seeing any of the images on the USB.

The wim was split down to 3gb swm chunks but the overall size is 62gb and I'm guessing that's where the issue lies?

I have tried fat32 and ntfs through Rufus as well as leaving the wim whole for ntfs.

Anyone able to advise would be massively appreciated

Cheers
Daz

Armageus · 19 Apr 2024 at 09:32

Why an iso / wim?

Why not just image with something like Macrium Reflect?

SpartaP · 19 Apr 2024 at 09:36

^ . But Rufus normally just works

Mujja · 19 Apr 2024 at 09:47

Do you mean during Windows setup, the stage at "Select the OS you want to install" is empty?

I last added multiple imaged to a single WIM years ago so a little rusty, I'll see what notes I still have.

IIRC when I had a similar issue I hadn't named the images.

What does this command show

Code:

dism /Get-ImageInfo /imagefile:install.wim

Mujja · 19 Apr 2024 at 09:57

DaZzZa said:
I made a large custom windows iso for a laptop that I need to do multiple installs on to try speed the process up as it takes 4 days for them to update

Automate the process with MDT, integrate drivers, applications and updates in to a task sequence. Capturing images is OK until you need to modify or update.

MDT takes a couple of days to learn but will save you hours.

DaZzZa · 19 Apr 2024 at 19:13

Armageus said:
Why an iso / wim?

Why not just image with something like Macrium Reflect?

Need a generalized image that can be installed on different hardware and not keep the windows id, unless it can do that? It's for a set of 7 tools at work that takes 4 days each to update and is a pain, which we cannot really have offline for that long and has happened, and triggered this headache.

Mujja said:
Automate the process with MDT, integrate drivers, applications and updates in to a task sequence. Capturing images is OK until you need to modify or update.

MDT takes a couple of days to learn but will save you hours.

I shall look into this thankyou

Mujja said:
Do you mean during Windows setup, the stage at "Select the OS you want to install" is empty?

I last added multiple imaged to a single WIM years ago so a little rusty, I'll see what notes I still have.

IIRC when I had a similar issue I hadn't named the images.

What does this command show

Code:

dism /Get-ImageInfo /imagefile:install.wim

I will check on Monday as it's at work, I did run this and can vaguely remember it not having any info on the description and just the one index.

Yea after you press install and you would normally get the box with the OS list, I don't get, I get an error popup with no image can be detected, I used cmd to dir \sources on the USB and could see the install.swm and the split files within the Windows install bootup.

It's been bugging me all week!

Armageus · 19 Apr 2024 at 20:14

DaZzZa said:
Need a generalized image that can be installed on different hardware and not keep the windows id, unless it can do that?

The windows id (assuming you mean the SID) is irrelevant these days (and there are a couple of articles by Microsoft staff to that effect if you look hard enough). We've deployed the same clone to 100s of PCs at work without any active directory issues (ours are all oem bios activated or volume license, but with a normal key it should just throw an activation error, then you change the product key and reactivate)