Creating bootable pe mediuem

Creating a Bootable Windows PE Medium

In this step, you create a bootable Windows PE CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disk by using the Copype.cmd script. Windows PE enables you to start a computer for the purposes of deployment and recovery by booting directly into memory. You can remove the Windows PE media after the computer boots. After you have booted into Windows PE, you can use the ImageX tool to capture, modify, and apply file-based disk images.

Note

USING A BOOTABLE WINDOWS PE DISK TO CREATE AN IMAGE ON VHD You use Windows PE if you are capturing the image of a computer running Windows 7 Enterprise or Ultimate to install on a bootable VHD. You do this in the practice in Lesson 2. You will therefore be carrying out this procedure in the practice exercise.

Note

MORE INFO: DEPLOYMENT TOOLS TECHNICAL REFERENCE For more information about Microsoft deployment tools, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc766376.aspx

To create a bootable Windows PE CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disk and install the ImageX Windows AIK tool on that disk, perform the following procedure:

1. On your technician computer, create a local Windows PE build directory. Open an elevated command prompt and enter the following commands:

   
   cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\
   copype.cmd <architecture> <destination>
   

   Here <architecture> can be x86, amd64, or ia64, and <destination> is a path to the local directory. For example, to create a Windows PE build directory winpe_86 on an x86 computer, you enter the following command:

   
   copype.cmd x86 C:\winpe_x86
   

2. Copy ImageX into the Iso subdirectory of your Windows PE build directory. On an x86 computer, you enter the following command:

   
   copy "C:\program files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86\imagex.exe" C:\winpe_x86\iso\
   

3. Optionally, create a configuration file called Wimscript.ini by using a text editor such as Windows Notepad. The configuration file instructs the ImageX tool to exclude certain files during the capture operation (for example, Pagefile.sys or all .zip files). Figure 2-7 shows a Wimscript.ini file.
   
   Figure 2-7: A Wimscript.ini file
4. Save the configuration file to the Iso subdirectory of the Windows PE build directory. The ImageX tool will recognize a Wimscript.ini file in the same location.

   EXAM TIP

   No command exists that instructs ImageX to detect a Wimscript.ini file. The ImageX tool automatically detects Wimscript.ini if it is saved to the same folder as the ImageX tool.

5. Create an image (.iso) file by using the Oscdimg tool. For example, on an x86 computer you would click All Programs, Microsoft Windows AIK, open the Deployment Tools Command Prompt, and enter the following:

   
   oscdimg -n -bc:\winpe_x86\etfsboot.com c:\winpe_x86\ISO
   c:\winpe_x86\winpe_x86.iso
   

   Note

   MORE INFO: ETFSBOOT.COM This specifies the location of the El Torito boot sector file. For more information, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc749036.aspx Note also there is no space between the -b flag and C:\Winpe_x86\Etfsboot.com.

6. Burn the image (Winpe_x86.iso) to a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM disk. Windows AIK does not include CD/DVD-ROM burning software. Use trusted third-party software to burn the image to optical media. You now have a bootable Windows PE optical disk containing the ImageX tool.