Why would I want to mount an image using Ximage?

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One feature of Ximage that I don't think I'm communicating the value of effectively enough is the ability to mount images. Perhaps some specific examples will help. The question came across one of our internal aliases recently, can I edit the registry entries in an image? The answer is yes, and the process is easy. Here are the steps...

  1. Use the /mount option in ximage to map the contents of an image to a folder (ximage.exe /mount c:\mount %filename%.wim 1)
  2. Browse the mount directory and locate your hive file.
  3. Load the hive and look at the registry entries you are interested in.
  4. Unload the hive, close all apps and unload the image using the /unmount option (ximage.exe /unmount c:\mount)

Note that you have to install the filter driver first if you haven't already. Here are the steps for that.

  1. Copy wimfltr.inf and wimfltr.sys to a folder.
  2. Right click on the inf file and select install.