Create an Install, Capture, or Discover Image

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use Windows Deployment Services to create install, capture, and discover images.

  • Create a capture image

  • Create an install image

  • Create a discover image

Create a capture image

A capture image is a boot image that contains Windows PE 2.0, which has been modified to launch an image capture utility instead of setup. The image capture utility copies an image of the computer from the reference computer that has been prepared with Sysprep.exe. The output is an install image that you can add back to the Windows Deployment Services server and then deploy to client computers.

To create a capture image by using the Windows interface

  1. In the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, expand the Boot Images node.

  2. Right-click the image to use it as a capture image.

  3. Click Create Capture Boot Image.

  4. Type a name, description, and the location where you want to save a local copy of the file. You must specify a location so that if there is a network issue when you deploy the capture image, you have a local copy.

  5. Continue to follow the instructions in the wizard, and when it is complete, click Finish.

  6. Right-click the boot image folder.

  7. Click Add Boot Image.

  8. Browse and select the new capture image, and then click Next.

  9. Follow the instructions in the Windows Deployment Services Capture Utility.

To create a capture image using a command line

  1. Click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. Type the following where <bootimage> is the name of the boot image that you want to use to create the capture image and <captureimage> is the file path and file name of the new capture image:

    WDSUTIL /New-CaptureImage /Image:<bootimage> /Architecture:x86 /Filepath:<captureimage>

  3. Type the following where <captureimage> is the file path and file name of the capture image that you want to add to the image store:

    WDSUTIL /Add-Image /Imagefile:<captureimage> /ImageType:boot

Note

Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

Create an install image

Install images are the operating system image that you deploy to the client computer. You can either use the default install images (install.wim) that is included on the Windows Vista® media, or you can create your own install image by using the following procedure.

To create an install image

  1. Create a capture image and add it to the Windows Deployment Services server.

  2. Create a reference computer (install the operating system and applications, and make any other changes that you want).

  3. At a command prompt on the reference computer, change folders to \Windows\System32\Sysprep or the folder that contains Sysprep.exe and Setupcl.exe.

  4. Type one of the following:

    • On computers running Windows Vista, run sysprep /oobe /generalize /reboot. If you prefer, you can use the Sysprep graphical user interface by double-clicking Sysprep.exe.

    • On computers running Windows XP, run sysprep -mini -reseal

  5. When the computer restarts, press F12.

  6. In Windows Boot Manager, select the capture image, and then click Next.

  7. Choose the appropriate drive, and then provide a name and description for the image. Click Next to continue.

Important

You will only see drives that contain operating systems prepared with Sysprep. If you do not run the command in step 4, you will not see any drives to capture.

  1. Click Browse, and browse to a local location where you want to store the captured install image. You must specify a location so that if there is a network issue when you deploy the capture image, you have a local copy.

  2. Type a name for the image (use the .wim file name extension), and then click Save.

  3. Click Upload image to WDS server.

  4. Type the name of the Windows Deployment Services server, and then click Connect.

  5. If prompted for credentials, provide a user name and password for an account with sufficient permissions to connect to the Windows Deployment Services server.

  6. On the Image Group list, choose the image group in which to store the image.

  7. Click Finish.

Create a discover image

A discover image is a boot image that contains Windows PE 2.0 and has been modified to force Setup.exe to launch in Windows Deployment Services mode to find a Windows Deployment Services server. Generally, you will want to create a discover image for computers that are not PXE enabled. You save the discover image to a file, convert it to ISO format, and then burn it to a CD or DVD.

Discover images provide a means for network adapters that are not PXE-enabled to access the Windows Deployment Services PXE server.

Note

Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

To create a discover image by using the Windows interface

  1. In the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, expand the Boot images node.

  2. Right-click the image you want to use as a discover image.

  3. Click Create Discover Boot Image.

  4. Follow the instructions in the wizard, and when it is complete, click Finish.

  5. Right-click the boot image folder.

  6. Click Add Boot Image.

  7. Browse and select the new discover image, and then click Next.

  8. Follow the instructions in the wizard.

To create a discover image using a command line

  1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

  2. Type the following where <bootimage> is the name of the boot image that you want to use to create the discover image, and <discoverimage> is the file path and file name of the new discover image:

    WDSUTIL /New-DiscoverImage /Image:<bootimage> /Architecture:x86 /Filepath:<discoverimage>

  3. If you want to add the discover image back to the image store, type the following where <discoverimage> is the file path and file name of the discover image you want to add to the image store:

    WDSUTIL /Add-Image /ImageFile:<discoverimage> /ImageType:boot

Note

Help for WDSUTIL is available by typing WDSUTIL /? at a command prompt.

Now that you have created a discover image, you can create media that contains the discover image. Then you can boot a client computer to the media, and deploy an image using Windows Deployment Services server.

To create media that contains the discover image

  1. Download and install the Windows AIK (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81030).

  2. Open a command prompt and change to the PETools folder by typing:

    Cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools

  3. To create a Windows PE build environment, type:

    CopyPE <architecture> C:\Winpe

  4. To copy the discover image that you created in the previous procedure, type:

    Copy /y c:\boot.wim c:\Winpe\ISO\Sources

  5. To change back to the PETools folder, type:

    Cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools

  6. To create the bootable ISO image, type:

    Oscdimg -n -bc:\winpe\ISO\boot\etfsboot.com c:\winpe\ISO c:\winpe.iso

  7. Use a utility that can create a CD or DVD to transfer the ISO image to the appropriate media.

Note

Using the Windows copy command to copy the image to media will not create a bootable disk.

Additional references