Add Vista/7 Images to WDS

In later server versions, an add image wizard will pop up automatically after WDS is installed, so grab any old Windows 7 32bit (recommended) or 64bit disk, and get ready!  Subsequent images will be added manually (after the wizard has completed) at a later stage.

Add the Windows 7 images first!  (32bit recommended!)

The first image you should add using this wizard is Windows 7…  This is because the boot.wim on Windows 7 is what you will be using when you boot WDS over the network! Windows Vista does have a boot.wim, but you cannot add custom drivers to it like you can with Windows 7’s boot.wim, and for this reason you should add the Windows 7 images first during this wizard.

• Note:  Any Windows 7 install disk will work as it contains all ‘editions’ of Windows (e.g. Home/Pro/etc.) for that particular processor architecture.  (Note Windows ‘N’ and ‘K’ editions are always separate disks.)
• I do recommend you start with Windows 7 32bit, which also contains the starter edition (there is no Windows 7 64bit Starter Edition.)
• I also recommend you use a disk with the latest service packs installed (e.g. at the time of this writing, Windows 7 SP1)..  This makes for less Windows updating when you begin to create your modified images (which you will ‘capture’ as an image using WDS later on in this guide.)

If you are in the Add Image wizard immediately after installing WDS, multiple steps are automatically done for you throughout the wizard.

• Basically the wizard first prompts you for the location of your [Windows 7] install disk.
• Specify the drive the disk is in, and click next and follow the wizard.
• You will be prompted to add the images to a “group” and you can just name this whatever you want, e.g. “Windows 7 (x86)”
• All editions of Windows 7, and also the boot.wim file is automatically added / imported to the server.

Add the Windows 7 64bit boot.wim

Now it’s time to do more…  From here on out it is a multiple step process (as you aren’t using the initial configuration wizard.)  To get started:

• Insert any edition of Windows 7 64bit disk.
• In the server manager, drill down to Roles > Windows Deployment Services > Servers > [your server name] > Boot Images
• Here you will already see you have an image named something like “Microsoft Windows Setup (x86)” which was put in place by the initial wizard. Great!
• Next right-click in the empty space, choose to add a boot image.
• Browse to your Win7 x64 disk, open the Sources folder, and select boot.wim and follow the wizard, naming it appropriately e.g. “Microsoft Windows Setup (x64)”

Add the Windows 7 64bit images (for each edition)

Now that we have our x64 boot.wim in place, you can add the x64 versions of Windows 7

• In the server manager, drill down to Roles > Windows Deployment Services > Servers > [your server name] > Install Images
• You will see you have an image group already named as you chose before, e.g. “Windows 7 (x86)” … great! Ignore this for now.
• Right-click in the empty space and choose to add an Install Image.
• When the wizard pops up, select first to add the images to a new group, and name it appropriately e.g. “Windows 7 (x64)”
• Browse to your Win7 x64 disk, open the Sources folder, and this time select the install.wim, then follow the wizard. All x64 editions will now be imported and when complete, you’ll have your new group in place.

Add Windows Vista images for each ‘edition’ (32bit/64bit)

You can now repeat these last few steps for Windows Vista.

Note:  DO NOT add boot images of Vista’s boot.wim!  That process is ONLY done for Windows 7’s boot.wim, as I mentioned earlier this is what we will boot to when starting WDS over the network no matter which version/edition of Windows you are installing, you even use it for booting/installing Windows XP!

• In the server manager, drill down to Roles > Windows Deployment Services > Servers > [your server name] > Install Images
• Right-click in the empty space and choose to add an Install Image.
• When the wizard pops up, select first to add the images to a new group, and name it appropriately e.g. “Windows Vista (x86)”
• Browse to your Windows Vista x86 (SP2 recommended) disk, open the Sources folder, and this time select the install.wim, then follow the wizard. All x86 editions will now be imported and when complete, you’ll have your new group in place.
• Repeat these steps for Windows Vista x64 …

Capturing Images

Once you have all of your install images in place, you also need to create “Capture Images” from the Windows 7 boot.wim images, which will allow you to capture a new image (which can be a modified Vista/7 install or even Windows XP.)

• In the server manager, drill down to Roles > Windows Deployment Services > Servers > [your server name] > Boot Images
• Right-click on the “Microsoft Windows Setup (x86) entry in the right pane, and choose “Create Capture Image”
• Name the image appropriately, e.g. “Capture Image (x86)” and follow the wizard. Soon after that named image will appear in this window.
• Repeat the above steps to create a capture image for the “Microsoft Windows Setup (x64)” entry.

Now you are able to capture images, and this means you can start adding modified Vista/7 installs and Windows XP installations to the Install Images section. This process is not done on the server, but rather on the workstation containing your Windows install you wish to capture.

You may optionally visit the Adding Drivers to boot.wim and Add Drivers to XP Images (with Sysprep.inf) sections to add specific drivers to your boot images should you need them.  Then see the Add XP or Modified Vista/7 Images section to continue.

Network Boot Guide

• Install WDS (Windows Deployment Services)
  • Add Vista/7 Images to WDS    <- You are here!
  • Add Drivers to boot.wim (for Vista/7 Images)
  • Add Drivers to XP Images (with Sysprep.inf)
  • Add XP or Modified Vista/7 Images to WDS
• Install Syslinux
  • Add Boot Images to Syslinux on WDS
• Troubleshooting Issues

Back to the main Tech Info page!