Custom Win PE Boot Disk Building: Step One – WAIK up

First Review the prior links in this series.

• Custom Win PE Boot Disk Building Saga: Introduction

Now what we have to do is install the Windows Automated Installation Kit so we will have the foundation for all our additional building efforts.

I’ve covered this part before here on GSD so you might want to also review my Windows PE 2.0 Free For Everyone (Almost) post first.  Most of what follows comes directly from it.

Also, this walkthrough will be specifically to create a x86 32-bit based WinPE 2.0 based boot disk.

Step One – Get the WAIK

From Microsoft download either of these two file packages.

• Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK)
• Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008

I am going to be using the second one as it incorporates Vista SP1 while the first does not.

Step Two – Install the WAIK on your system

It can be installed on any of the following systems: Windows Server 2003 SP1; Windows XP SP2, and Windows Vista.

Note: The installation application says it must be an XP Professional version, but I just installed it and ran it on my Windows XP SP2 Home system just fine with no complaints at all.

Once downloaded, you have an IMG file which you then have two options to use.

1) Burn it to disk using a disk-burning application, or

2) Mount it as a virtual cd/disk image using a virtual disk application like the freeware SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive.  For tips on that try this post: Installing Windows AIK without a Disc is Free and Easy – ITsVISTA blog.

Take your pick.

Run the installer and get it loaded up.

(Note: All my systems are NTFS partition formatted and for this to work, the primary volume/partition that you will be working on should be the same as well.)

Step Three – Create the C:\winpe_x86 system folder

The C:\winpe_x86 folder will be the workhorse of our building work.  So we got to get it right.

I recommend first reading the Toss DOS, Install Vista with Free WinPE at ITsVISTA.

His steps are so easy to follow it’s become the defacto standard to me.

1. Go to the Start menu and under All Programs find the Microsoft Windows AIK folder and launch Windows PE Tools Command Prompt, or open a command prompt and type cd c:\program files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools.
   

2. Create a local Windows PE build directory by typing the command copype.cmd <arch> <destination>. If you’ll be working with 32-bit machines (the rest of the examples will assume you are), replace <arch> with x86. If you’ll be working with 64-bit machines, replace <arch> with either amd64 or ia64, depending on which chipset your computers have.
   

3. You’ll see a list of files copying.

So just follow step one as is.

At step two type in exactly the following command paying mind to the spaces and <enter>:

copype.cmd x86 c:\winpe_x86

The files will copy and when done you will see the cursor again.

Step Four – Validate

If everything went as planned you should now find the following when you look at your C: drive:

Double click “My Computer” or open Windows Explorer.

Open the C: drive.

Browse down and you should now see a folder “winpe_x86”

Double click it.

In there will be two folders “ISO” and “mount” along with two files, one of which is winpe.wim.

Open the ISO folder and there should now be even more folders and files.

Open the “sources” folder and you should find a “boot.wim” file.

Good?

That completes getting the WAIK installed, and creating the foundational c:\winpe_x86 folder.

Extra credit reading

• Windows PE 2.0: a tiny version of Windows for system maintenance – APC Magazine
• Windows PE 2.0 Free For Everyone (Almost) – Grand Stream Dreams
• Creating a bootable WinPE 2.0 CD and/or USB Flash Drive – Svrops.com

Class dismissed until next lesson!

--Claus