Is there any tool or utility through which i can convert ISO image into WIM format ???

thanks

What do you mean by "convert" and why do you wanna do that ?

Normally you just add the boot mage to the PXE Service Point DP (which will copy the .wim to the WDS Server)

However for some (rare) scenarios you might want to skip the PSP integration and just add the boot media to a standard WDS Server... if so.. see the below article..

Using WDS to deploy SCCM images without the SCCM PSP Integration
http://www.deployvista.com/Home/tabid/36/EntryID/54/language/sv-SE/Default.aspx

If we have have many Bootable CD's which we have in ISO format. WDS supports WIM format so for that reason i was looking for a tool or way through which i can convert ISO format into WIM format

thanks Johan Arwidmark for the response !

although it doesn't convert ISO into Wim format but the link which u gave is quite useful to work with

Yes it does

2. Extract the D:\ZTI_Install_CD.iso to the D:\ZTI_Install_CD folder

The wim lives inside the iso... just extract the iso using WinRAR or mount using Daemon Tools (or whatever)

So, did anyone find a way to convert .iso to .wim? Situation I have at this moment is, I have slipstreamed a Win XP Pro SP3 and made an ISO of it with Nlite. WhatI want is to add this to WDS, so computers can boot from it. At this moment i have2 Boot images on the WDS server:capture image & deploy image, so i can make an image & deploy it (wim images). I'd like to add the win xp pro sp3 as 3rd boot image. Is this possible? I've read the post about SCCM but I have no experience with that program.

What I understand from it is, you make the image with SCCM, extract the iso and there is your .wim file. Can you already use this boot.wim to add to the WDS? Or do you have to mount it and copy those data files from the folder SMS to the mount directory?

With kind regards

Philippe

Haven't actually tried this but I would expect that you could mount the iso in something like daemon tools and capture the drive with imagex. Sounds like it would work.

Like I said I have never tried it but in theory it should work. You can still use your iso files too but you have to host them in RIS so you have to have WDS in mixed mode. (I do that)

Anyway I would expect the command line to look something like this

imagex.exe /capture D: C:\mydirectory\myfile.wim "My file description"

I don't think you need the compress option that would would normally use for capturing a hard drive. The only issue here is that I don't know if this would be bootable which is obviously important for you.

It's worth a shot I guess, it should only take a second to try it. (of course I fully expect Johan to tell me this won't work too) :-P

I tested it, it didnt work. Making the .wim image was no problem but adding it to the WDS server didnt work. I got an error: the file does not contain a valid install image.

Was thinking of using RIS too, but the problem is i have Windows Server 2003 R2 running. When I install WDS it automatically goes to native mode.

I've read that you have to install Win serv 2003 with sp1 then install RIS, update to sp2 and then update to WDS to get it in mixed mode. But is there no posibility to get it to mixed without installing Windows server 2003 again cause i can't reinstall it.

Also you can't run RIS if you have a single partition. That got me a couple times.

I thought these steps still worked even if it's R2. I guess not. I also saw where the message "File does not contain a valid install image" can mean other things that what it sounds like it means.

To change WDS from native to mixed mode

1. Start a command prompt and type the following command

wdsutil /uninitialize-server

2. Run risetup (or startmenu -> administrative tools -> Windows
Deployment Services Legacy) and add a Windows Server 2003 SP1 image

Note: Remote Installation Folder should be set to the same as previous
(D:\RemoteInstall in this example)

3.In the command prompt, type the following command

wdsutil /initialize-server /reminst:"D:\RemoteInstall"

4.In the command prompt, verify the WDS operational mode by typing the
following command

wdsutil /get-server /show:config

Yea i have 2 partitions on my server, that part i got right .

2. Run risetup (or startmenu -> administrative tools -> Windows
Deployment Services Legacy) and add a Windows Server 2003 SP1 image

Is it ok if i'd add the unattended image instead of the Windows Server 2003 SP1 image? Or is it necessary to add the Windows Server 2003 SP1 image?

Before testing this i'll look up more information about the errormessage "File does not contain a valid install image". As you said, it could be lots of things that causes this error.

2. I would do it EXACTLY like that says, that was a direct quote from Johan.

What you need to do on this step is add the files from server sp1 cd like you are creating an unattended install. I think it uses some of those files for something.

Ok, I will test that tomorrow asap. Hopefullywhen I try this my WDS boot images will still work hehe. Created a boot image called "Deploy images" and i created a "Capture image".

Think i'll have to change some settings too:

http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=772243&SiteID=17

Anyways I will try to solve this tomorrow .

Greetings

Philep

Yea i only want to create & deploy images + an unattended version for computers who have no images on the server and must be compatible with ervery hardware.

You're overcomplicating it then. Just use a generic PE image, follow the instructions in WAIK for creating a custom WinPE, add imagex to it and you are done. It's easy and fast.

For unattends use Lite Touch from MDT 2008 and add an unattended image there.

Mm, dunno how to do that. I'll just try to combina RIS with WDS so i can choose between those 2.

I'll keep you updated on the progression .

Thanks for the fast information & help, much appreciated!

Philep

I followed your steps, got WDS in mixed mode now, when i boot from PXE i get Deploy image, Capture image, Unattended installation. This is what i wanted!

I tried to install an image I added but got the error: The OS does not containt the necessary drivers for your network adapter. Try selecting a different OS image.

I'm guessing I'll have to add some drivers for the NIC to the image.

Greetings

Philep

Mm seems that there is a hotfix for that but service pack 1 should include that hotfix. But only RIS images i have added is win serv 2003 sp1 and xp sp3 so shouldn't be any problems.

Just in case you need to go back to my other idea and just use a generic PE image and add imagex to it to instructions are found in the WAIK User's Guide. The topic is cqlled "Walkthrough: Create a Custon Windows PE Image"

That would be a wim so you wouldn't have to worry about mixed mode.

As far as your other way of doing it. I think you have it, just add your NIC Drivers. There's a topic in the doc for that as well if you need it. The title is "Add a device Driver to an Offline Windows PE Image"

Hi again

Still stuck at "Your OS does not contain the necessary drivers for your network adapter". I used an older computer, maybe those drivers were recognized by the OS. But no, still same error.

What i did was slipstreamed win xp with sp 3, added a folder $OEM$\$1\Drivers\000_LAN\ and i added the drivers there. Then I made unattend.txt, added :

[Unattended]
OemPreinstall=Yes
UnattendSwitch="yes"

OemPnPDriversPath="Drivers\000_LAN;Drivers\000_LAN\winxp"

I renamed unattend.txt to winnt.sif and moved it to the i386 folder. Then I made an iso file, copied it to the WDS server, mounted it with daemontools and took an image of it with RISETUP.

(turitorial: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/34/)

Still getting the same error. Shouldn't there be a posibility to add the drivers on the shared folder (remoteinstall)of the WDS server?

Greetings

Philep

Well everything seems to work now, I'm working on my report atm. Have to hand it in in a week or 2. Thing im looking for now is to make a user in AD that only has the rights to add computer accounts to AD. The reason why i could use this is to add password in plain text to sysprep.inf. So i won't have to use an admin account to join it.

What i've tried is: i've made an user called wdsuser. Then i used "Delegate control" on the ComputerOU to add WDS user to it with a specific permission: create computer objects.

Now when I try to add a computer to a domain, it gives the error that i don't have the right permissions. Does this account need more permissions to add a computer account to AD?

Greetings