Each of us is faced with a situation where reinstalling the operating system (OS) is inevitable. Usually, we take out the dusty purchased disk with Windows, insert it into the CD/DVD-ROM, start the installation, give the name of our account and computer, and... let's go have tea! After all, it’s time to install updates.
And now, it would seem, the usual procedure for reinstalling the OS takes at least an hour (even with quick access on the Internet), because updates for the same Windows 7 since the release of Service Pack 1 have already accumulated more than ~1.5 gigabytes. And there is still driver installation ahead. Of course, you can download the 16-in-one image from the nearest torrent tracker, where all updates, drivers, and a bunch of other “useful software” will be integrated.
But we're gentlemen here, aren't we?
To simplify and speed up the reinstallation procedure, tools such as: RT Se7en Lite, WinToolKit And Windows Download Integrator (WDI).
The article will focus on the latter, using the example of integration current updates(more than 300) into the original image Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 x64.
Why Windows Download Integrator?
This tool was chosen for several objective reasons:
- Windows OS support starting from Windows Vista and ending Windows 8.
- Automatic download and integration of language packs, updates for Windows and Microsoft Office.
- Backup of drivers installed in the system and their subsequent integration into a clean OS image.
- Ability to create a response file and automatic installation.
- Unlock all OS editions in one image.
- Export to ISO and burn to USB drive out of the box.
- You can't make ZverDVD, i.e. cram a bunch of software and left-handed drivers.
- And much more...
Although WDI appeared relatively later than its competitors, the program already surpasses them in capabilities and is actively developing. Thanks to the guys from the My Digital Life forums.
Let's get down to business
What do we need?
- ISO- Windows image Vista/7/8, best from a purchased disk, but you can use original images from MSDN (be sure to check the checksums!).
- A set of updates in .MSU / .CAB format. You can download them directly from WDI or manually using WUD.
- Current version Windows Download Integrator.
- Free hard disk space (3 gigabytes or more).
- More than 1 hour of free processor time.
Instructions for use
One of the disadvantages of WDI is its scant documentation, or rather its complete absence. In the archive with the program you will find only the executable file itself and a list of changes to the current version. All. Coupled with the second drawback - a very unobvious interface, this can cause some problems. But there are no unsolvable problems.
Loading the necessary components
All components necessary for integration can be downloaded out of the box, you just need to find the menu...
The main menu is circled in red (what did I say about the non-obvious interface?).
- To download language packs, use the “Download language packs” menu item.
- To download updates, use the “Download Windows updates” menu item.
- (Optional) To create backup copy installed drivers- menu item “Backup Drivers”.
We carefully arrange all the loaded stuff into folders.
Selecting a source
Click on the inscription Click to select DVD source!, answer affirmatively to the question “Would you like to select an ISO image?”.
(!) By answering “No” in this window, we can immediately select the unpacked ISO.
Select a folder to unpack the ISO. In the future, you can immediately specify this folder.
Choosing editors
In the window that appears, you can unlock the OS editions required for installation:
Integration of updates, language packs
On next step we can integrate the necessary language packs, updates, drivers, and also change the screensaver during installation and even import tweaks (I can’t imagine who might need this).
Everything here is more or less clear. Click on the “Add” button and select previously downloaded files.
(!) We check the LDR Mode checkbox on the Updates tab if desired. You can find out more about the difference in installation.
(!) I do not specifically touch on the last 4 tabs (starting with Drivers). We want to get a “clean” image that is closest to the original?
After all the necessary changes, click the familiar button, which has moved to the upper right corner.
Integration process
Quite boring. There is no need to sit and look at the progress bar; you can go about your business for the next hour. The integration process itself occurs in 2 stages, upon completion of which a dialog box will appear saying “Success” (or not) with information about the time spent on the operation. For me, the integration operation of more than 300 updates took about 1 hour (1 hour 16 minutes, to be more precise).
Export to ISO / Burn to USB
After integration is complete, the finished image can be exported to ISO (menu item “Create ISO”) or immediately written to a USB drive (menu item “USB Tool”).
Results
As a result, after spending an hour of time, we received an up-to-date image with Windows OS, close to the original, for the contents of which only we ourselves are responsible. No unnecessary software or drivers, no boring wallpaper - everything is only the most important and necessary.
More links
I advise you to look at the MDL forum in the MDL Projects and Applications section, you can find a lot of useful stuff there.
Win Toolkit- fully free utility, which allows you to integrate all kinds of add-ons into a clean image of Windows 7: add-ons, service packs, selected updates, wallpapers, themes, various tweaks. In addition to integration, the program allows you to delete unnecessary components from the distribution.
By installing Win Toolkit on your computer, even a beginner will learn how to create a bootable USB disk using the program, edit the registry inside the image, and combine two or more versions of Windows OS - both 86- and 64-bit - into one ISO image.
Features of the Win Toolkit application:
- Self-downloading and integration of Windows 7 updates into the image, taking into account all latest changes, language packs, driver packs. And all this without visiting Microsoft's web pages.
- Integration into Windows image even small parts systems like desktop gadgets, registry entries, silent installation.
- Correct work with Cab archives. Thanks to Win Toolkit, the user will be able to convert MSU updates to CAB and vice versa, extract EXE updates and immediately send them to Cab archives for integration into the image.
- Merging two x86 and x64 images into one.
- To subsequently install a Windows 7 image, the user can choose two methods - by Bootable USB drive or with compact DVD. The Win Toolkit utility supports both flash drives and DVD-R.
- Dividing an image into several parts. In case the amount of flash memory is small or the file system of the drive does not allow for copying files larger than 4 GB.
- Installing cached updates on an already installed (current) one Windows system.
- Built-in WIM, DISM and imagex managers are a pleasure to work with.
- If necessary, Win program Toolkit can forcefully unmount an already mounted system image.
For all this we will use the RT Se7en Lite utility. If you've used nLite for Windows XP or vLite for Windows Vista before, then RT Se7en Lite will seem familiar to you. RT Se7en Lite is a variation of vLite or nLite for Windows 7.
For creating installation disk, you will need it installed on your Windows computer 7. You will also have to download and install the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) for Windows 7 from Microsoft - RT Se7en Lite is a friendlier version of WAIK.
WAIK is 1.7GB in size, so it may take you a while to download. After downloading the program, extract it using an archiver like 7-Zip.
You will also need a Windows 7 distribution - either a physical disk or ISO file.
Next, download and install RT Se7en Lite. The utility is free, although you can donate any amount to its fund if you wish. When downloading the utility, consider your Windows version- x86 when using 32-bit Windows or x64 when using 64-bit.
Using RT Se7en Lite
To get started, click on the Browse button and go to your Windows 7 distribution. If you have an ISO file, then select Select ISO file and go to it. If you have a Windows 7 installation disk, then insert it, click Select OS path, and go to it.
When using an ISO file, you will have to specify the exact path to extract it. To do this, you will need several free gigabytes on your hard drive.
The ISO files will be extracted automatically.
After selecting the desired edition of Windows 7, RT Se7en Lite will allow you to create your customized image. So, if your Windows 7 installation disk does not contain Service Pack 1, then using the Slipstream Service Pack option in the “Select an image to configure” window you can integrate SP1 into it.
Click on the Task panel and select the tasks you want to perform with your custom image. To do this, you can check the necessary boxes or select a ready-made preset. Checking the boxes will activate the corresponding configuration panel on the left.
The Integration panel allows you to integrate to your installation disk Windows updates, drivers, language packs and even third party applications. To integrate updates, you will have to download their distributions and upload them to RT Seven Lite using the Add button.
On the Features Removal or Components tab, you can permanently remove from your installation disk Windows unnecessary components and add the necessary capabilities. So, for example, you can remove games from your installation disk, or force Windows to install the IIS web server by default.
The Tweaks settings tab allows you to customize the settings of the Windows Control Panel, Desktop, Explorer and several others Windows components. You can even add your own registry settings to customize other settings not listed.
The Unattended section allows you to create a maintenance-free installation disk - you answer all installation questions in advance, after which Windows will install automatically without asking you.
So, for example, you can enter your product key in advance so that Windows won't ask you for it later. Other sections allow you to control other settings. For example, you can specify HDD, on which Windows will be installed. If you answer all the questions, Windows will install automatically, without asking you any questions, and allowing you to walk away from the computer altogether.
The Customization panel allows you to add your own screensaver, wallpaper, themes, documents, and even a Windows login picture to your installation disk.
In the ISO Bootable panel, you can create an ISO image from your custom installation disk. You can also cut it into a DVD or copy it to a bootable USB flash drive.
The developers of RT Se7en Lite recommend trying their customized Windows 7 image on a virtual machine. Just to make sure everything works. And then feel free to use it in real life. For testing, you can use VirtualBox or VMware Player - both programs are free.
Hi all! In this article I want to tell you how to easily and simply integrate the necessary updates into the distribution and subsequently, after reinstalling the system, not waste time on it.
I decided to deal with this issue after, on one laptop, all the necessary updates, as expected, were downloaded and even began to be installed, but when I rebooted, the computer could not install them and began to cancel them.
At the stage of canceling updates, the laptop simply froze and the system would not boot any further. After that, I thought of solving this issue differently.
Of course, someone will say that you don’t need to download system updates at all, but I have a different opinion and believe that at least critical updates should be installed after reinstalling the system. So, let's get down to the process itself.
We will need:
- Windows 7 distribution
- UltraIso program
- Windows Update Pack
First, in the crown of drive C, create a folder W7. Next, using the UltraIso program and in the sources folder, we find the file install.wim.
We put this file in the W7 folder.
The updates themselves can be downloaded from this forum. Now we launch the command line, to do this, click the Start button and in the search form write the command cmd.
Now actually on the command line we write this code and press Enter
Dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:C:\W7\install.wim
It is not necessary to write it, you can simply select it with the mouse, copy and paste it into the command line window. Next we will be shown the indexes of all Windows that are contained in our distribution. If you want to integrate updates into all versions, then write the following code and press Enter
By the way, read this article too: Dangerous computer viruses last decade
C:\W7\UpdatePack7R2.exe /WimFile=C:\W7\install.wim /Index=*
If you need to integrate updates into only one edition of Windows, then instead of an asterisk at the end of the code, put its index.
As a result, you will be given a report that will tell you how the integration of updates went.
After that, we go to our W7 folder and notice that our install.wim file has noticeably gained weight. Now run UltraIso again and drag our new file install.wim back to folder sources, to the question about replacement we answer Yes!
After all the manipulations in UltraIso program press the button file>save, or press the keyboard shortcut ctrl+s. All!
The output is a system distribution with integrated updates. Now you can safely write it to a disk or flash drive and safely install the system! Thank you all for your attention!
If anyone has any questions, you can watch the video at Youtube channel of this blog. Good luck to everyone!
Today, Windows 7 is the main corporate system, de facto, taking the baton from Windows XP. Therefore for system administrator The actual issue is its deployment, but since the last official image was compiled quite a long time ago, the systems installed with its help require quite a large number of updates. You can avoid this if you assemble your own distribution containing all the current system updates. We will tell you how to do this in this article.
There are two ways to obtain the latest Windows 7 distribution: integrating updates directly into the image and using a reference system to download and install updates.
The first method is simpler and faster, but has a serious drawback - you need to download all the necessary updates. And this, even with a list, is quite difficult to do. At the same time, there are already downloaded update sets available on the network, but we do not recommend using them, since installing system components from unverified sources is a very bad idea. At a minimum, you could end up with an unstable system due to an untested or incompatible set of updates, and at worst, you could easily end up with unwanted or malicious software.
Using a reference system allows you to get all the necessary updates in automatic mode, install them, check the operation of the system and only then proceed to creating a distribution kit. Therefore, we will consider this method.
Creation of a reference system
For these purposes, we recommend using virtual machine, in which we will create a guest system for Windows 7 and install the version of the OS for which we will create a distribution kit. If you need to create distributions for several versions or bits, then you will also need several reference systems.
Once the installation is complete, take your time; when the welcome screen appears, click CTRL+ SHIFT+ F3
This will reboot the system into audit mode, but if you managed to create a user and log in, then run the command as Administrator:
C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep /audit /reboot
When booting into audit mode, the utility starts automatically Sysprep, close this window, we don’t need it now.
It should be remembered that the system switched to audit mode will continue to boot into it until we start it again Sysprep and we will not change the regime. After downloading, open Windows Update and search for and install updates.
Important! On May 17, 2016, Microsoft released cumulative package updates for Windows 7 SP1 KB3125574, which includes updates from the release of SP1 until April 2016; in order to reduce the volume of downloaded updates, we recommend downloading and installing this package manually. Installation requires update KB3020369.
We reboot and search and install updates again. We reboot and repeat this operation again until the system installs all available updates.
If your goal was only to integrate all latest updates, then we can finish here. However, the audit mode allows you to install a variety of software, which will also be included in the distribution. This is widely used by OEMs; we think everyone has come across distributions (usually on laptops) containing, in addition to the OS, various amounts of software of dubious usefulness.
Therefore, no one is stopping us from including the necessary software in our distribution, so as not to waste time on its subsequent installation. We usually limit ourselves to the "gentleman's set": archiver, Adobe Reader, Java, Silverlight. You can include in it the entire set of necessary software, including an office suite and other software. You should not include programs that install your own drivers and device drivers in the image, since all third-party drivers will be removed at the stage of preparing the system for image capture. Also, you should not activate the software; this information will also be lost.
Having finished preparing the reference system, we will delete all the files we downloaded and unnecessary software (if any), special attention should be paid to cleaning the system from copies of update files, for this use the tool Disk Cleanup:
Important! After cleaning be sure to reboot system to complete the updates, otherwise you risk getting a broken image.
Now let's prepare it for image capture using the utility Sysprep:
C:\Windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown
Let's look at the utility keys in more detail:
- oobe- starts the computer in welcome screen mode. The Windows Welcome screen allows end users to configure operating system Windows, create new Accounts, rename your computer, and perform other tasks.
- generalize- prepares the Windows installation before creating the image. If this parameter is specified, all are unique system information are removed from Windows installations. The security identifier (SID) is reset, system restore points are reset, and event logs are deleted.
- shutdown - Shuts down the computer after Sysprep has finished running.
After completing the necessary actions, the system will shut down. You cannot enable it before the image is captured. This concludes our work with the reference system and moves on to creating our own distribution based on it.
Creating your own distribution
For further work we will need a workstation under Windows control 7 with installed Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). The bit size and version of the system do not play any role.
Installing WAIK should not be difficult and is done using the default settings.
Now let's prepare the image Windows PE to capture an image of the reference system. The WinPE bit capacity must match the bit capacity of the reference system.
Let's open Start - All Programs - Microsoft Windows AIK - Deployment Tools Command Line and run the command for 32-bit systems:
Copype.cmd x86 e:\win_pe
or for 64-bit:
Copype.cmd amd64 e:\win_pe
Where e:\win_pe desired location of the folder with the image. There is no need to create the folder first, as in this case you will receive an error that the folder already exists.
Now let's go to the destination folder and copy the file winpe.wim to a folder ISO\sources and rename it to boot.wim. Then copy it to a folder ISO from folder C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64 or C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86, depending on the bit depth, file imagex.exe.
Then in Command line deployment tools give the following command:
Oscdimg -n -be:\win_pe\etfsboot.com e:\win_pe\ISO e:\win_pe\winpe.iso
The result of the command will be an image winpe.iso from which the reference system should be loaded.
If you did not perform additional partitioning of the reference system disk, the partition to be captured will have the letter D:, and the boot disk E:, just in case, we check with the team dir.
Now let's start capturing the image, since the image is created file by file, it can be saved to the same partition. Let's enter the following command:
E:\imagex /capture d: d:\install.wim "Win7_ULT_x64" /compress maximum /boot /verify
As parameters we indicate to capture disk D: and save it to an image D:\install.wim, in quotation marks we indicate our own name of the image, we also set the maximum compression, the ability to download and check the created image. After which we can go have coffee, this operation takes on average about half an hour.
We reboot the reference system into normal mode and copy the created image to a PC with WAIK installed. Let's go to e:\win_pe and empty the ISO folder, then copy the contents of the original there Windows disk 7, which we used to install the reference system.
Then we will replace the file install.wim in folder sources to the image we captured. Now you can start building your own ISO image, to do this, run the command:
Oscdimg -u2 -m -o -lWIN7ULTx64 -be:\win_pe\etfsboot.com e:\win_pe\iso e:\win_pe\Win7_ULT_x64.iso
Let's look at the command keys in more detail:
- u2-creates an image that has only file system UDF.
- m- removes restrictions on image size.
- o- replaces duplicate files with one copy, allowing you to reduce the size of the image.
- l- volume label, entered without spaces, optional parameter.
- b- location of the boot file, also without spaces.
The image is assembled quite quickly, the only thing is that with a high degree of probability its size will exceed 4.7 GB and it will not be possible to burn it to a regular DVD disc. In this case, you can use double-layer DVD9 discs, but they are less common on sale and may not be supported by all drive models. In this case, you can split the distribution into two parts, each of which will fit on a standard-capacity DVD. You should also remember the limitation of 32-bit systems that cannot work with wim images larger than 4 GB.
You can split the image with the following command:
Imagex /split e:\win_pe\install.wim e:\win_pe\install.swm 3000
This will create two or more swm file maximum size of 3000 MB. Then delete it from the folder ISO\sources install.wim and place install.swm there, after which we will assemble the image of the first disk:
Oscdimg -u2 -m -lWIN7ULTx64DVD1 -be:\win_pe\etfsboot.com e:\win_pe\iso e:\win_pe\Win7_ULT_x64_DVD1.iso
After this, delete install.swm and copy install2.swm in its place. There is no point in making the second disk bootable, so we will assemble it with a simpler command:
Oscdimg -u2 -m -lWIN7ULTx64DVD2 e:\win_pe\iso e:\win_pe\Win7_ULT_x64_DVD2.iso
Installation from a split image is carried out in the usual way, starting from the first disk; during operation, the installer itself will ask you to change the disk:
This way, you don’t have to worry about the size of the created image, especially if, in addition to updates, it is planned to include voluminous software, for example, the MS Office package, etc. We also recommend that before moving on to deploying workstations from the created distribution, you thoroughly test its operation on a test system.
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