Preparing a system for WinPE image creation

You must prepare the system you use to create the image files by installing required software and ensuring that files are in the appropriate locations.

To prepare the system for image creation

1. Download and install the following items from the Microsoft website:
   • NET Framework Version 2.0 (if using WinPE 2.x) or Version 3.5 (if using WinPE 5.1 or WinPE 10)
   • Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0 SP2
2. Download the appropriate kit from the Microsoft download website, as discussed in Installing-the-Microsoft-Windows-AIK-or-ADK:
   • To create WinPE 10 images, download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 and 11.
     Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) is released separately from the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK). To add Windows PE to your ADK installation, download the Windows PE Addon and run the included installer after installing the ADK. After you run the installer, the WinPE files will be in the same location as they were in the previous ADK installations.

     • Download the Windows ADK for Windows 10 and 11, version 10.1.26100

     • Download the Windows PE add-on for the ADK

   • To create WinPE 10 images, download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK 10.1.26100.xx) for Windows 10 and 11.
   • To create WinPE 5.1 images, download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8.1.

   • To create WinPE 2.1 images, download the Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 and Microsoft Windows 2008.
     

     Note

     AIK files are very large and might take a while to download.

3. Install the appropriate kit:
   • If you are installing an ADK, run the ADKSetup.exe file.
   • If you are installing an AIK, perform the following steps:
     1. Using an image file editor (such as WinImage), open the WAIK image file and extract its contents to a local, temporary directory. Alternatively, mount the WAIK image file to the server.

     2. Install the WAIK by running the appropriate msi file found within it, depending on the architecture of the server that you are using to create the WinPE images.

        • If you are using an x86 machine to create images, run the waikx86.msi file.
        • If you are using an x86-x64 or x64 machine to create images, run waikamd64.msi.
        • If you are using an Itanium machine to create images, run waikia64.msi.

        Note

        For information about the unattended image types (x86, x64) that you can create using the x86 and x64 architectures, see the Microsoft WAIK product documentation.

4. Locate the following TrueSight Server Automation file: currentRelease-provision-files.zip.
   This file is included in the main product package when you download TrueSight Server Automation from the BMC Electronic Product Distribution (EPD) website.
   Copy this file to a directory on the machine where you installed WAIK or ADK. For example, C:\BMC_BL.
5. Unzip currentRelease-provision-files.zip.
    This file unzips to create the following subdirectory: \provisioning\winpe
6. Copy the below binaries from \provisioning\winpe folder into datastore location <datastore (or) pxestore location>\bmi folder.
   • \provisioning\winpe\amd64\libblcrypto-3-x64.dll
   • \provisioning\winpe\amd64\libblssl-3-x64.dll
   • \provisioning\winpe\x86\libblcrypto-3.dll
   • \provisioning\winpe\x86\libblssl-3.dll
   • \provisioning\pxe\bmiwin.exe    

7. Copy two script files from the unzipped TrueSight Server Automation directories to the WAIK or ADK directories. Details depend on the WinPE version:

   WinPE version	Script files to copy	Source directory	Target directory
   WinPE 10	CreateWinPE5_1.vbs extractpxeboot.vbs	The provisioning\winpe subdirectory. For example: If you placed currentRelease-provision-files.zip in C:\BMC_BL and unzipped it there, the script files are in C:\BMC_BL\provisioning\winpe\	ADK installation subdirectory \Tools\PETools For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Tools\PETools
   WinPE 5.1	CreateWinPE5_1.vbs extractpxeboot.vbs	The provisioning\winpe subdirectory. For example: If you placed currentRelease-provision-files.zip in C:\BMC_BL and unzipped it there, the script files are in C:\BMC_BL\provisioning\winpe\	ADK installation subdirectory \Tools\PETools For example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.1\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Tools\PETools

8. Perform below steps to replace bootmgr.exe file.
   1. Navigate to "<PXE installed Location>\tftproot" directory and backup and then remove the bootmgr.exe file 
   2. After removal, download bootmgr.zip.
   3. Unzip the bootmgr.zip file and copy the bootmgr.exe file into the <PXE installed Location>\tftproot directory.
   4. Restart the PXE server.
9. If you are using the image creation wizard to create boot image files, you can begin the wizard now. See Creating WinPE images using the Image Creation wizard.
   If you are using the script to create boot image files, continue with the following steps.

10. (If using the script to create boot image files) Set up files for driver injection.

    Note

    Although driver injection is optional for boot image creation, drivers are typically required to create a usable provisioning boot image.

    To inject drivers into the WinPE image, create a text file called Driver.txt and put this file in the provisioning\winpe directory. For example:
    C:\BMC_BL\provisioning\winpe\Driver.txt
    Add the following line to the Driver.txt file:
    Drivers=<fullPathToINFDriver> <fullPathToINFDriver> ...
    For example:

    Drivers= E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmxnet.inf E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmx_svga.inf E:\vmwaredriv\vmd\vmware-nic.inf
11. (If using the script to create boot image files) Run the image creation script. See Creating-WinPE-image-files-using-the-TrueSight-Server-Automation-script.