Adding Files to Boot Image (WinPE)

Question

_{Thursday, May 7, 2015 11:19 PM}

Here's a weird one. So I take a Windows 8.1 Wim file and mount it with DISM, then copy nslookup.exe into the System32 and SysWow64 folders, like on a regular Windows system. I then unmount and commit. I import that boot image into SCCM 2012 R2 and add some scripting components. I also configure it in some of the other tabs....which I will be happy to list if those are important to this issue. I distribute the image to my DP and then PXE boot to it. When I get into WinPE, my nslookup.exe files are not there. I have even tried placing a text file in the root of the image and it gets stripped too.

I know SCCM creates its own version of the wim file when importing...the one with the ID in the name of the wim, so I mounted that wim and my files were there, yet not in WinPE.

While in WinPE I can copy nslookup from the PC's Windows drive to the X: Drive and it works fine.

Why are my files being stripped?  Am I missing something to make this work?

Thanks in advance.

All replies (9)

_{Thursday, May 7, 2015 11:25 PM}

Do you mean commit then unmount? I'm pretty sure commit has to come first.

_{Friday, May 8, 2015 1:55 AM}

I can think of two reasons why you are seeing what you are seeing:

1. The WIM package was not distributed to the DPs.

2. The boot WIM that is associated with your task sequence is actually different from the one that you modified and intended to use.

_{Friday, May 8, 2015 3:31 PM}

The unmount and commit happens in one command.  dism /unmount-wim /mountdir:c:\mount /Commit

I only have one boot image, which is this one, and I have made sure that it is the correct ID number that the PC is booting to in the command line under the progress bar while PXE booting to winpe.

_{Wednesday, May 13, 2015 6:39 AM}

Hi,

Alternatively, you can try pre-start command

Adding Files to the Boot Image in CM2012

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_{Wednesday, May 13, 2015 8:46 PM}

Back when I used to have to put trace32.exe in the boot images, I always had to make sure to use DISM on the original boot.wim (back it up first) and not one of the boot images that were created.  It would recreate the boot images and wipe out the additions if I added them to the custom boot images.  So, if you add them to the original boot.wim, the files will be there because this is the wim that CM uses to create the boot image that goes out to the DPs.  Could this be your issue?

Mike Leach | http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/mleach/default.aspx

_{Thursday, May 14, 2015 12:35 AM}

It would also help to list exactly what you are doing. What DISM commands, how are you updating the DPs, etc? There may just be something simple that is being overlooked. 

Daniel Ratliff | http://www.PotentEngineer.com | @PotentEngineer

_{Thursday, May 14, 2015 6:37 PM}

That Pre-Start Command looks interesting.  Thank you.  I will be trying that in the near future.

Here is my process:

- Copy the boot.wim from the install media, in this case Windows 7.

- Mount it with DISM:

Dism /Mount-Wim /WimFile:C:\temp\winpe.wim /index:1 /MountDir:C:\temp\mount

- Copy and paste the file I want in WinPE into the file system in the mount folder

- Unmount / Commit with DISM:

Dism /unmount-Wim /MountDir:C:\temp\mount /Commit

- I then create a boot image in the SCCM Console by right-clicking boot images and selecting create

- Reference the wim file I added files to, to which SCCM then creates its own wim file from

- I then add some scripting components in the Option Components tab in the Properties of the boot image in the console

- Distribute the boot image to my test DP

- PXE Boot to it

_{Friday, May 15, 2015 1:47 AM}

All that looks good. 

Where are you copying the file to in the mounted directory?

Daniel Ratliff | http://www.PotentEngineer.com | @PotentEngineer

_{Friday, May 15, 2015 4:00 PM}

I've tried C:\Windows\Ssystem32    and     C:\Windows\SysWow64    and the root of the mount folder.