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Windows Setup Supported Platforms and Cross-Platform Deployments

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This topic describes the supported platforms and deployment scenarios for running for Windows Setup.

When you’re deploying different types of PCs, you can use Windows Setup as a way to choose between your images through the Windows Setup user interface to select a specific image. You can include images for a variety of hardware platforms (such as BIOS and UEFI, 32-bit and 64-bit PCs), and across different versions of Windows (such as Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 7).

You can also run Windows Setup through a script. Boot the PC to Windows PE, and then use the \sources\setup.exe file to specify your image.

Firmware considerations: BIOS vs. UEFI

For UEFI-based PCs that support booting into either UEFI or legacy BIOS modes, make sure your PC is booted into the correct firmware mode before starting Windows Setup. Otherwise, Windows Setup may set up the hard drive partitions incorrectly, or may abort the installation if the hard drives are preconfigured. For more information, see WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode.

Firmware: BIOS 32-bit and 64-bit

To set up a single environment or set of scripts that can deploy Windows to both 32-bit and 64-bit BIOS PCs, use a 32-bit version of Windows PE and a 32-bit version of Windows Setup.

The 64-bit version of Windows Setup does not run on the 32-bit version of Windows PE.

Note

The 32-bit version of WinPE for Windows 11 is not supported.

To install a 64-bit version of Windows from a 32-bit version of Windows PE

  1. Boot the PC using the 32-bit version of Windows PE.

  2. Use any of the following techniques to install a 64-bit version of Windows:

    • Run a 32-bit version of Windows Setup, and use the /InstallFrom command-line option to select a 64-bit Windows image:

      D:\setup.exe /InstallFrom:"N:\Windows_64-bit\sources\install.wim"

      -or-

    • Run a 32-bit version of Windows Setup, and use the Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\InstallFrom unattend setting to select a 64-bit Windows image.

      D:\setup.exe /unattend:"D:\unattend_install_64-bit.xml"

      -or-

    • Use image-capturing tools to apply a 64-bit version of Windows to the PC.

      Dism /Apply-Image /ImageFile:"Fabrikam_64-bit_image.wim" /Index:1 /ApplyDir:D:\

      For more information, see Apply Images Using DISM.

Creating a .wim file for multiple architecture types

If a .wim file contains both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows editions, you must select the Windows image that you want to install. Typically, Windows Setup uses the product key that you specify in the ProductKey setting to determine which Windows image to install. But if the file contains 2 editions of the same Windows version, like Windows 8.1 Pro, you must use the MetaData setting in an answer file to specify the edition to install.

To choose an image, specify metadata that corresponds to the image index, name, description, or architecture type. For the metadata for architecture type, use 0 for 32-bit editions and 9 for 64-bit editions. For more info, see the MetaData Key setting.

The answer file must include processor-specific components. The answer-file settings in the windowsPE configuration pass must match the architecture type of the preinstallation environment. The settings that apply to the Windows image must match the architecture type of the image. For example, if you create an answer file that deploys 64-bit images from a 32-bit preinstallation environment, all components in the answer file for the windowsPE configuration pass must include the processor attribute type of x86. Settings to be applied in the specialize, oobeSystem, or other configuration passes must include the processor attribute type of amd64.

WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode

Windows Setup Scenarios and Best Practices

Windows Setup Installation Process

Windows Setup Automation Overview

Audit Mode Overview

Windows Setup Configuration Passes