Creating Bootable Media with Discover Boot Images and the Windows Automated Installation Kit



After a new discover image has been created, it is pretty useless until we can actually boot a system and connect to a WDS (Windows Deployment Services) server using it. To create bootable media that loads a discover image, the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) needs to be downloaded from Microsoft and installed on a Windows Server 2008 system. The WAIK can be installed on other operating systems, but several prerequisites must be met before it can be installed.

The Windows Automated Installation Kit is used primarily to help OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) computer builders deploy Windows operating systems onto new hardware. It includes deployment tools that are compatible with the latest version of Windows. Download and install the WAIK on a Windows Server 2008 system.

After the WAIK is installed, to create a bootable ISO file that boots the discover boot image, follow the below steps:

1. Log on to the Windows Server 2008 system with an account with administrative rights.

2. Download and install the latest version of the Windows Automated Installation Kit that is compatible with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista.

3. After the WAIK is installed, copy the discover image created previously to a local drive and folder path. For this example, the file path of our discover image is f:\DiscoverImages\Win2008Discover.WIM.

4. Click on Start and then All Programs and then Accessories and then select Command Prompt or you can directly go from Run dialog box by typing cmd in the box.

5. Type cd \ and press Enter to focus the command prompt to the root of the C: drive.

6. Type cd “Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\” and press Enter to change the command prompt focus to the PETools folder.

7. Type CopyPe x86 E:\DiscoverImages\Winpe and press Enter. This creates a copy of the Windows Preinstallation Environment, also known as Windows PE or WinPE for short, for x86-based systems to the specified destination on the F: drive. The process copies several files to the destination folder and when completed returns the cursor back to the command prompt, which is now focused in the destination folder.

8. Now we have the WinPE files necessary to boot a system and we need to copy the discover image into the correct folder. Type the following command based on the folder and files paths presented in the previous steps: Copy /y F:\DiscoverImages\Win2008Discover.WIM F:\DiscoverImages\WinPE\ISO\Sources\Boot.wim and press Enter. This command copies the created discover boot file and replaces the default boot.wim file that is contained in the WinPE installation folder.

9. After the file copy completes successfully, type in C: and press Enter. The focus should be returned back to c:\program files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools, but if not, change to the PETools directory.

10. At this point, we have a WinPE installation ready to create a bootable ISO image that includes our custom discover image. Type the following command and then press Enter:

oscdimg –n –bE:\DiscoverImages\Winpe\ISO\Boot\etfsboot.com
F:\DiscoverImages\Winpe\ISO
F:\DiscoverImages\MyDiscoverImage.ISO

11. The previous command should be entered as a single line. The –b option defines the media used to make the ISO bootable and the –n command allows for the use of long filenames. Each of the options is used for ISO image creation but this utility can be used to create other types of media. After the ISO is created, copy it to a system that has the necessary CD/RW or DVD/RW drive and the necessary software to burn a CD using an ISO image.

12. After the bootable CD is created, boot a system using it to verify that it functions as intended.

This might seem like a tedious process, but it really only needs to be performed once for every WDS server deployed on the network.