Testing an aproach similar to WinNTSetup Mode: Wimboot:WIMCOPY
PREAMBLE:
For this test I builded a new 5 GB MinWin VHD in Compact LZX Mode, since the begining, with my usual programs installed after first boot:
- 7-Zip x64
- Classic Shell (Only Start menu was applied).
- SumatraPDF x64
- SVBus driver v1.3 (installed manually) but the REG file was pre-installed during first installation.
From MinWin ReadMe.txt file:
This folder contians the minwin profiles.
A minwin profile has 3 optional subfolder
Add
The content of this folder will added to the root of the applied or captured image
Reg
*.reg files will added to the applied or captured image
Remove
*.txt files with file pattern that should be excluded from apply or capture operation
*.reg files will added to the applied or captured image
It also should have a WinSxS.ini
This contians a whitelist for the \Windows\WinSXS folder
Wildcards should only match one component, outdated version of this component will be removed
The default profile should show a minmal setup-able and useable installation.
Don't report program xyz.exe does not work
Alternative profiles or constructive reports are welcome
Making use of my Add folder, it allowed me to copy:
Port_Apps folder to VHD root, same used in Win_Reduce by wimb, but I also included PowerRun.
Utilities folder to VHD root, same used in Win_Reduce.
Users\Default\desktop folder with my favorite short cuts to some Portable Programs located on Y drive, same used in Win_Reduce, with some modifications.
Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo\ folder with my favorite links to some Portable Programs located on Y drive, same used in Win_Reduce, with some modifications.
\Windows\System32 folder containig RunScanner files, same used in Win_Reduce.
Additionally I created Reg-files folder and during installation in WinNTSetup in Tweks window I selected it, and all REG files were applied during first installation, it contains:
- EVRootCA.reg >>> Installs SVBus v1.3 certificate.
- DisableMitigations.reg >>> Disables Meltdown and Spectre mitigations (improves performace in some CPUs).
- FireFoxPortable_Default_Browser.reg >>> Makes Y:\FirefoxPortable the default browser.
- Remote_Regedit.reg >>> REG file of RunScanner 2 by Paraglider a tool to offline access and edit a Remote Registry..
- VLC_Fix_Y.reg >>> Makes Y:\VLC portable default audio and movie player.
NOTE: Some of this REG files are similar to those used in Win_Reduce, but were moddified to install them this way.
NOTE-2: I used for this build my Modded_SySWoW_2022-08-01.7z 2.89KB, for more info see post No. 132
Just in case some reader may want to try using my Reg-files folder, I attached it here:
Reg-files.7z Password = alacran
After this I captured a WIM image of the NTFS partition using Wimlib-clc by Tokener.
INSTALLATION:
As so far WinNTSetup fails if installing a WIM file captured from a MinWin VHD, I decided to build a very similar approach to test this.
Manually made a 1390 MB VHD where:
Fist Primary active partition is 40 MB FAT-32
Second primary partition NTFS the rest
I created in root of NTFS partition a folder named Wimboot, and copied into it the MinWin WIM file.
By means of Wimlib-clc I installed into NTFS partition it, in Wimboot mode having as source the WIM file into Wimboot folder.
The new MinWin-WBCOPY.vhd Rambooted very fine without any issue.
To re-capture it I previously created a new WimbootCompress-WBCOPY.ini file and used it during recapture.
The new WimbootCompress-WBCOPY.ini is the same as the original WimbootCompress.ini just with the addition in [ExclusionList] of following line:
\Wimboot
The re-capture was made fine, and as expected, the Wimboot folder was not captured, the resulting WIM file was same size as the original WIM file used.
Using this approach we can make smaller size VHDs having about the same free space than if appling in Compact LZX mode.
Please see attached photo of NTFS partition, left is just after installed and right is just after Ramboot.
It seems to me for a building not using WinNTSetup, it's better and easier to copy the WIM file to Wimboot folder than copy it to System Volume Information folder that is a System folder and very hard to access it, only way is as Trusted Installer. But we need to keep in mind just having the precaution to edit the WimbootCompress.ini adding the previously mentioned line or use a pre-edited custom WimbootCompress-WBCOPY.ini as I did.
Using this approach we have following benefits:
- Used space just after installed is smaller than in Compact LZX mode, (37 MB smaller).
- All info is contained into a single file, (the VHD), just as in Compact LZX mode.
- All the info is fully loaded to Ram, just as in Compact LZX mode.
- No issues if the USB 3.0 device in not relly very fast, except longer loading to Ram time.
- Smaller file size if the VHD is externally lz4 compressed when compared with a Compact LZX VHD also lz4 compressed, (21 MB smaller).
Well, it seems to me this is the smallest build that can be created without editing the text files into Reduce folder to delete things as PowerShell and the very minimum .Net framework required to run PowerShell, any thing beyond that will be very risky.
IMHO it works very fine as it is, and the size is fantastic, and I will not try to further reduce it. As I said some time ago my goal was a VHD about 1.5 to 1.6 GB and this MinWin build went further than my wishes.
alacran