1025 replies to this topic

[antonino61]

well, just finished trying the new wimboot and winreduce on windows 10 - considering all I have kept and that I managed to take the bitlocker stuff off, I obtained a 2.5 wim file and a very tiny used space on the 1gb vhd (17megs as *.gz). quite satisfactory I believe. all the rest (full vhd and stuff is consequential to the figures I have just given concerning the combo, which is in the end the quickest scenario possible, at least here).

 

PS.: I managed to reduce the wim to 2.17gb, for both an lz4 vhd and a wim+gz combo of approximately 2.3gb with all the same functionality and software as the above.

[antonino61]

I have benchmarked both wim+vhd (.gz) combo and full vhd (.lz4) - SAME BUILD - and obtained no difference between the 2 - how so?

[wimb]

Update VHD_WIMBOOT Version 4.1

 

Download:  from GitHub VHD_WIMBOOT-41 and Win_Reduce_Trusted-40  to make Mini 7/8/10 x64 in VHD with UsedSize about 2 GB

 

Download File E = Encrypted Password = bootwimb

 

Manual:  VHD_WIMBOOT.pdf

 

- Make fixed VHD with MBR and 2 Partitions (Active 100 MB FAT32 + rest NTFS) suitable for UEFI booting VHD from RAMDISK
- Added UEFI Grub4dos  and  a1ive UEFI Grub2 for UEFI booting VHD from RAMDISK
- Added signed SVBus driver for UEFI booting VHD from RAMDISK

 

Credits and Thanks to:
- a1ive for making UEFI Grub2
- yaya2007 and a1ive for making UEFI Grub4dos
- alacran for help and support
- liuzhaoyzz for help in solving boot_image_handle not found problem in case of UEFI Grub4dos

More Info:  VHD_WIMBOOT  and   Grub4dos for UEFI

 

==

 

[alacran]

Hi, thanks for the good news.

 

Just downloaded and will test then ASAP, I guess you are still working on new versions of USB_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI with included new G4E, and new a1ive grub2, take your time, no rush, just to make sure I didn't miss a post about them.

 

alacran

[wimb]

Hi, thanks for the good news.

 

Just downloaded and will test then ASAP, I guess you are still working on new versions of USB_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI with included new G4E, and new a1ive grub2, take your time, no rush, just to make sure I didn't miss a post about them.

 

alacran

 

USB_FORMAT and UEFI_MULTI have been Updated to version 5.1

There was no announcement yet, but these programs also have now support for UEFI Grub2 and UEFI Grub4dos and signed SVBus driver

UEFI_MULTI can make the boot entries for VHD having two partitions.

[alacran]

Thanks wimb.

 

Not to make you do changes to this new versions of your programs, as this is not required with our custom WimBootCompress.ini, but just to let you know a new relase of wimlib-imagex v1.13.3 is available, the changes are:

 

 

Version 1.13.3:
    On Windows, improved performance of capturing an entire drive in some
    cases.

    On Windows, fixed leaking a directory handle (or triggering a SEH
    exception when running under a debugger) when referencing WIM files.

    On Windows, when applying a Windows OS image using the --compact flag,
    bootloader files can now be compressed with stronger compression
    algorithms if the version of Windows is recent enough to support it.

    Clarified the license text.
 

 

The remarked on blue is something we have already commented, but was pending to include on the official release, it is good it seems to be a check of the OS version before apply stronger compression.

 

Anyway it is only related to boot files/folders, and as said our custom WimBootCompress.ini, has exclusions for some critical files on [PrepopulateList] to be fully compatible with 8.x and 7.

 

About the G4E last version 2020-12-15-6f8f98c   I consider it as a tentative or test version, as is not yet an official release on: http://grub4dos.chen...-4-6a-for-UEFI/

EDIT: New location for UEFI version: http://grub4dos.chen...ories/for-UEFI/

 

From its included ChangeLog:

 

Release Notes:
2020-12-15 (a1ive)
  Add load command to load EFI driver.
2020-12-14 (yaya)
  Compile 32-bit and 64-bit versions at one time.
 

 

Also the last official MBR version is grub4dos-0.4.6a-2020-08-09.7z  but there is no mention of the changes on this version on its included ChangeLog.

 

Then my friend, IMHO I suggest you to keep the versions you currently used during your tests on the development of the new versions of your programs, and let's see first how this wimlib and grub4dos for MBR and also for UEFI work, before you think in include them as they could be a potential cause of troubles.

 

alacran

[wimb]

Thank you for all interesting info.

 

Indeed we must be careful now with changes and certainly they must first be tested and confirmed to be an improvement.

[antonino61]

I tested the new uefi version of wimboot and winreduce and what more and what not and believe me it works better, faster and "smaller" than the previous one even on just bios and mbr. attaboy wimb!!!

[wimb]

I tested the new uefi version of wimboot and winreduce and what more and what not and believe me it works better, faster and "smaller" than the previous one even on just bios and mbr. attaboy wimb!!!

 

Thank you for testing and for your approval 

[antonino61]

what I said above obviously applies to the 1 partition option, which u have so wisely kept.

[wimb]

what I said above obviously applies to the 1 partition option, which u have so wisely kept.

 

You prefer MBR booting VHD RAMOS in WimBoot mode which is good, but how about computers that only have UEFI Secure booting available .....

 

I can say now that the new options of UEFI Grub2 and UEFI Grub4dos are working quite well

 

for UEFI booting Mini 8/10 x64 Compact LZX VHD RAMOS using signed SVBus driver.

 

And in that case you need the VHD Fixed with MBR and 2 Partitions .....

 

[antonino61]

of course wimb, that was by no means a complaint; it was a way of congratulating u on it. and I even forgot to tell u and alacrán that the new version of wimlib can be integrated in ur new version of wimboot ok, .. it works even better - no issues at all.

[a1ive]

 

About the G4E last version 2020-12-15-6f8f98c   I consider it as a tentative or test version, as is not yet an official release on: http://grub4dos.chen...-4-6a-for-UEFI/

No. http://grub4dos.chen...ories/for-UEFI/

[alacran]

No. http://grub4dos.chen...ories/for-UEFI/

 

Thanks, fixed previous post, and added this link on it.

 

alacran

[wimb]

Update VHD_WIMBOOT Version 4.2

 

Download:  from GitHub VHD_WIMBOOT-42 and Win_Reduce_Trusted-40  to make Mini 7/8/10 x64 in VHD with UsedSize about 2 GB

 

Download File E = Encrypted Password = bootwimb

 

Manual:  VHD_WIMBOOT.pdf

 

- Update 2020-12-23 Grub2  and Grub2 FileManager and UEFI Grub4dos and Grub4dos -  grub4dos-for_UEFI-2020-12-15.7z  and  grub4dos-0.4.6a-2020-08-09.7z

- Added support ntfs_x64.efi driver for UEFI booting from RAMDISK VHD having 1 NTFS partition (does not work for me) -  refind-cd-0.11.4.zip

- Improved Grub2 Menu so that x64 and ia32 UEFI entries are not mixed anymore

 

Grub2 now supports efiload module needed to load ntfs_x64.efi driver needed for using 1 partition VHD as RAMOS

 

In my case VHD with MBR 2 Partitions which does not use ntfs_x64.efi driver is working quite well as RAMOS and 1 partition VHD cannot be used.

[antonino61]

gonna try both of them and let u know in a bit

[antonino61]

latest winreduce working fine!!!

[antonino61]

latest vhd_wimboot working fine as well.

[wimb]

Update UEFI_MULTI-52-E and VHD_WIMBOOT-43-E

 

Download:  from wimb GitHub  -   UEFI_MULTI-52-E  and  VHD_WIMBOOT-43-E

 

Download File E = Encrypted Password = bootwimb

 

- Added WofCompress of JFX to UnCompress EFI folder inside VHD when Making Boot entries

- EFI folder in VHD needs to be UnCompressed in case of UEFI booting 1 Partition VHD from RAMDISK
- makebt\WimBootCompress.ini file adjusted so that entire EFI and Boot folder will be UnCompressed after Capture and Apply in Compact and WimBoot mode

 

In my case ntfs_x64.efi driver is not needed anymore for UEFI booting of 1 Partition VHD from RAMDISK using UEFI Grub2 Or UEFI Grub4dos

The boot problem of 1 Partition VHD was entirely due to WOF Compression of EFI folder and this problem is solved now.

 

   

 

[antonino61]

thanx and merry xmas again

[wimb]

Update UEFI_MULTI-52-E and VHD_WIMBOOT-44-E

 

Download:  from wimb GitHub  -   UEFI_MULTI-52-E  and  VHD_WIMBOOT-44-E

 

Download File E = Encrypted Password = bootwimb

 

- use WofCompress to UnCompress EFI and Boot folder inside VHD instead of renaming as x-EFI and x-Boot

  UnCompressed EFI folder inside VHD is needed for booting 2 Partition VHD from RAMDISK using UEFI Grub4dos aka G4E

 

More Info: here

[antonino61]

second last vhd_wimboot worked fine as well. Trying this one too. will let u know in a bit.

btw, I have found out that, by means of process explorer, I can learn what syswow64 dlls a favorite program needs in order to work ok. then, copying them to a safe place before running winreduce and then copying them back later can make that favourite program work even with the reduction (it is technically the same as copying back all files from the syswow64 root, the only difference being the space occupied). the procedure works 7 times out of 10. at the end of the day, i have reached vhd and wim sizes closer to the ones u and alacrán have advertised without any "nostalgic suffering". I think I am gonna post this also in get-alladafluff-out too.

A happy holiday season to u again.

[antonino61]

newest version of vhd wimboot working fine.

[wimb]

Thank you for testing 

[alacran]

There is something wrong on VHD_WIMBOOT-45

 

I recicled a 3 GB VHD with two partitions deleting both partitions and making a single NTFS partition with Win10 tools, then rebooted from Win10XPE_x64 to deploy the WIM file and decided to do it with VHD_WIMBOOT-45, to test this new version, but just after it mounted the VHD it stop working and showed a message, after acepting the message VHD_WIMBOOT-45 closed immediately, please see attached pictures.

 

On first picture I selected to keep the VHD mounted, and didn't make any other change, on second intent after reformating the NTFS partition with Win10 and unmount the VHD, I didn't select to keep the VHD mounted but selected 1 partition just to check if this time it was able to finish the task, but the result was the same.

 

alacran

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by alacran, 02 January 2021 - 08:46 PM.
It is about VHD_WIMBOOT-45