The install.esd file and installation DVD

Hi

If I convert the install.wim file of Windows 8.x in the install.esd, it is possible to create an installation DVD? If so, how do I make sure that, during its installation, Windows 8.x read the install.esd file instead of the install.wim?

Thanks

Bye

It is capable of read .esd and .wim, no problem, I have done it before.

Just replace install.wim  with install.esd in sources folder.  Using UltraISO or similar when in DVD.

This is only valid for 8.x DVD or USB, not for Win7 and older.

It is capable of read .esd and .wim, no problem, I have done it before.

 

Just replace install.wim  with install.esd in sources folder.  Using UltraISO or similar when in DVD.

 

This is only valid for 8.x DVD or USB, not for Win7 and older.

In other words, during the installation of Windows 8.x from the DVD or a USB stick, Windows first searches the install.wim and, if not found it, searches the install.esd file. Right?

This is also true for Windows 10?

There are drawbacks in the installation using only the install.esd file?

Thanks

Bye

ESD is MS's new standard to replace WIM. They tend to be smaller than WIMs. However, they are also typically (not always) encrypted, which makes them difficult to work with if you need to modify the ESD. I use a software called WinToolkit to integrate Windows Updates into my WIMs, so that there are less updates to install later. For ESD, I would need to add updates to the WIM, then later convert to ESD, which for me is an extra unnecessary step. If you don't need to integrate updates then ESD should be fine. 8/8.1/10 Windows Setup can recognize ESD, I don't think 7 setup USB/disc can.

ESD is MS's new standard to replace WIM. They tend to be smaller than WIMs. However, they are also typically (not always) encrypted, which makes them difficult to work with if you need to modify the ESD. I use a software called WinToolkit to integrate Windows Updates into my WIMs, so that there are less updates to install later. For ESD, I would need to add updates to the WIM, then later convert to ESD, which for me is an extra unnecessary step. If you don't need to integrate updates then ESD should be fine. 8/8.1/10 Windows Setup can recognize ESD, I don't think 7 setup USB/disc can.

So, using Windows ADK and having to convert the install.wim to install.esd file, I should write:

dism /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:"<Windows_Files_Path>\sources\install.wim" /SourceIndex:<Image_Index> /DestinationImageFile:"<Windows_Files_Path>\sources\install.esd" /Compress:recovery /CheckIntegrity

for each volume image stored in the install.wim file. Right?

At this point, I could delete the install.wim file from the installation DVD of Windows 8.x/10 and replace it with the install.esd file. Right?

Thanks

Bye

I can't tell you what commands to use to convert, I don't bother. WIM is much easier to work with, no need to overcomplicate things.

Seemingly 3.51 Gb vs. 6 Gb:

http://www.betaarchi...pic.php?t=28982

may be a good reason to make things complicated, if one is going to burn the result on a DVD.

Wonko

I suppose a smaller ESD would make a big difference if you plan to use it on a FAT32 UEFI USB/disc, since this would eliminate the need to split the file.

How do I change the BCD of the installation DVD of Windows 8.x/10 to ensure that it identifies the boot.esd and install.esd files?

Thanks

Bye

Don't you understand boot.wim needs to be present, and not in the form of boot.esd?

You need boot.wim running in order to read .esd files

http://reboot.pro/to...es/#entry194885

But you may try yourself and tell us your experience, you can use BootIce to modify bcd file located in boot folder of DVD pointing to your boot.esd

http://bbs.wuyou.net...a=page=1&page=1

Regards

Don't you understand boot.wim needs to be present, and not in the form of boot.esd?

 

You need boot.wim running in order to read .esd files

 

http://reboot.pro/to...es/#entry194885

 

But you may try yourself and tell us your experience, you can use BootIce to modify bcd file located in boot folder of DVD pointing to your boot.esd

 

http://bbs.wuyou.net...a=page=1&page=1

 

Regards

Using the bcdedit command, how do I change the BCD of the installation DVD so that it searches for the boot.esd file and not the boot.wim file?

Thanks

Bye

I did not yet make deeper studies about *.esd, but let me tell here my humble opinion:

I logically do not understand the background of this topic.

IMHO the only technical reason to have *.esd files on the DVD, is the capacity of the DVD ( and maybe some M$ specials to make ??? more difficult).

When the whole (WIM) ISO fits on one DVD, why compressing something to ESD?

Did somebody compare the installation time with WIM vs ESD?

Peter

I did not yet make deeper studies about *.esd, but let me tell here my humble opinion:

 

I logically do not understand the background of this topic.

 

IMHO the only technical reason to have *.esd files on the DVD, is the capacity of the DVD ( and maybe some M$ specials to make ??? more difficult).

 

When the whole (WIM) ISO fits on one DVD, why compressing something to ESD?

 

Did somebody compare the installation time with WIM vs ESD?

 

Peter

*.esd files are a good option if you made a multi-wim file larger than 4GB and you want to put it on a USB stick formated as FAT32 (to let you make UEFI GPT installs), other than this I see no need for them unless you want to use a single layer DVD and don't want to spend a few more money for a double layer DVD.

Anyway deploying time has to be longer as it is required more RAM and CPU power to decompress from a *.esd and some very low resources systems (as some cheap laptops) may not support this load properly and have problems.

Script to transform *.wim to *.esd and *.esd to *.wim:  http://reboot.pro/to...-14#entry194937

Best Regards

alacran

I would say that Balubeto is needlessly complicating things by insisting on *both* an install.esd *and* boot.esd...........

A install.esd and a standard boot.wim should be good enough for your purposes.

I know this thread is not new, so just want to share my findings.

you can export your install.esd to install.wim and it will be the same size.

Dism /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /compress:recovery

so the esd vs. wim is not a fight about size or fitting to dvd....

if esd has any up or downside vs. wim I do not know yet...

best regards MiMo 

you can export your install.esd to install.wim and it will be the same size.

Dism /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /compress:recovery

Ha Ha, That didn't even cross my mind, but of course you're right.

Good to know there are people more awaik than me, 

Playing around:

While a win8.1 download contains a install.esd file windows 10 has a install.wim file....

on the windows 10 install.wim i run this:

Dism /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /compress:maximum

the file goes from 2.0 to 2,4GB (for the 32bit)

Just to let you know both 8.1 and 10 eats the produced wim named esd file without problems and it seams MS is making esd files renamed as wim files also....

my windows 10 64bit install.wim(esd) is already 3,5gb (containing 10,pro,enterprise & education)

I predict that if I exported them using /compress:maximum, I will bust the 4GB limit, breaking Fat32 support for my usb stick install.