Mini-WinFE

Requirements and (Known) Issues

This project can create a working WinPE/WinFE version 2.x/3.x/4.0/5.x/10.x. Different source files have different results.

Windows Vista\7\8\8.1\10 source files are required. Different service packs may support different features. Source files include one of the following media -
- Windows Installation DVD
- Local folder or network share containing Windows Installation files
- Mounted disc image file
- Host operating system (limited to Windows 7/8/8.1/10)

Administrator privileges - registry hives will need to be mounted and edited during the build process, and other processes also require administrator privileges.

Free disk space - 1GB should be more than adequate if the INJECT method is used. If the ADK script is used then significantly more storage space will be required (6GB recommended) + enough space to temporarily copy the contents of your USB drive (depending on whether the Create USB script is selected - and whether the option to back up existing contents is used.).

Your own copy of FTK Imager Lite / X-Ways Forensics / WinHex if you want to include them in the build.

Internet access - required only for LinuxReader. This is non-redistributable but will be downloaded automatically as part of the build process if selected Internet access is also required if the ADK script is used to download the ADK installation files.

Language support is currently experimental. Wimlib-imagex.exe is used to verify the Default Language of boot.wim (from source) - which will be used automatically during the build process. The Language option in the main project script is used as a fallback if wimlib is not able to obtain this information from boot.wim. The project is also coded to use en-US as a secondary fallback language. I'm hoping to improve language support in the future. This is difficult as Microsoft hasn't been consistent with the use of .mui (Multilingual User Interface) files - the files used to support other languages. As an example the en-GB release of Windows 8.1 should logically only use the .mui files in the en-GB subfolder, however a number of en-US files are required and some programs may not work without them. To further illustrate this, in the Windows 8.1 en-GB release, BootRec.exe loads \en-US\BootRec.exe.mui - not \en-GB\BootRec.exe.mui.

Windows Vista (GOLD - Build 6.0.6000) will not currently boot - \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe error on booting (error message reads "The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt"). Bizarrely the boot.wim file modified by running the project will boot successfully if boot.sdi (the RAM Disk and filesystem) from a Windows 7 (and possibly other) source is used instead of the boot.sdi from 6.0.6000 sources.

Please be aware that if using WinFE based on WinPE 2.0 a disk signature will be written to any disks that do not already have a disk signature in the MBR. This will not have any adverse effects but will perform a minor disk write.

Please be aware that if using WinFE based on WinPE 2.1 a disk signature will be written to any disks that do not already have a disk signature in the MBR. This will not have any adverse effects but will perform a minor disk write.

Please be aware that if using WinFE based on WinPE 3.0 a disk signature will be written to any disks that do not already have a disk signature in the MBR. This will not have any adverse effects but will perform a minor disk write.

Please be aware that if using WinFE based on WinPE 3.1 a disk signature will be written to any disks that do not already have a disk signature in the MBR. This will not have any adverse effects but will perform a minor disk write.

There are likely to be problems with file permissions when the files from this source are applied to a local directory (only applies if the "EXTRACT" build method is used). See below.

There are problems with file permissions when the files from this source are applied to a local directory (only applies if the "EXTRACT" build method is used). Some files cannot be modified from winbuilder or deleted after the build. This can be avoided by building with the "INJECT" method.

In recent tests I noticed that the programs with wow32.dll and ntvdm.exe dependencies do not function when Windows 6.3.9431 codebase (Windows 8.1) is used - this includes DriveImageXML and dd. Interestingly, the programs will work if these files (wow32.dll and ntvdm.exe) are substituted with versions from other Windows sources (Windows XP/7/8 and possibly Vista) and placed in the relevant program directory - do not add them to the System32 directory. Resolved - this issue appears to have been fixed in the RTM version of Windows 8.1 (Build 6.3.9600).

Document date - 27^th April 2017