How To Open Install Wim

In this tutorial, we will show y'all how to convert ESD to WIM file from the Command prompt, using the DISM tool, or PowerShell scripts. ESD file is a new highly compressed file-based paradigm distribution format adult past Microsoft. The ESD (Electronic Software Download) prototype files are used to deploy the Windows operating organization instead of the classical WIM (Windows Imaging Format) prototype. Unlike WIM files, you cannot open or mount an ESD file in Windows (unless you lot're converting them). The ESD file is read-only. Instead, Windows uses them internally during the clean install or update process. The problem is that many admins using WDS/MDT/SCCM to deploy Windows 10 over the network and usually demand to make the aforementioned changes to the Windows Image file. So today we will show you lot how to easily convert ESD to WIM image.

First of all, we'll figure out what the install.wim and install.esd files are and how they differ.

Install.esd and install.wim are archives containing compressed operating system files, they tin include several Windows editions (Professional, Home, Enterprise, etc.). During the installation of Windows, all files are extracted from the install.wim/esd image to the system drive of the computer.

If you compare the size of the wim and esd file, you can notice that the size of a file with the esd extension is smaller, because it is compressed more than strongly (a new type of pinch is used – Recovery). This compression type packs the Windows installation files even more than and, as a result, the size of the install.esd file becomes less than the install.wim file by 30%.

Hint. To compress ESD files, a more efficient LZMS compression algorithm is used, instead of LZX compression used for WIM files.

Microsoft distributes the last Windows 10 builds in the install.esd format. Information technology helps users to relieve network traffic during upgrading Windows 10 build.

The inconvenience of using the install.esd file is that DISM (Deployment Prototype Servicing and Management) tool refuses to mount this Windows epitome. Accordingly, in such an epitome information technology is impossible to inject drivers, security updates, or change some Windows deployment options. Therefore, in this state of affairs, the easiest way is to convert the install.esd file to install.wim and and so but work with the install.wim file.

Extracting Install.esd File From the Windows 10 Install ISO

You tin can create Windows 10 installation ISO image using the Media Creation tool or the Windows 10 Upgrade banana.

The first thing you need to practice is open your File Explorer. Right-click your Windows 10 ISO epitome and select Mount.

Become to C:\ bulldoze and create a folder Win10. Copy all files from Windows x ISO paradigm into it.

When you copied all files, become to the Sources folder, find the install.esd file and make a copy of this file.

Now create another folder on your C:\ drive – name it ESD. Paste install.esd file into this folder.

Hint. How to Open an ESD File? You can view the contents of install.esd using the archiver tools. For example, using 7 zip. Just open the esd file with the 7zip archiver and y'all will be able to browse the folders in the esd file.

Converting ESD to WIM File on Windows 10 using DISM

The next thing you demand to do is open Control Prompt as Administrator. We need to get into the folder nosotros have just created. Blazon in:

cd c:\esd

As we said above, the install.wim or install.esd file can comprise several Windows Editions. Each edition of the Os is stored in the file install.esd and has an assigned index (index 1, 2, 3, 4, …). Y'all can go the listing of Windows editions in your install.esd file using the DISM tool. Run the following command to listing all Windows editions in your image:

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:install.esd

Every bit you can see, in the install.esd file at that place is an image of 4 versions of Windows ten with the indexes: ane, 2, three, 4.

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool

Version: 10.0.16299.15

Details for image: install.esd

Index: 1

Proper name: Windows x Pro

Description: Windows 10 Pro

Size: fifteen,103,101,178 bytes

Index: 2

Name: Windows 10 Abode

Description: Windows 10 Home

Size: xiv,917,903,101 bytes

Index: three

Proper noun: Windows 10 Domicile Single Language

Clarification: Windows ten Home Single Language

Size: 14,917,646,651 bytes

Index: 4

Name: Windows 10 Education

Description: Windows ten Instruction

Size: xiv,320,369,327 bytes

The operation completed successfully.

Find the index number of Windows 10 edition you demand (nosotros are choosing Index 1, since we are using the Windows x Pro edition).

The side by side control allows you to extract the specified Windows edition installation image from the esd file and convert it to the WIM file format:

dism /export-prototype /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /Compress:max /CheckIntegrity

Hint. 4 dissimilar compression formats can be used in DISM to shrink a WIM paradigm. For each of them there is a corresponding option in the DISM /Shrink parameter:

/Shrink:none — no pinch used;
/Shrink:fast — default WIM image compression type (XPRESS compressions);
/Compress:maximum — maximum compression (LZX compression);
/Compress:recovery — this type of compression converts WIM image to ESD format (LZMS compression). Equally a result, the size of the esd file can be xxx percent smaller than the size of the original wim file. For compressed archives, recovery Microsoft recommends using the esd file extension for images compressed with the recovery compression type.

The DISM utility allows you lot to use only iii options for images in Recovery format: Dism /Export-Image, Dism /Apply-Image, and Dism /Get-WimInfo

Image exporting is started and the procedure can take a long time. Conversion is quite a resource-intensive task, during which the processor and retentivity of your computer volition exist heavily loaded. Depending on your computer hardware, it takes about 10-30 minutes to complete.

Hint. You tin extract several Windows editions from the esd to the install.wim file. For example, to create a WIM paradigm file with Abode (index:2) and Pro (index:i) Windows x edition, you lot can use the following commands:
dism /Export-Prototype /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /DestinationName:"W10 PRO version 1909" /Compress:max /CheckIntegrity  Dism /Consign-Image /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:two /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /DestinationName:"Win10 Home version 1909"

In the same manner you can add any other Windows edition to your wim file.

In one case ESD conversion is completed, you tin can copy your new WIM image file and go to Win10 original folder, so to Sources and supervene upon install.esd file.

Convert ESD to Install.WIM with PowerShell

Likewise, y'all can use the PowerShell cmdlets to convert your ESD file to the WIM epitome format.

Run the elevated PowerShell console and execute the following command to get the Windows editions from the install.esd file:

Go-WindowsImage -ImagePath "f:\sources\install.esd"

Now you lot can utilize the Export-WindowsImage cmdlet to convert Install.ESD to Install.WIM with PowerShell:

Export-WindowsImage -SourceImagePath F:\sources\install.esd -SourceIndex 10 -DestinationImagePath C:\esd\install.wim -CheckIntegrity

Convert ESD to ISO Using DISM++ (GUI)

If you lot don't like using control-line tools, you tin can use the graphical third-party tool Dism++ to catechumen your ESD file. This is a simple and free utility for convenient work with Windows epitome and WIM/ESD files. Download and run the Dism++ tool (www.chuyu.me/en/).

Select File > WIM > ESD/SWM file;
Select your source esd file and target wim image path;
Press Finish and look until the converting process ends.

Hint. With DISM ++ yous tin also catechumen ESD or WIM file to Windows ISO image gear up for deploying on computers.

How to Convert Install.esd to Install.wim using NTLite Tool

NTLite is a popular tool for serving Windows images. Yous can utilize information technology non only to integrate driver files or updates into wim, but also to configure the automatic installation of Windows and applications. I of the NTLite options allows you to convert ESD files to WIM format.

NTLite is gratis for non-commercial utilise. You can download information technology here: https://www.ntlite.com/download/.

To catechumen install.esd from Windows 10 image to install.wim format, run NTLite, and follow these steps:

Select Add > Paradigm file (WIM, ESD, SWM);
Select your install.esd file;
Select the Windows edition in the ESD image that you want to consign to a WIM file;
Select Consign > WIM in the context menu. Or click on the heading Operating System and select Export all > WIM;
Wait for NTLite to finish exporting Windows prototype from ESD file to WIM format. In my instance, it took almost 10 minutes.

The resulting install.wim file tin can be mounted using the DISM tool. You can slipstream Windows security updates into a .wim file, inject drivers, modify Windows features, and brand some other changes to the image. Now, you can use it to create your own Windows installation images and then import them to the MDT, WDS, or SCCM.

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