I've been struggling for two whole days trying to get the /optimize-ffu option to work with DISM and it's driving me crazy! Here's the situation: I'm using Windows 11 build 24h2 and have it all sysprepped and ready for imaging. I boot into WinPE from the latest deployment toolkit and successfully create an FFU file using dism /capture-ffu. This FFU file restores perfectly on machines with the matching HDD size via dism /apply-ffu.
However, the problem arises when the target drives are either smaller or larger. Smaller drives fail the process while larger disks don't use the entire capacity of the HDD. So, I need to optimize the image with dism /optimize-ffu, but this is where I hit a wall. I either get vague errors like "file not found" or, if I manage to optimize, it throws an error during application and doesn't resize the partitions correctly, leaving the machine unbootable since the Windows partition fills up immediately.
Is there a specific version of DISM where the /optimize-ffu actually works as it should? It's frustrating because the FFU method is way better but it feels so poorly implemented!
1 Answer
FFU optimization works best with versions of DISM that are 10.0.25XXX or newer. If your current version isn't compatible, try installing the September 2023 ADK or later. Make sure to use DISM from this path: C:Program Files (x86)Windows Kits10Assessment and Deployment KitDeployment Toolsamd64DISMdism.exe.
Thanks for the heads up! Initially, I used a DISM version below that threshold. Then, I tried using DISM v10.0.26100.1150 that was on my Windows build. I created a fresh FFU with that, but now I can't even mount it using the same DISM version back in Windows. I'm getting an "Element not found" error (1168) with no clue what element is missing. I'll have to look into that ADK; it might save me next week!