I've been trying to create a custom Windows ISO that has my preferred programs pre-installed, without setting up a pre-created user. However, when I boot from the ISO, I get an error during the edition selection step—it doesn't display any Windows editions for me to choose from. I replaced the install.wim with my own captured image and followed these steps: 1) Freshly installed Windows, 2) Entered Audit mode with CTRL+SHIFT+F3, 3) Installed all my desired programs, 4) Sysprepped with the shutdown and generalize options enabled, 5) Captured the image using DISM from another Windows ISO, and 6) Modified the original Windows ISO to include my new install.wim. The error occurs when I select 'I don't have a product key'—no editions appear for selection.
2 Answers
Creating a personalized ISO can be tricky! Once it’s made, you have to keep in mind that it’ll eventually become outdated. A better approach might be to set up a post-install script that automatically pulls the latest versions of the programs you want after the OS is installed.
You might want to check out NTLite. It simplifies the customization process with a user-friendly interface, which can help reduce errors. Just a heads-up though, for serious customization, tools like MDT or Autopilot are more efficient in the long run.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll look deeper into NTLite.