IT Certification and Training Blog

By Val Bakh

2.3.3 Using ImageX

ImageX is a command-line tool that can create, apply, and manage WIM images. Three architecture-specific versions of ImageX—for 32-bit computers (x86), for regular 64-bit computers (x64 or amd64), and for Itanium-based computers (ia64)—are available in Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK). In previous blog posts, we have discussed how you can use ImageX to capture a generalized image of a Windows 7 installation on a reference computer. Now let’s talk about deploying that image to a target computer.

Windows deployment in an enterprise environment is an enormous subject. Depending on your goals, the scale of the deployment, and the available resources, there are too many methods and technologies to even mention in a short Tips & Tricks article. Therefore, we’ll focus on only a few details of the main underlying process.

By Val Bakh

2.3.2 Activation and Custom Image Deployment
How does activation fit in with a custom image-based deployment? It depends on the activation method you want to use.

If you have only retail product keys, your options are rather limited: you can either provide a separate product key directly to each end user or assign the keys to the target computers by using a special administrative tool named Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT). The most recent version, VAMT 2.0, supports retail product keys and is available at Microsoft Download Center as a stand-alone download.