Mounting Boot Image Using ImageX (Image Engineering)

What is ImageX?

ImageX is a command-line tool developed by Microsoft that is used for capturing, modifying, and deploying disk images in Windows operating systems. It is part of the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK) or Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK), depending on the Windows version.

Here are some key points about ImageX:

1. Disk Imaging: ImageX allows you to create a compressed disk image of a Windows operating system installation. This image includes all files, settings, and configurations of the installed operating system, applications, and data.

2. Capture and Deployment: You can use ImageX to capture an image from an existing system and deploy that image to multiple computers or restore it to the same computer. It enables rapid deployment of standardized operating system configurations across multiple devices.

3. File-Based Imaging: ImageX uses a file-based imaging method, meaning it operates at the file level rather than the sector level. This allows for more flexibility and efficiency compared to traditional sector-based imaging tools.

4. WIM Format: ImageX works with Windows Imaging Format (WIM) files. WIM is a file-based disk image format introduced by Microsoft that provides compression, file-level storage, and the ability to apply updates and modifications to the image.

5. Command-Line Tool: ImageX is primarily a command-line tool, which means it is executed using specific command syntax and parameters. It offers various options for capturing, modifying, and deploying images, providing flexibility and automation capabilities for image management tasks.

6. Integration with Deployment Tools: ImageX is often used in conjunction with deployment tools like Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to streamline and automate the deployment process.

7. Windows 10 Equivalent: In later versions of Windows, ImageX has been replaced by DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management), which provides similar functionality along with additional features.

Overall, ImageX is a powerful tool for capturing, modifying, and deploying disk images in Windows operating systems, offering flexibility and automation for system deployment and management tasks.

ImageX is a tool which is installed after the installation of WAIK.

So, from the start menu go to the Microsoft Windows Automated Toolkit

Open the Deployment Tools Command Prompt using Administrative Rights. 

 

To mount an image you need to use the read write privilege’s so the command for mounting the image will be :-

Imagex /mountrw “path of the boot image” 1 “path of the folder where you want to mount the image”

 

After executing the above command it will “show successfully mounted image” once you get this you can directly go to the folder you specified.

Here you can modify any data present (add/delete).

 

Once the changes are made you need to commit the changes and unmounts the image so for doing this use the command:-

ImageX /commit /unmounts “path of the folder where you mounted the image”

 

After executing the above command you will get command saying:-

Successfully committed image.

Successfully un-mounted image.

Once you receive these commands your image is un-mounted now and now the boot image has been modified.