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I'm trying to build a recovery ISO so I can expand it to a different computer, however I have 2 .wim files: base.wim and boot.wim.

base.wim is 10 GB while boot.wim is only 146 MB.

I've tried creating an ISO with AIK off the 10 GB wim (renaming it to boot.wim) but when I load it on my other computer I get a winload.exe missing error.

So my question is: what is the difference between the two and what can I do to make my recovery disk work?

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A boot.wim file is the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). A base.wim file is the main Windows image. (I believe 'base.wim' is what HP generally call their installation WIMs)

Using a WinPE boot CD/USB you can boot into the boot.wim file which will take you into WinPE, from there you can use 'imagex.exe' or 'dism.exe' to apply the base.wim to another disk/computer.

Walkthrough: Create a Custom Windows PE Image: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709665(v=ws.10).aspx

Apply Images Using DISM: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824910.aspx

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  • isn't that what setup.exe normally does?
    – jiggunjer
    Jan 7, 2016 at 8:24

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