49 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
49 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# Deploy Windows 10 from Linux
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This is a simple Python script that installs Windows 10 to a target disk from a running
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Linux system (i.e., without booting from Windows installation ISO and without using Windows PE).
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## Use cases
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* Mass-install Windows workstations from a PXE-booted Linux environment.
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(Here it may be useful to convert install.wim to a pipable WIM file
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and then you can stream it e.g. using HTTP from a server).
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* Provision VMs with Windows 10 with a single command, without any
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intermediate steps with mounting ISOs, changing boot order and the like.
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## Limitations
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* Only limited partitioning options -- it can just erase whole disk and create a single partition.
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## Additional resources
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* [Create a windows system from scratch using Linux][from-scratch] -- forum thread at reboot.pro
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that discusses attempts to achieve exactly this
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* [NTDEV YouTube channel][NTDEV] -- videos from crazy Windows experiments and hacks
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### Windows boot process
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* [Windows Vista-10 Startup Process][nt6start] summarized on Wikipedia
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* [Windows 7-10 Master Boot Record][MBR] -- disassembly and analysis
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* [Windows 8-10 NTFS Volume Boot Record][VBR] -- disassembly and analysis
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#### BCD database
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* [libbcd0][] -- Python library for reading/writing BCD databases
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* [BCD notes, observations, experiments][bcdnotes]
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* [BCD elements][bcdelem]
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### Windows installation process
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* [Configuration passes in unattend.xml][passes]
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[MBR]: https://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/W7MBR.htm
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[VBR]: https://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/W8VBR.htm|
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[from-scratch]: http://reboot.pro/topic/20468-create-a-windows-system-from-scratch-using-linux/
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[passes]: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/how-configuration-passes-work
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[NTDEV]: https://www.youtube.com/c/NTDEV/videos
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[libbcd0]: https://github.com/wodny/libbcd0/
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[bcdnotes]: https://thestarman.pcministry.com/asm/mbr/BCD.htm
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[nt6start]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_6_startup_process
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[bcdelem]: https://www.geoffchappell.com/notes/windows/boot/bcd/elements.htm
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