Windows 11 23H2 has install.esd but no install.wim file


AltitudeD

Member
Local time
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OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
I have purchased a genuine copy of Windows 11 Pro OEM from a retail store and it came with a DVD containing 23H2.
I have created an iso from this DVD using these instructions

Install Microsoft ADK -> Deployment Tools
mkdir C:\temp\dvd_files
Copy-Item -Path F:\* -Destination C:\temp\dvd_files -Recurse
cd 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\amd64\Oscdimg\'

.\oscdimg.exe -m -u2 -bH:\boot\etfsboot.com C:\temp\dvd_files\ C:\temp\image.iso

Then I followed my usual method to create a bootable USB drive.
The problem is that there is no X:\sources\install.wim (Where X is the USB drive), there are instead two files install.esd and boot.wim
What I want to do is use dism to remove bloatware, for example with a normal ISO downloaded from Microsoft I would do

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:X:\sources\install.wim
dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:X:\sources\install.wim /Index:6 /MountDir:C:\Mount
dism /Image:C:\Mount /Get-Packages
dism /Image:C:\Mount /Remove-EdgeBrowser
dism /Image:C:\Mount /Add-Driver /Driver:D:\Drivers\ /Recurse
dism /Image:C:\Mount /Get-ProvisionedAppxPackages
dism /Image:C:\Mount /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:Clipchamp.Clipchamp_3.0.10220.0_neutral_~_yxz26nhyzhsrt

dism /Image:C:\Mount /Remove-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackageName:Microsoft.BingNews_4.1.24002.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Sure, I used the install.esd instead of install.wim but /Get-Packages doesn't reveal any of the usual suspects (Clipchamp, Bing, Xbox, etc)
So, what's happening here? Is the OEM DVD version special? Or do I need to do something else to customize this image?
I want to (re)install the 23H2 as 24H2 caused some issue for me and now I have this DVD with 23H2.

Thanks in advance!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-14700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS WIFI II
    Memory
    128 GB DDR5 5200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 4000 ADA
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware AW3225QF
    Screen Resolution
    4k
    Hard Drives
    NVMe 4th gen PCIe
    PSU
    Seasonic 500W fanless
    Case
    Streacom BC1 V2
    Cooling
    EK-Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux
    Keyboard
    Cherry
    Mouse
    Alienware
    Browser
    Chrome
Please disregard! After I wrote this I realized that I used

dism /Image:C:\Mount /Get-Packages

instead of

dism /Image:C:\Mount /Get-ProvisionedAppxPackages

now I can see all the junk
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-14700F
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS WIFI II
    Memory
    128 GB DDR5 5200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 4000 ADA
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Alienware AW3225QF
    Screen Resolution
    4k
    Hard Drives
    NVMe 4th gen PCIe
    PSU
    Seasonic 500W fanless
    Case
    Streacom BC1 V2
    Cooling
    EK-Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux
    Keyboard
    Cherry
    Mouse
    Alienware
    Browser
    Chrome
For anyone else, using the Media Creation Tool (aka MCT) to download the Windows 11 ISO, you get the install.esd file. If you scroll down to use the third option, download the ISO directly, you get the install.wim file. One format can be converted to the other with Dism, I don't know the appropriate syntax. When creating a hybrid USB flash drive (such us creating Windows 10 or Windows 11 23H2 USB flash drive and replacing the image.esd or image.wim file from the Windows 11 24H2 ISO), it doesn't matter what format you replace it with. All combinations work, that is replacing install.esd with install.esd or install.esd with install.wim or install.wim with install.esd or install.wim with install.wim, no need to convert to the same format.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (build 22631.4249) test laptop, Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894) main PC
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Extensa 5630EZ
    CPU
    Mobile DualCore Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2000 MHz
    Motherboard
    Acer Extensa 5630
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Mobile Intel(R) GMA 4500M (Mobile 4 series)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC268 @ Intel 82801IB ICH9 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB SATA Device (250 GB, SATA-III)
    Internet Speed
    VDSL 50 Mbps
    Browser
    MICROSOFT EDGE
    Antivirus
    WINDOWS DEFENDER
    Other Info
    Legacy MBR installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, no WDDM 2.0 graphics drivers, no SSE4.2, cannot get more unsupported ;) This is only my test laptop. I had installed Windows 11 here before upgrading my main PC. For my main PC I use everyday see my 2nd system specs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro v24H2 (build 26100.2894)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom-built PC
    CPU
    Intel Core-i7 3770 3.40GHz s1155 (3rd generation)
    Motherboard
    Asus P8H61 s1155 ATX
    Memory
    2x Kingston Hyper-X Blu 8GB DDR3-1600
    Graphics card(s)
    Gainward NE5105T018G1-1070F (nVidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4GB GDDR5)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD audio (ALC887)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia KDL-19L4000 19" LCD TV via VGA
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900 32-bit 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WD Blue SA510 2.5 1000GB SSD as system disk, Western Digital Caviar Purple 4TB SATA III (WD40PURZ) as second
    PSU
    Thermaltake Litepower RGB 550W Full Wired
    Case
    SUPERCASE MIDI-TOWER
    Cooling
    Deepcool Gamma Archer CPU cooler, 1x 8cm fan at the back
    Mouse
    Sunnyline OptiEye PS/2
    Keyboard
    Mitsumi 101-key PS/2
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Legacy BIOS (MBR) installation, no TPM, no Secure Boot, WDDM 3.0 graphics drivers, WEI score 7.4
Hi AltitudeD,

To change the .esd file to a .wim file, do the following steps:

Convert Install.ESD file to Install.WIM:
With ISO on external drive
In File Explorer go to <Drive>:\ESD-ISO and copy dir
In Command Prompt as Admin get install info for index number
DISM /Get-WimInfo /WinFile:<d>:\sources\install.esd
In File Explorer go to install.esd file under sources
<d>:\source\install.esd
Create .wim file:
Create folder to save .wim file <C:\Wimfiles>
Convert ESD file to WIM
DISM /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:<directory>:\sources\install.esd /SourceIndex=[index number] /DestinationImageFile:<e>:\WIMFiles\install.wim /Compress:Max /CheckIntegrity

Drive letters in "<>" would to whatever you decide.

Kind regards,

tecknot
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Dual boot Windows 10 Pro 22H2 (b 19045.5371) & Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (b 22631.4830)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad Workstation P72
    CPU
    Intel i7 8750H @ 2.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo 01YU291
    Memory
    16 GB (all Samsung) DDR4-3200 SODIMM (non-ECC) PCIe 3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 630 & NVIDIA Quadro P600
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC3286
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3"
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160
    Hard Drives
    1TB SSD Samsung 860 EVO SATA 3
    1TB SSD Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe PCIe 3 x 4
    1TB SSD Samsung 980 M.2 NVMe PCIe 3 x 4
    PSU
    230W
    Cooling
    fan
    Keyboard
    UltraNav
    Mouse
    Kensington wireless Orbit
    Internet Speed
    640Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    CM246 Chipset

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