Generate Windows PE Boot Images

DeployR uses customized Windows PE boot images to perform bare metal deployments. These boot images are created by DeployR using a process initiated from the StifleR Dashboard. Navigate to the Boot Images node to see the list of available boot images:

To generate the boot images, click the "..." in the Actions column and choose the Generate option. This will initiate a background process to create the boot images. Check the status by refreshing the page; the process is complete when the status changes to "Generated."

The generation process is performed in two phases:

• First, a base Windows PE boot image is generated with the needed Windows PE optional components, .NET 8, PowerShell 7, and the StifleR client agent. This starts from either a "winpe.wim" file from the Assessment and Deployment Toolkit (ADK), or a "winre.wim" file extracted from a Windows 11 WIM image.

• Next, that base Windows PE boot image is modified by injecting the DeployR client files, a Bootstrap.json configuration file containing the URL of the DeployR service, additional drivers that may be required, root certificates that are needed to communicate with the DeployR service, and any extra files that may be needed.

The Generate option will perform both phases the first time it is executed; subsequent generation operations will only perform the second phase. This makes the process much faster on these subsequent operations. If there is a need to completely regenerate (e.g. to update the version of PowerShell 7 or the StifleR client agent), the Regenerate option will again perform both phases.

To customize the boot images, click the view icon or the boot image name to see the full properties.

From there, you can select content items that will be used in the generation process:

• Certificates. One or more root certificates (typically from an internal PKI) can be placed in a folder and uploaded to DeployR as a content item with an Other purpose. Select this content item, and Generate the boot image to add those files.

• Drivers. Additional networking, touch input, keyboard, or any other required drivers can be placed into a folder structure; this folder structure can be uploaded to DeployR as a content item with a purpose of Driver Pack. (No manufacturer or model needs to be configured.) Once set, Generate the boot image to inject all the drivers.

• StifleR client. The StifleR client agent is used in Windows PE for monitoring task sequences and content downloads, as well as throttling bandwidth consumption as required. Place the StifleR client MSI file and an exported configuration file (.2psimport) into a folder and add a DeployR content item with an Application purpose.

• Windows RE. By default, the base "winpe.wim" file from the ADK will be used to create the needed boot images. Alternatively, a Windows Recovery Environment (RE) "winre.wim" can be used instead. To use a Windows RE image, extract it from a Windows 11 recovery partition or install.wim and upload it to DeployR as a single file content item with a purpose of Other. This requires a Regenerate operation any time the value is changed.

• Extra files. Any extra content that you want to add to the boot image can be placed in a folder structure and uploaded to DeployR as a content item with a purpose of Other. These files will be copied into the boot image respecting the folder structure. (Note that CMTrace.exe will be pulled from Configuration Manager automatically if Configuration Manager is installed on the same computer as DeployR. Otherwise, place a copy of CMTrace.exe into this folder to include it in the boot image.)

Once this is complete, the Windows PE boot image will be generated and placed into the configured content directory (e.g. %ProgramData%\2Pint Software\DeployR\Content\Boot). If 2PXE is installed on the same computer, the boot image will also be copied into 2PXE's RemoteInstall folder structure.