Create install.wim from install.esd

Download a fresh ISO using Microsoft’s MediaCreationTool.exe . Download link: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209

It does not matter which edition is selected, for this is defined later in the instructions.

Once downloaded, copy the ISO’s source files to the system so that you can browse and edit the files/folders.

Find the file C:\RemoteInstall\-ISOs\Windows10Prox64-2017-08-11Extracted\sources\install.esd . From this file, we will extract the install.wim file.

–

Open Command Prompt and ‘cd’ into the sources directory.
*You must use Command Prompt; PowerShell will return errors.

To make sure we select the correct Index, verify by typing the following. (WIM files by nature include multiple images):

***If this is on Windows 7, we need to run these commands from the location of the installed ADK. In this case, we navigate to: cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\x86\DISM"
From here, we can run the following command, such as:
dism /get-wiminfo /wimfile:C:\DeploymentShare\-ISO\install.esd

Lets say we verify that we are using Index:1 (SourceIndex), the next command is as follows:

This will create the install.wim that we need.

On the WDS/MDT server, we will import this .WIM by opening Deployment Workbench (MDT). Right-click Operating Systems and select the newly created .WIM .

Select ‘Custom image file’.

Once you reach Finish, the Operating System has been imported. You can now move on to adding a Task Sequence to reference this Operating System.