WinPE Automated Windows Deployment

A lightweight, fully automated Windows imaging solution using WinPE, a custom HTA progress UI, and a CMD deployment script. No MDT, no SCCM, no server infrastructure required — just a bootable USB and a captured WIM image.

Overview

This project provides everything you need to deploy a captured Windows image to bare-metal hardware automatically from a bootable USB drive. It consists of:

startnet.cmd — the deployment engine that runs diskpart, DISM, and bcdboot sequentially
deploy.hta — a branded HTML Application that displays real-time deployment progress
winpeshl.ini — configures WinPE to launch the deployment automatically on boot
partition.txt — diskpart script for UEFI/GPT partitioning

The HTA UI and the CMD script communicate via flag files written to the WinPE RAM disk (X:\), keeping the two completely decoupled — the CMD does all the work, the HTA just watches and displays progress.

How It Works

Boot USB
   └── winpeshl.ini
         ├── wpeinit.exe          (loads WinPE drivers)
         └── startnet.cmd
               ├── Launches deploy.hta (progress UI)
               ├── Finds USB drive containing install.wim
               ├── Runs diskpart    → writes X:\s_step1 / X:\s_step1_done
               ├── Runs DISM        → writes X:\s_step2 / X:\s_step2_done
               ├── Runs bcdboot     → writes X:\s_step3 / X:\s_step3_done
               ├── Writes X:\s_step4_done
               └── wpeutil reboot

deploy.hta (running in parallel)
   └── Polls flag files every 2-3 seconds via JavaScript setTimeout
         └── Updates progress bars and step indicators as each flag appears

Requirements

Windows ADK with WinPE add-on installed
- Download: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install
A captured Windows image (install.wim) — see Capturing an Image below
USB drive — minimum 64 GB recommended
Rufus for writing the ISO to USB — https://rufus.ie
Target hardware must support UEFI boot (GPT partition scheme)

Project Structure

winpe-deploy/
├── deploy/
│   ├── deploy.hta          # Progress UI (HTA)
│   ├── startnet.cmd        # Deployment engine
│   ├── launch_hta.vbs      # Launches HTA without creating a console window
│   └── partition.txt       # Diskpart UEFI/GPT partition script
└── winpeshl.ini            # WinPE shell configuration

Step 1 — Set Up WinPE Working Directory

Open an elevated command prompt with the ADK environment loaded (use the Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment shortcut installed with the ADK).

copype amd64 C:\WinPE_amd64

Add required WinPE optional components:

dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"C:\WinPE_amd64\media\sources\boot.wim" /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\WinPE_Mount

dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-WMI.cab"
dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-WMI_en-us.cab"
dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-Scripting.cab"
dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-Scripting_en-us.cab"
dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\WinPE-HTA.cab"
dism /Add-Package /Image:C:\WinPE_Mount /PackagePath:"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Windows Preinstallation Environment\amd64\WinPE_OCs\en-us\WinPE-HTA_en-us.cab"

dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\WinPE_Mount /Commit

Step 2 — Capturing an Image

Before you can deploy, you need a captured Windows image (install.wim). Start from a fully configured Windows installation.

2a — Prepare the Reference Machine

Install and configure Windows on your reference machine exactly as you want it deployed:

Install all drivers
Install all required software
Configure settings, user accounts, wallpapers, etc.
Do not join a domain before capturing (join post-deployment via script if needed)

2b — Sysprep the Reference Machine

Sysprep generalises the image so it can be deployed to different hardware and generates unique SIDs on first boot.

Open an elevated command prompt on the reference machine and run:

C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown

/oobe — boots into Out-of-Box Experience on first deployment
/generalize — removes hardware-specific information and unique identifiers
/shutdown — shuts down after sysprep completes (do not boot back in — this would break the generalisation)

Important: After sysprep shuts the machine down, do not boot it back into Windows. Boot it from your WinPE USB instead.

2c — Capture the Image from WinPE

Boot the sysprepped reference machine from your WinPE USB. Once at the WinPE environment, identify your drive letters and run DISM to capture:

:: List volumes to confirm drive letters
diskpart
list volume
exit

:: Capture the image (replace C: with your Windows volume letter if different)
dism /Capture-Image ^
  /ImageFile:"D:\sources\install.wim" ^
  /CaptureDir:C:\ ^
  /Name:"Windows 11 Custom Image" ^
  /Description:"Captured on %date%" ^
  /Compress:max ^
  /CheckIntegrity

Replace D: with the drive letter of your USB drive. The capture will take 15–45 minutes depending on image size and USB speed.

2d — Verify the Captured Image

dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:"D:\sources\install.wim"

This confirms the image was captured correctly and shows the index number (you'll need this for deployment — usually Index 1).

Step 3 — Place the Image on the USB

Copy your captured install.wim to the sources folder of your WinPE working directory:

copy "D:\sources\install.wim" "C:\WinPE_amd64\media\sources\install.wim"

If an install.wim already exists there, replace it.

Step 4 — Copy Deployment Files

Create the deploy folder in the WinPE mount and copy all project files:

dism /Mount-Image /ImageFile:"C:\WinPE_amd64\media\sources\boot.wim" /Index:1 /MountDir:C:\WinPE_Mount

mkdir C:\WinPE_Mount\deploy

copy "deploy\deploy.hta"       "C:\WinPE_Mount\deploy\deploy.hta"       /y
copy "deploy\startnet.cmd"     "C:\WinPE_Mount\deploy\startnet.cmd"     /y
copy "deploy\launch_hta.vbs"   "C:\WinPE_Mount\deploy\launch_hta.vbs"   /y
copy "deploy\partition.txt"    "C:\WinPE_Mount\deploy\partition.txt"     /y
copy "winpeshl.ini"            "C:\WinPE_Mount\Windows\System32\winpeshl.ini" /y

dism /Unmount-Image /MountDir:C:\WinPE_Mount /Commit

Step 5 — Build the ISO

MakeWinPEMedia /ISO C:\WinPE_amd64 "C:\Output\WinPE_Deploy.iso"

Step 6 — Write ISO to USB with Rufus

Open Rufus (https://rufus.ie)
Select your USB drive under Device
Click SELECT and choose WinPE_Deploy.iso
Click START
When the Windows User Experience popup appears, untick all options and click OK
Click OK to confirm — this will erase the USB drive
Wait for Rufus to show READY, then eject the USB

Step 7 — Deploy to Target Hardware

Disable Secure Boot in the target machine's BIOS (required for WinPE to boot)
Insert the deployment USB
Boot from the USB (select it from the boot override menu in BIOS)
The deployment UI will appear and the process runs automatically
When complete, remove the USB — the machine reboots into the deployed Windows image

Customising the Partition Layout

Edit deploy/partition.txt to change the partition scheme. The default creates a UEFI/GPT layout:

select disk 0
clean
convert gpt
create partition efi size=100
format quick fs=fat32 label=System
assign letter=S
create partition msr size=16
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label=Windows
assign letter=W
exit

The deployment script uses drive letters S: (EFI) and W: (Windows). If you change these, update the bcdboot command in startnet.cmd accordingly:

bcdboot W:\Windows /s S: /f UEFI

Updating the Image

When you need to update the deployed image (new software, settings changes, etc.):

Boot an already-deployed machine into Windows
Make your changes

Run Sysprep again:

C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown

Boot from the WinPE USB and capture a new install.wim (see Step 2c)
Replace C:\WinPE_amd64\media\sources\install.wim with the new image
Rebuild the ISO (Step 5) and rewrite the USB (Step 6)
Done — all deployment scripts remain unchanged

How the HTA Progress UI Works

The HTA (deploy.hta) is a pure display layer — it makes no shell calls and runs no commands. It works by:

Being launched via wscript.exe //B launch_hta.vbs from startnet.cmd — this avoids creating a new console host window
Using a JavaScript setTimeout loop to poll flag files on X:\ every 2–3 seconds
Updating DOM elements (progress bars, step indicators, status text) as each flag file appears
startnet.cmd writes flag files at each stage: X:\s_step1, X:\s_step1_done, X:\s_step2, etc.

Why JavaScript for the timer? WinPE's mshta.exe uses a legacy IE engine where VBScript setTimeout pauses when the HTA window loses focus. JavaScript setTimeout continues running regardless — essential for keeping the UI alive while the console is visible.

Flag File Reference

File	Written when
`X:\s_step1`	diskpart starts
`X:\s_step1_done`	diskpart completes
`X:\s_step2`	DISM starts
`X:\s_step2_done`	DISM completes
`X:\s_step3`	bcdboot starts
`X:\s_step3_done`	bcdboot completes
`X:\s_step4_done`	all done, reboot imminent
`X:\s_error_usb`	install.wim not found
`X:\s_error_part`	diskpart failed
`X:\s_error_dism`	DISM failed
`X:\s_error_bcd`	bcdboot failed

Known WinPE Limitations

Console windows always visible: In WinPE (no Explorer shell), any console application spawned from a GUI app ignores window style parameters and creates a visible window. This is why the deployment engine runs in startnet.cmd (its own console) rather than being called from the HTA.
VBScript setTimeout pauses on focus loss: Use JavaScript timers for anything that must keep running when the HTA is not the focused window.
No flexbox/CSS Grid: WinPE's mshta uses an IE7–IE9 engine. Use display:table/table-cell or floats for layouts. Force IE9 mode with <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=9"> — do not use ie=11 or ie=edge as these break VBScript.
WshShell.Exec pipe deadlock: Long-running processes with lots of output (like DISM) will deadlock if called via Exec because internal pipe buffers fill up. Always use Shell.Run with flag file polling for DISM.

Troubleshooting

Deployment doesn't start / HTA appears but nothing happens

Ensure wpeinit.exe runs before startnet.cmd (it's listed first in winpeshl.ini)
Check that all files are in X:\deploy\ on the WinPE image

USB drive not found / DISM can't find install.wim

The script scans drive letters C through L for sources\install.wim
After diskpart runs, drive letters may shift — check that your USB isn't assigned S or W (reserved for the partitions)
Expand the drive letter scan range in startnet.cmd if needed

DISM fails with an error

Verify your install.wim is not corrupted: dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:"D:\sources\install.wim"
Ensure the target disk is large enough for the image
Check that diskpart completed successfully before DISM ran

Device won't boot from USB

Disable Secure Boot in BIOS
Ensure the USB was written in ISO mode by Rufus (not DD mode)
Try a different USB port

HTA progress bar freezes but deployment continues

The deployment itself runs in startnet.cmd independently of the HTA
Alt+Tab to the console window to verify progress
This was a known issue with VBScript timers — the JavaScript timer fix addresses it

Licence

MIT — do whatever you want with it.

Contributing

PRs welcome. If you've tested this on different hardware or WinPE versions, please open an issue with your findings.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 5 Commits
deploy		deploy
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
winpeshl.ini		winpeshl.ini

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Repository files navigation

WinPE Automated Windows Deployment

Overview

How It Works

Requirements

Project Structure

Step 1 — Set Up WinPE Working Directory

Step 2 — Capturing an Image

2a — Prepare the Reference Machine

2b — Sysprep the Reference Machine

2c — Capture the Image from WinPE

2d — Verify the Captured Image

Step 3 — Place the Image on the USB

Step 4 — Copy Deployment Files

Step 5 — Build the ISO

Step 6 — Write ISO to USB with Rufus

Step 7 — Deploy to Target Hardware

Customising the Partition Layout

Updating the Image

How the HTA Progress UI Works

Flag File Reference

Known WinPE Limitations

Troubleshooting

Licence

Contributing

About

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Repository files navigation

WinPE Automated Windows Deployment

Overview

How It Works

Requirements

Project Structure

Step 1 — Set Up WinPE Working Directory

Step 2 — Capturing an Image

2a — Prepare the Reference Machine

2b — Sysprep the Reference Machine

2c — Capture the Image from WinPE

2d — Verify the Captured Image

Step 3 — Place the Image on the USB

Step 4 — Copy Deployment Files

Step 5 — Build the ISO

Step 6 — Write ISO to USB with Rufus

Step 7 — Deploy to Target Hardware

Customising the Partition Layout

Updating the Image

How the HTA Progress UI Works

Flag File Reference

Known WinPE Limitations

Troubleshooting

Licence

Contributing

About

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