How to make a Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup ISO with all updates up to 2016

trents · Sep 22, 2016

TechWizard said:
Awesome, reading it now. Already found some typos. My hands are tied at work so I can spend the next 45 minutes reading through this (Waiting on the ISP Techs to get back to me, such fun). I'm a grammar Nazi (or I try to be) though so I hope you won't be offended by any changes I make . Anything mark ups I'm making are in red.

--update--

I've got to jet from work early actually. I got through the first 5 pages so check it out and let me know if this type of stuff is helpful. If I get time tonight I'll look over the rest.

View attachment 183512

Sounds good. Post back when you've had a chance to review the whole document.

c627627 · Sep 22, 2016

I think the write up included many excellent observations that go a long way in helping people not make mistakes, it helps them understand what is actually happening and most importantly, it clarifies several issues, it really is useful for wider audience of users.

We may consider including advice at the end there, to perhaps disconnect pretty much everything from the new system on which Windows 7 is being installed on.
A single clean hard drive being connected and nothing else would go a long way in eliminating so many problems when it comes to fresh installations on brand new systems.

This can be an article for the front page.

If TechWizard would like to write his own draft based on yours trents, I would see that as a starting point toward the final article.
It's really an interesting situation where he would bring in the approach of an IT professional whereas you trents, clarified issues that now help a relatively inexperienced ordinary user be able to make use of their Windows 7 license and quickly fresh install a September 2016 version of Windows 7 without feeling that they have no choice but to submit to a Windows 10 transfer. All the official Microsoft .isos released so far are so very broken, including the April 2016 Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup .iso. So it's a big deal to have actual working installation media...

trents · Sep 22, 2016

c6, did you see any typos or other issues that need to be corrected?

Thanks for your suggestions. I will give attention to them once I hear back from TechWizzard. He said he only got to read part of the document I made and had already found several typos.

trents · Sep 22, 2016

(Note: If you are on Windows 7 and need to mount an image you can use Virtual Clone Drive available at https://www.redfox.bz/en/virtual-clonedrive.html).

TechWizard, I'm looking at this insertion you made. My question is, does the method I give in my instructions not work in Windows 7. I composed this and tried the various instructions while using a Windows 10 machine. If the directions I gave to mount the .iso also work in Windows 7 then I'm tempted to leave it alone for simplicity's sake. I don't want to unnecessarily drag in third party software.

TechWizard · Sep 22, 2016

trents said:
(Note: If you are on Windows 7 and need to mount an image you can use Virtual Clone Drive available at https://www.redfox.bz/en/virtual-clonedrive.html).

TechWizard, I'm looking at this insertion you made. My question is, does the method I give in my instructions not work in Windows 7. I composed this and tried the various instructions while using a Windows 10 machine. If the directions I gave to mount the .iso also work in Windows 7 then I'm tempted to leave it alone for simplicity's sake. I don't want to unnecessarily drag in third party software.

Windows 7 does not have the ability to mount .isos without 3rd party software.

I should also add I don't think you need to download the AIK kit in a .iso format, but I did that so long about I could be mistaken. I just haven't had the chance to double check everything, but that seems like a good addition to make so users can mount media freely in Windows 7.

--update--

Yeah I guess it does come in an ISO only. I just am so used to using mounts via VCD that I didn't even realize I did it that day.

VCD is by far the most simple software for mounting images that has no advertisements attached to the installer. It works nearly the same as the built in Windows 10. You can double-click on images to auto-mount them or right-click and choose to mount it that way. Other than that I've only ever used Daemon Tools and it's just way too invasive, contains advertisements, and installs a bunch of unnecessary software for needing to mount an image and install basic media.

trents · Sep 22, 2016

Thanks for the clarification. Good info.

TechWizard · Sep 22, 2016

This is somewhat unrelated, but I've spent sometime this evening trying to change my Enterprise installer into one for Professional and I have had no success. It looks like Enterprise images really are unique to Enterprise itself.

I'm setting up my old PC to become a dedicated ARK: Survival Evolved server and I wanted to install Professional because I have a ton of spare keys for it. Looks like I have to create a whole new installation media to do that however.

On the bright side though it looks like I'll get to just wing it and I'll write down how I go about the process and see how it matches up to what you've drafted with c6.

--edit--

I'm going to be lazy though first. I'm going to try downloading a Professional ISO and just copy my install.wim to it and see what happens haha.

c627627 · Sep 22, 2016

trents, at this stage, I like your approach, your clarifications.
Since we are not dealing with newspaper print, what I had in mind initially was an introduction which would easily link to the useful background info for the less experienced and easily link straight into the steps of the creation with not too much additional info so that way both kinds of audiences would be addressed.

In other words, the less experienced can be frustrated with the lack of explanation. Given a choice I _always_ prefer your approach trents, making sure to hand-hold the less experienced, it's easy to forget how much they *don't know* and how easy it is for them to be confused.

Also in other words, the more experienced can be frustrated by not getting to the point, they have no desire to read any additional info and want to just have a quick short list of actual nitty-gritty, they know exactly what to do with quick instructions...

So right now, I thought I would give TechWizard time to see what he comes up with for the IT pros.
Then somehow incorporate both in a single article.

The typos do not concern me, they can easily be corrected, polishing the article would come after the big picture is clear. I am confident we can adjust things to address both inexperienced home users as well as IT Pros.

TechWizard · Sep 22, 2016

c627627 said:
In other words, the less experienced can be frustrated with the lack of explanation. Given a choice I _always_ prefer your approach trents, making sure to hand-hold the less experienced, it's easy to forget how much they *don't know* and how easy it is for them to be confused.

We'll get something together for the best of both worlds. Even being experienced I was reading an article an hour or two ago that was written "for more experienced users" on how to modify the registry so you can "upgrade" from a higher version of Windows to a lower one (ex: Ultimate to Pro). However, the author didn't explain how to get to the registry editor inside of the Windows installation media. I had absolutely NO IDEA that you could run regedit via the command prompt by simply typing as you do while running Windows.

So even as an experienced user I was quite lost with that particular set of instructions until I did some further investigation and had my mind blown.

trents · Sep 22, 2016

c6, maybe we could label the two renditions:

Detailed Version: for non geeks (with note saying something like, "If you are an IT Pro you may want to skip down to the condensed, Bare Bones version."

and

Bare Bones Version: for the Pros

or something like that.

trents · Sep 22, 2016

c627627 said:
trents, at this stage, I like your approach, your clarifications.
Since we are not dealing with newspaper print, what I had in mind initially was an introduction which would easily link to the useful background info for the less experienced and easily link straight into the steps of the creation with not too much additional info so that way both kinds of audiences would be addressed.

Personally, I don't like to have a bunch of links I have to follow in order to get the info I need. I'd rather have it right there.

In other words, the less experienced can be frustrated with the lack of explanation. Given a choice I _always_ prefer your approach trents, making sure to hand-hold the less experienced, it's easy to forget how much they *don't know* and how easy it is for them to be confused.

Also in other words, the more experienced can be frustrated by not getting to the point, they have no desire to read any additional info and want to just have a quick short list of actual nitty-gritty, they know exactly what to do with quick instructions...

So right now, I thought I would give TechWizard time to see what he comes up with for the IT pros.
Then somehow incorporate both in a single article.

The typos do not concern me, they can easily be corrected, polishing the article would come after the big picture is clear. I am confident we can adjust things to address both inexperienced home users as well as IT Pros.

Unless the typos happen in a command string. I also like what I write to come across in a professional way and not like someone with no education. But I myself am a terrible proofreader. I'm constantly amazed at how much I miss when I proofread my own stuff. I miss things because I know what I wanted to say and I see it that way.

TechWizard · Sep 22, 2016

Update on copying the install.wim over... no go. Don't have it in me to troubleshoot this. Just going to inject the updates into the Professional install.wim so I'll keep track of what I'm wingin as I go along.

TechWizard · Sep 22, 2016

As much as I wanted to get my ARK server running this weekend I'm finding that my brain is no longer functioning at peak levels currently. I gotta put this down and work on it fresh over the weekend and put that off. I'll get you guys a "slipstreamed" version of this guide for advanced users

.

trents · Sep 23, 2016

I incorporated the suggestions you gave, TechWizzard and c6 (as well as the typos TechWizzard caught from a partial reading of the docment) into a new draft. I also made some changes of my own.

Audioaficionado · Sep 23, 2016

A good proof reading technique is to read it out loud. If you have syntax or sentence structure issues, it will sound awkward and difficult.

trents · Sep 23, 2016

Audioaficionado said:
A good proof reading technique is to read it out loud. If you have syntax or sentence structure issues, it will sound awkward and difficult.

My wife would have me committed.

c627627 · Sep 23, 2016

hahaha.

We'll see what TechWizard comes up this weekend, then get this going with a goal to get somewhere with it by the end of next week, if you'll have time trents?

trents · Sep 23, 2016

That should work for me. In the meantime, I need to try my own instructions to make sure I didn't make any serious mistakes that would break the build.

TechWizard · Sep 23, 2016

I'll work on this when I get home in an hour or two. As you all know nothing goes as planned and it looks like I'm starting to cut into overtime hours here... Working with this ISP has been a ridiculous - worse than Comcast in some respects. The techs know I have been calling everyday for a status update and they do not want to share any information with me so they are starting to give me some pretty horrible attitude despite how polite I am. I could be one of those typical customers who screams and yells because our connection is literally 1/100th of what it should be right now, but I'd rather not be -that guy-.

I ordered a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 drive and it looks like I will be receiving it tomorrow by end of day (perks of NewEgg premiere

) so I'd like to get as far as I can with this for you guys so I'll have time to play with that as well as move over one of my SSDs into my old computer and get going on my ARK server.

Never a dull moment!

--update--

Starting to get what I feel is a good way to introduce the topic and how to use DISM. I feel for people who understand how to execute commands, mount images, etc the main thing I need to address is a break down of each command you're using and what information you need to feed into DISM.

You two agree?

Alaric · Sep 23, 2016

Quick question. I have image files I need to turn back in to regular files/folders. ImgBurn apparently won't do it. Will Nero?

How to make a Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup ISO with all updates up to 2016

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