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Windows installation via PXE

By default, Windows® installation ISOs can be downloaded without any problems using toolstar Start ®bootCAST, but an error appears after starting. This error is not caused by toolstar®bootCAST, but rather via the standard settings of the Windows® installation media. These attempt to automatically connect to a WDS server if Windows® has detected that it was booted via PXE.

Option 1: Customize the Windows® installation media

You can edit the Windows® installation media so that it does not automatically search for the WDS server on the network. This would require customization of each individual Windows® PE/RE environment. So whenever you download a new ISO file, you have to customize it. The instructions for customization may vary from version to version and are therefore not described here. Please use the Windows Support Forum for more information.

Option 2: Universal boot from Windows®-PE/RE

Option 2 is the preferred variant because it no longer requires any effort after the initial setup. The basic process would be to create a Windows® RE/PE (see toolstar®PEBuilder) and mount a network drive there in the startup script. You can mount a network drive using standard Windows® functions. Then place the setup.exe files of your Windows® versions in this drive. You can get these files from the unpacked Windows® ISOs or, if necessary, for direct download from Microsoft.

After booting, you can then easily access these .exe files via the CMD and the setup will be carried out within your own Windows® PE/RE environment. You also have the option of creating a driver folder to store specific, frequently used drivers for each model or in general.

Of course, you can add further automations to the startup script of the Windows® RE/PE environment at any time and, if necessary, automatically start a setup that is stored in the “current” folder or similar.

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