Is It Possible To Build Your Own Windows 8.1 Pro+WMC ISO?

By FaiKee
in Microsoft (Windows)

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FaiKee

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Now that windows 8.1 has leaked, many people who had installed win8+WMC wanted to install win8.1 Pro+WMC, and have it activated. There are numerous posts on the web telling people how to do it, but it is clumsy and sometimes fail.

 

Actually you can build your own win8.1Pro+WMC installation ISO, using DISM in build 9600, but I guess the procedure might be considered warez in Neowin, so I better not elaborate, instead show some screen-shots: yes, it can be done. :)

 

screen1515.jpg

 

screen1516.jpg

 

When the ISO is done, it is specific to your WMC key, and you can use it to install or re-install, notice that Net.3.5 was also added to install.wim :

 

screen1517.jpg

 

The WMC key is bundled to the machine it was first installed and activated, so, if win8.1Pro+WMC is installed on the same machine on-line, it will activate by itself, otherwise you will need to find out the possibilities of activating it if installed on another machine(like in my case, installed on VM).

 

 

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FaiKee

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Where and how do you get the "Internal" name and source path for the features?

You mean .Net 3.5?

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh506443.aspx

 

Actually, if you make everything from your legit win8, win8.1, legit key, then it's not warez, that's why MS has DISM for people to work on, and the commands to apply.... but I'd rather be on the safe side and avoid the ban-hammer. :)

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wrack

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You mean .Net 3.5?

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh506443.aspx

 

Actually, if you make everything from your legit win8, win8.1, legit key, then it's not warez, that's why MS has DISM for people to work on, and the commands to apply.... but I'd rather be on the safe side and avoid the ban-hammer. :)

Thanks. I do have 3 legitimate copies of Windows 8 so I might try this.

 

What I was wondering after seeing the command

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All /LimitAccess /Source:d:\sources\sxs

 

Is there a way to get the list of names for all the other features as well source path for each of them since D:\Sources\SXS may not contain the installers for each of those features.

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FaiKee

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havent installed win8.1 yet. how to use 9600 dism in 9200?

LOL, out of my depths, hope some geek could answer you.

 

Thanks. I do have 3 legitimate copies of Windows 8 so I might try this.

 

What I was wondering after seeing the command

DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All /LimitAccess /Source:d:\sources\sxs

 

Is there a way to get the list of names for all the other features as well source path for each of them since D:\Sources\SXS may not contain the installers for each of those features.

Hope this helps : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824822.aspx

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
Posted

I'd imagine so. Prepare your image as per usual, use something to capture it to a WIM, dump the source files to disk (and replace install.wim with your captured wim) and then use an app like wintoolkit to make a bootable ISO

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Jeston Veteran

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If someone were to go through all this trouble, would they be able to upgrade their Windows 8 Pro with WMC to 8.1 Pro with Media Center with this ISO, or can it only be used for a clean install/a "Keep nothing" upgrade?

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FaiKee

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If someone were to go through all this trouble, would they be able to upgrade their Windows 8 Pro with WMC to 8.1 Pro with Media Center with this ISO, or can it only be used for a clean install/a "Keep nothing" upgrade?

AFAIK, it's only good for clean installs. :)

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FaiKee

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OT, can I do a clean install from retail 8.1 disc with my old w8 key?

Sure you can do that, but you need to enter the generic key on installation because it won't accept win8 keys, after installation enter your win8 key and activate - or - add a EI.cfg file to the ISO sources folder, then it won't ask for key on installation (I think it involves more work, unless you think of frequent re-installs).

Grand Master

Noir Angel

Posted
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You can also allow it to accept an upgrade key during OOBE if you place an ei.cfg in the /sources folder with the following information:

 

Channel

_Default

Grand Master

Joni_78

Posted
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Sure you can do that, but you need to enter the generic key on installation because it won't accept win8 keys, after installation enter your win8 key and activate - or - add a EI.cfg file to the ISO sources folder, then it won't ask for key on installation (I think it involves more work, unless you think of frequent re-installs).

 

Why did they do that? Why not allow us to do a clean install?

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FaiKee

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To-day's Neowin News has quoted a blog from ZDNet

 

https://www.neowin.net/news/some-microsoft-volume-licensees-will-have-to-wait-to-get-windows-81

 

But it seems MJF had not read deep enough in the MSDN blog, 

 

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/stevengu/archive/2013/09/09/download-windows-8-1-rtm-visual-studio-2013-rc-and-windows-server-2012-r2-rtm-today.aspx?PageIndex=4#comments

 

Because Steve Guggenheimer had made a reply in the comments section which I guess many people would be interested to know:

 

  1. screen_134_zpsc22977f6.jpg

:laugh:

Grand Master

Gotenks98

Posted
Posted

Sure you can do that, but you need to enter the generic key on installation because it won't accept win8 keys, after installation enter your win8 key and activate - or - add a EI.cfg file to the ISO sources folder, then it won't ask for key on installation (I think it involves more work, unless you think of frequent re-installs).

Has MS posted what the generic keys are for this yet?

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