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Upon flashing a Windows 10/11 ISO, Rufus allows you to bypass TPM, automatically create a local user account, and disable data collection automatically right out of the box. What does it use to do this, and how can I replicate it myself?

Is it possible to apply the customizations Rufus applies to the Windows installer (e.g. data collection bypass, local account creation) to an ISO that can be loaded in Ventoy?

Ramhound
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pixel-creature
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    Not sure what you mean: Rufus and Ventoy have the same purpose, i.e., making a bootable USB. The ISO is supplied by Microsoft, but what is modified are the installation files on USB, e.g., WIM. – DrMoishe Pippik Sep 03 '23 at 05:28
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    Rufus will allow you do do a few things like pre-disable TPM checks and such – Journeyman Geek Sep 03 '23 at 05:30
  • Can you clarify the role Ventoy plays in your setup? While the answer may make sense to you, your question raises questions for others. Questions on this site are hoped to have value to people later on with the same issue, so making your question more precise and clear is a good thing. – music2myear Sep 05 '23 at 03:47
  • Everything about a Windows install can be customized using an answer file, however editing one manually by hand is never recommended, even if knowing what you're doing, since a single typo can render an answer file unusable by Windows Setup. Windows SIM [System Image Manager] exists for this purpose (exporting Setup's install.esd to an install.wim required), and I cover some of the basics under Step #5 [Windows SIM] in this answer. If you can edit your question with all the customizations wanted, I can create an answer for how to do so using SIM. – JW0914 Sep 10 '23 at 13:36
  • I'm so sorry, this question was so poorly worded, I don't know what I was thinking at the time. – pixel-creature Sep 10 '23 at 14:04
  • would ventoy boot a disk image? I have a device that's a 'hardware' equivilent of that and I can image a boot USB and boot off that I think, which might be the answer, making a rufus USB and imaging it – Journeyman Geek Sep 10 '23 at 14:13
  • @pixel-creature Unfortunately, when it comes to technical install/deployment of Windows questions on Superuser, simply because some users lack familiarity with the technical aspects, they vote to close based on their lack of understanding, as this question does not lack clarity in the slightest. – JW0914 Sep 10 '23 at 14:21

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Yes. Rufus uses an answer file (unattend.xml) to do its thing. You can see what it does in wue.c.

You can also modify your Windows installation image in many other ways, you can find more about that around the net.

To get ready to modify stuff, simply copy the ISO file contents to your HDD/SSD. By default, double-clicking the ISO file will mount it and you can then simply use Windows Explorer to do the job. Make sure the path you are copying to has no spaces in it!

After you are done modifying, you must create a new ISO file. To do this, you need Windows Deployment Tools, which are part of the Windows Assessment and Development Kit, which you can download here. For this simple task, the version shouldn’t matter too much. When installing, you only need to select Deployment Tools. Run Deployment and Imaging Tool Environment from your Start menu as administrator (important). Then, run the following command, substituting paths as required:

oscdimg.exe -m -o -u2 -udfver102 -bootdata:2#p0,e,bX:\My_Windows_11\boot\etfsboot.com#pEF,e,bX:\My_Windows_11\efi\microsoft\boot\efisys.bin X:\My_Windows_11 X:\My_Windows_11.iso
Daniel B
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  • Loading the ADK's DISM environment and using MakeWinPeMedia can be used in lieu of using oscdimg directly (ADK: WinPE Addon). This answer is woefully incomplete and will result in issues if someone tries to modify an answer file manually by hand unless they know exactly what they're doing, and even then, a single typo can render the entire answer file unusable by Windows Setup. Windows SIM [System Image Manager] exists for this purpose (exporting ESD to WIM required), and I cover some of the basics under Step #5 [Windows SIM] in this answer. – JW0914 Sep 10 '23 at 13:33