hi awesome experts, I've been looking for solution for this matter for quite sometimes and never found the right one. Need your advises. Basically 2 things on this one: 1. What is the best way of editing and/or updating wim file? we have quite a large wim files ranging 15-30GB per image file. Problem is when editing/updating a small file in the wim image, it's taking a long time as you can imagine. I use either dism or imagex to mount, commit changes and dismount. For image file that big, a small change/s will still take ages. Anyone knows a better solution? 2. I've found in ghost that editing image is much quicker because it splits the image, and it seems to only make changes on the last split image file which is only 2GB out of 15GB etc. I think that's the reason why it's so much quicker. Now question is whether we can do the same sort of scenario with SCCM? does SCCM support split image? if yes, how do we split the image? will that be same quicker as what it is with Ghost? Cheers, Xm

ConfigMgr can make use of binary differential replication: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb693953.aspx. 15-30GB per image? How many images are you talking about? There's usually no need for having lots of images.Torsten Meringer | http://www.mssccmfaq.de

Thanks Torsten, From the article, my understanding is the binary differential replication is to do with updating packages between DPs. I'm more talking about editing the actual wim file, say if I want to delete or add one file from or to the wim image file, what will be the best way of doing it? We have different needs to different departments, we have at least 5 different large images. So the desktop guy normally just builds the reference PC with all the needed apps etc then capture it to an image. They've done it this way for ages ever since they used Ghost. If you care to share, what's the usual way of doing the image? Cheers, Xm

as Torsten says having lots of images is a bad idea, simply create more dynamic task sequences which can be based on computer/collection variables, use FrontEnd HTA's or WMI queries or scripts to do your dynamic work you can always mount your WIM images if needed using dism and add/remove files at will the only downside is having to update the wim image to your dp's again after it's all done, however if using binary differential replication you'll be ok.. My step by step SCCM Guides I'm on Twitter > ncbrady

Best thing is to create one single clean OS image, without driver sets and applications in it. Then import and create driver sets (deploy with WMI query) and apps in SCCM, and build multiple Task sequences from that. That way you have still the flexibility for different departments, without the need to update multiples OS images. I'm using GIMageX to mount and update WIM images, same as ImageX but then GUI-based.My ConfigMgr blog: http://henkhoogendoorn.blogspot.com Follow me on Twitter: @henkhoogendoorn

thanks Niall, I was tempted to play around with frontend HTA stuff, but having to install a web server to work with put me off a bit. Point taken on the dynamic work tho'. Updating wim is quite a pain - in fact we had to update a wim image to dp today and it just got stuck forever, we then had to reboot the server many times. I was watching it update the wim file under \SMSSIG$\SMSSTAGE , the moment I thought it was going to finish it, it then started over again and kept in that loop, until we rebooted the server again, it then stopped. I don't whether it's supposed to be doing this or not. The whole process took hours - just to update 1 wim file. And yes we use binary differential replication.

thanks Henk, I guess the downside with doing this is that: having to go through how-to install 20+ apps using config manager is a big put-off (so to speak). I've tried GimageX and ImageX, they're slow too.

Based on my know, update image file should take a long time. You can try to do the following 2 ways as workaround. 1. Install the 20+ software on a new image. 2. Just create a new TS to install the 20+ software on the computer which is new building. Hope it helps. Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.