Admin Tips
- Windows Server 2008/2003/2000/XP/NT Administrator Knowledge Base
  - Windows Vista
    - Admin Tips
      - Deployment
        Edit the Registry of a Vista Image

Section(s): Deployment
Published on Feb 27, 2008.
Last Modified on Feb 27, 2008.
Last Modified by MitchTulloch.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 based on 2 votes.

How to edit the registry of a captured image.

Vista’s new image-based Windows Image (WIM) file format lets you do some cool things. For example, you can edit the registry of a Vista image you’ve already captured from a reference computer. Here’s how you do this:

Mount the image using a command something like this:
imagex /mountrw install.wim 1 c:\mount
Load the registry hive you want to edit using a command something like this (which loads the HKLM\software hive):
reg load HKLM\temphive c:\mount\windows\system32\config\software
Open regedit.exe and edit the keys and values in HKLM\temphive as desired.
Unload the hive you previously loaded using a command like this:
reg unload HKLM\temphive
Unmount the .wim file and commit the changes using a command like this:
imagex /unmount /commit c:\mount

***

Mitch Tulloch was lead author for the Windows Vista Resource Kit from Microsoft Press, which is the book for IT pros who want to deploy, maintain and support Windows Vista in mid- and large-sized network environments. Mitch was also the author of Introducing Windows Server 2008 and technical project lead for the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Resource Kit, both books also from Microsoft Press. For more information on these and other books by Mitch, see www.mtit.com.