docs: correct Win11 Creator behavior after the ISO workflow refactor (#4920)

* docs: correct Win11 Creator behavior after the ISO workflow refactor

The creator stopped stripping unused editions, loading offline registry
hives, and running component store cleanup in #4862. It now copies the
ISO contents and applies the selected edition through sources\ei.cfg and
autounattend.xml, leaving install.wim alone unless drivers are injected.

Update the guide and the architecture reference to match, and note that
the output ISO is close to the size of the source.

* docs: align disk space, driver injection, and stuck-run guidance

The disk space block still carried the pre-refactor 10-15 GB workspace,
2.5-3.5 GB output, and ~25 GB total, which contradicted the copy-based
numbers in the data flow. Restate them against the source ISO size.

Driver injection never touches boot.wim. It adds every exported driver
to the selected install.wim index and stages only the storage packages
in $WinpeDriver$ for WinPE, so correct both the guide and the reference.

The stuck-run troubleshooting entry pointed at a WIM dismount that only
happens when driver injection is enabled.

* docs: narrow this PR back to the edition and output size claims

The earlier commits rewrote the surrounding Win11 Creator sections,
which went well beyond what #4918 was about and presented the rest of
the section as reviewed when it had not been.

Restore the untouched text and keep only the claims that promised a
size reduction or edition removal: the strip-editions and component
store bullets, the two data flow lines, and the modified ISO size.
This commit is contained in:
Vyas Devgna
2026-08-09 12:45:14 -05:00
committed by GitHub
parent 5ad168e0c4
commit d64bb18717
2 changed files with 6 additions and 8 deletions
@@ -149,8 +149,6 @@ The **Win11 Creator** is a specialized subsystem within Winutil that creates cus
- Applies offline registry tweaks (hardware bypass, privacy, telemetry, OOBE)
- Deletes telemetry scheduled task definitions
- Pre-stages setup scripts from autounattend.xml
- Removes unused Windows editions
- Cleans component store via DISM
### Win11 Creator Data Flow
@@ -181,16 +179,14 @@ Invoke-WinUtilISOModify (runs in background runspace)
│ ├─ Delete telemetry scheduled task files
│ ├─ Pre-stage setup scripts from autounattend.xml to C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\
│ └─ Unload registry hives
├─ DISM /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase (saves 300-800 MB)
├─ Dismount and save the modified install.wim (~10+ minutes, slowest step)
├─ Export selected edition only (removes all other editions, saves 1-2 GB each)
├─ Dismount source ISO
└─ Report completion, enable export options
Invoke-WinUtilISOExport (user chooses output)
├─ Option 1: Save as ISO
│ ├─ Build bootable ISO via oscdimg.exe (BIOS/UEFI dual-boot)
│ └─ Output: Win11_Modified_[date].iso (2.5-3.5 GB)
│ └─ Output: Win11_Modified_[date].iso (close to the source ISO size)
└─ Option 2: Write to USB
├─ Format USB as GPT
@@ -272,7 +268,7 @@ The `Invoke-WinUtilISOScript` function applies **50+ offline registry tweaks**:
- **Temporary working directory**: ~10-15 GB
- **Original ISO**: 4-6 GB
- **Modified ISO**: 2.5-3.5 GB
- **Modified ISO**: close to the source ISO size
- **Total needed**: ~25 GB for safe operation
## Data Flow
@@ -56,9 +56,7 @@ Click **Run Windows ISO Modification and Creator** to start the customization pr
- **Enable local account setup** — injects an `autounattend.xml` that skips the Microsoft account screen during OOBE
- **Disable BitLocker and device encryption** — removes startup overhead
- **Disable Chat icon** — removes chat taskbar button
- **Strip unused editions** — keeps only your selected edition, saving 12 GB per removed edition
- **Pin the selected edition during setup** — writes setup metadata so OEM firmware keys for a different edition do not force the installer down the wrong product-key path
- **Clean the component store** — runs DISM cleanup to reclaim another 300800 MB
**Privacy & Telemetry Tweaks:**
- **Disable telemetry** — advertising ID, tailored experiences, input personalization, speech online privacy
@@ -76,6 +74,10 @@ Click **Run Windows ISO Modification and Creator** to start the customization pr
A live log shows progress as each step completes. This stage usually takes **1030 minutes** depending on disk speed. The WIM dismount near the end is the slowest part, so do not close WinUtil while it is running.
:::note
The resulting ISO is close to the size of the source ISO. WinUtil does not remove the unused editions from `install.wim`; it selects your edition through `sources\ei.cfg` and `autounattend.xml` so Windows Setup installs the right one.
:::
---
### Step 4 — Export Your Result