Service an Offline Image

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2

Note

This content applies to Windows 7. For Windows 8 content, see Windows Deployment with the Windows ADK.

Offline servicing was introduced with Windows Vista®. Offline servicing occurs when you modify or service a Windows® image entirely offline without booting it first. The new Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool included in Windows® 7 has extended the offline servicing functionality to include adding and removing drivers without using an unattended answer file, enumerating drivers and packages, modifying configuration settings, and more. This can provide great cost saving for your deployment scenarios because you can customize images to some degree before the operating system is deployed to the computer. In addition, if you have a stored master image that you want to make sure is always up to date, you can maintain it without booting the image.

In This Section

Add and Remove Drivers Offline

Describes how to add or remove drivers from an offline image using either DISM or an unattended answer file.

Add and Remove Windows Features and Packages

Describes how to enable or disable features in an offline image, and how to add or remove packages using DISM or using DISM and an unattended answer file.

Add and Remove Language Packs Offline

Describes how to add or remove language packs and configure international settings in an offline image using DISM.

Change the Windows Image to a Higher Edition

Describes how to query an image to find out which edition of Windows the image is and how to change the image to a higher edition of Windows.

Service a Mounted Windows Image

Describes how to use DISM to mount an image and modify it.

Walkthrough: Service an Applied Windows Image Offline

Describes how to use ImageX to apply an image and then use DISM to modify it.

Walkthrough: Service a Virtual Hard Disk Image Offline

Describes how to prepare an offline virtual hard disk (VHD) and then use DISM to modify it.

See Also

Concepts

Phase 5: Managing and Servicing Your Windows Image
Understanding Servicing Strategies