X-Git-Url: https://wimlib.net/git/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README.WINDOWS;h=88d68ffbd49d9e148c422f38e3dc46f3ae4d0a44;hb=3f5461f83982422f9dddcc3c03e137ae9d1e6feb;hp=66babca330ef2e15265ac2852c67a0dac72dff00;hpb=aff77ce561d22e470bb6fb7df0df734bbb646725;p=wimlib

diff --git a/README.WINDOWS b/README.WINDOWS
index 66babca3..88d68ffb 100644
--- a/README.WINDOWS
+++ b/README.WINDOWS
@@ -18,14 +18,23 @@ The Windows distribution of wimlib is a ZIP file containing the following items:
   * Very short batch scripts (e.g. wimapply.cmd) which are shortcuts to the
     corresponding wimlib-imagex commands (e.g. `wimlib-imagex apply').
 
-  * The documentation, including this file, the generic README.txt, and
-    PDF documentation for wimlib-imagex in the 'doc' directory.
+  * The library itself in DLL format (libwim-15.dll).  wimlib-imagex.exe
+    requires this to run.
 
-  * The library itself (libwim-15.dll).  The C header wimlib.h is not
-    included; download the source if you want it.
+  * The documentation, including this file, the generic README.txt, and
+    PDF documentation for wimlib-imagex in the 'doc' folder.
 
   * License files for all software included.  These are all free software
-    licenses.
+    licenses.  COPYING.txt is the main license, and it refers to
+    COPYING.GPLv3.txt and COPYING.LGPLv3.txt.  The other licenses are for
+    third-party software included in the library.
+
+  * Development files in the 'devel' folder.  These are only needed if you
+    are developing C or C++ applications that use wimlib.
+
+Note that there are separate ZIP files for 32-bit (i686) and 64-bit (x86_64)
+binaries.  They are both fully supported, but you should prefer the 64-bit
+binaries when possible as they can be noticeably faster.
 
                                  WIMLIB-IMAGEX
 
@@ -49,6 +58,9 @@ advantages of wimlib-imagex compared to ImageX and DISM are:
     used in ESD (.esd) files.  (These are partially supported by recent DISM
     versions but not by ImageX.)
 
+  * wimlib-imagex supports imaging a live Windows system.  Just use the
+    --snapshot option.
+
   * In many cases, wimlib-imagex has simpler command-line syntax than either
     ImageX or DISM.
 
@@ -70,7 +82,53 @@ It's recommended to use wimlib-imagex in scripts to avoid having to
 interactively enter commands.  However, note that wimlib-imagex is largely just
 a command-line front-end for wimlib, and it's possible to use wimlib's API in
 other front-ends or applications.  Currently there is no official graphical user
-interface available for wimlib or wimlib-imagex.  However, an unofficial, beta,
+interface available for wimlib or wimlib-imagex.  However, an unofficial
 Windows-only graphical user interface that provides a thin wrapper around
 wimlib-imagex can be downloaded at
 http://reboot.pro/files/file/485-wimlib-imagex-command-line-compiler/.
+
+                              BUILDING FROM SOURCE
+
+As with other open source software, advanced users may choose to build wimlib
+from source, potentially with customizations.  Currently, wimlib depends on
+MinGW-w64 for its Windows support; Visual Studio is not supported.  The Windows
+binaries can be cross-compiled on Linux, or built on Windows using MSYS2 or
+Cygwin.  The following instructions show the MSYS2 method.
+
+First, install MSYS2 by running the installer from https://www.msys2.org/.
+
+Then, open any MSYS2 shell and run the following command:
+
+    pacman -Syu --noconfirm
+
+After that, open any MSYS2 shell again and run the following commands:
+
+    pacman -Syu --noconfirm git
+    git clone git://wimlib.net/wimlib
+
+Note: By default the git repository will be on the "master" branch, which is the
+latest development snapshot.  Optionally, you can check out a specific version,
+e.g. 'cd wimlib && git checkout v1.14.0'.  For old versions, please refer to the
+documentation for that version, as things may have changed.  It is also possible
+to use a release tarball (e.g. wimlib-1.14.0.tar.gz) instead of the git repo.
+
+Finally, to actually do a build, close the MSYS2 shell you have open, then open
+one of the following from the Start menu:
+
+  * "MSYS2 MINGW64" - for x86_64 binaries, built with gcc
+  * "MSYS2 CLANG64" - for x86_64 binaries, built with clang
+  * "MSYS2 MINGW32" - for i686 binaries, built with gcc
+  * "MSYS2 CLANG32" - for i686 binaries, built with clang
+  * "MSYS2 CLANGARM64" - for ARM64 binaries (EXPERIMENTAL)
+
+(If unsure, use "MSYS2 MINGW64".)  Then run the following commands:
+
+    cd wimlib
+    tools/windows-build.sh --install-prerequisites
+
+The script will automatically download and install the packages needed to build
+wimlib in the chosen MSYS2 environment, then build wimlib.  The output will be
+in a folder named similarly to "wimlib-1.14.0-windows-x86_64-bin".  Note that
+your "home" folder within MSYS2 is C:\msys64\home\%USERNAME% by default.
+Therefore, the full path to the output folder will be similar to
+C:\msys64\home\%USERNAME%\wimlib\wimlib-1.14.0-windows-x86_64-bin.