For the convenience of Windows users, the Windows distribution of wimlib is a
ZIP file containing the following items:
- * wimlib-imagex.exe, a command-line tool to deal with WIM (.wim) and split WIM
- (.swm) files that is similar to Microsoft's ImageX. This is a ready-to-run
- executable and not an installer.
+ * wimlib-imagex.exe, a command-line tool to deal with WIM (.wim), split WIM
+ (.swm), and ESD (.esd) files that is inspired by Microsoft's ImageX and
+ DISM. This is a ready-to-run executable and not an installer.
* 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.
- * Various DLL (.dll) files, including the wimlib library itself
- (libwim-9.dll). The C header wimlib.h is not included; download the source
- if you want it.
+ * The library itself (libwim-15.dll). The C header wimlib.h is not
+ included; download the source if you want it.
* License files for all software included. These are all free software
licenses.
WIMLIB-IMAGEX
wimlib-imagex provides most features of Microsoft's ImageX, plus additional
-features. First, the main limitations of wimlib-imagex compared to Microsoft's
-ImageX are the following:
-
- * Mounting images from a WIM file is not supported on Windows.
-
- * The LZX ("maximum") compression ratio is several percent worse than
- Microsoft's implementation.
-
-However, wimlib-imagex provides a number of advantages compared to Microsoft's
-ImageX, including but not limited to the following:
+features. Perhaps the main limitation is that mounting images from a WIM file
+is not supported on Windows. However, wimlib-imagex provides a number of
+advantages compared to Microsoft's ImageX, including but not limited to the
+following:
* wimlib-imagex provides "extract" and "update" commands that can be used to
work around the lack of mount support. These commands are very fast
compared to mounting and unmounting images with Microsoft's ImageX, so you
may prefer them anyway.
- * wimlib-imagex offers fast multithreaded compression, so making WIM images
- can be much faster.
-
- * wimlib-imagex provides a better XPRESS ("fast") compression ratio than
- Microsoft's ImageX.
-
* wimlib-imagex provides an easy-to-use "optimize" command to remove wasted
space from WIM files.
* In some cases, wimlib-imagex uses simpler command-line syntax. For
- example, `wimlib-imagex capture' (or simply `wimcapture') defaults to
- maximum compression by default, integrity tables are treated as persistent,
- and in some cases image names need not be explicitly specified.
+ example, integrity tables are treated as persistent, and in some cases image
+ names need not be explicitly specified.
* Whenever possible, wimlib-imagex includes improved documentation and
informational output compared to Microsoft's software.
uncompressed files in compressed directories, or files with alternate data
streams and multiple hard links.
+ * wimlib-imagex also supports ESD (.esd) files, except when encrypted. (These
+ use a newer version of the WIM file format.)
+
* wimlib and wimlib-imagex are free software, so you can modify and/or audit
the source code.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
-Currently there is no graphical user interface available for wimlib or
-wimlib-imagex. 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.
+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,
+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/.
git://wimlib.net / wimlib / blobdiff