- INTRODUCTION
+ INTRODUCTION
-wimlib is free and open source software that is available on both UNIX and
-Windows. This file provides additional information specifically about the
-Windows version of wimlib and the command line tool "wimlib-imagex" that is
-distributed with it. It does not obsolete the generic README.txt, which you
-should read too.
+wimlib is free and open source software that is available on both UNIX-like
+systems and Windows. This file provides additional information specifically
+about the Windows version of wimlib and the command line tool "wimlib-imagex"
+that is distributed with it. It does not obsolete the generic README.txt, which
+you should read too.
WINDOWS DISTRIBUTION
-For the convenience of Windows users, the Windows distribution of wimlib is a
-ZIP file containing the following items:
+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) 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, which are of
- little concern to you if you are not a developer.
+ * 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
-wimlib-imagex is intended to provide a usable Windows-native equivalent to
-Microsoft's ImageX. The main limitations of wimlib-imagex compared to
-Microsoft's ImageX are the following:
+wimlib-imagex supports most features of Microsoft's ImageX as well as some
+features that are supported by DISM but not by ImageX. wimlib-imagex also
+supports some features that neither ImageX nor DISM support. Some of the
+advantages of wimlib-imagex compared to ImageX and DISM are:
- * Mounting WIM files is not supported on Windows.
+ * wimlib-imagex provides "extract" and "update" commands which allow
+ you to quickly work with WIM images without mounting them.
- * The LZX ("maximum") compression ratio is several percent worse that
- Microsoft's implementation.
+ * wimlib-imagex provides an easy-to-use "optimize" command which removes
+ wasted space from a WIM file and optionally recompresses it with stronger
+ compression.
-However, wimlib-imagex provides a number of advantages compared to Microsoft's
-ImageX:
+ * wimlib includes advanced implementations of all compression algorithms used
+ in WIM files. They usually outperform and outcompress their Microsoft
+ equivalents.
- * 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 supports solid WIM files and LZMS compression, for example as
+ used in ESD (.esd) files. (These are partially supported by recent DISM
+ versions but not by ImageX.)
- * wimlib-imagex offers fast multithreaded compression, so making WIM images
- can be much faster.
+ * In many cases, wimlib-imagex has simpler command-line syntax than either
+ ImageX or DISM.
- * wimlib-imagex provides a better XPRESS ("fast", or default compression)
- compression ratio than Microsoft's ImageX.
+ * Whenever possible, wimlib-imagex includes improved documentation and
+ informational output compared to Microsoft's software.
- * wimlib-imagex provides an easy-to-use "optimize" command to remove wasted
- space from WIM files.
+ * wimlib and wimlib-imagex are free software, so you can modify and/or audit
+ the source code.
- * Whenever possible I have included improved documentation and informational
- output compared to Microsoft's software.
+However, some limitations of wimlib-imagex compared to ImageX and DISM are:
- * wimlib can correctly save and restore some combinations of data that
- Microsoft's ImageX runs into bugs on --- for example, uncompressed files in
- compressed directories, or files with alternate data streams and multiple
- hard links.
+ * On Windows, wimlib-imagex does not support mounting WIM images.
- * wimlib is free software, so you can modify and/or audit the source code.
+ * wimlib-imagex has no awareness of Windows "packages".
ADDITIONAL NOTES
-Currently there is no graphical user interface available for wimlib or
-wimlib-imagex and I do not plan to make one. It's recommended to use
-wimlib-imagex in scripts to avoid having to interactively enter commands.
+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