- 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:
- * 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.
+ * Various DLL (.dll) files, including the wimlib 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 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:
-
- * Mounting WIM files is not supported on Windows.
-
- * The LZX ("maximum") compression ratio is several percent worse that
- Microsoft's implementation.
+ WIMLIB-IMAGEX
-However, wimlib-imagex provides a number of advantages compared to Microsoft's
-ImageX:
+wimlib-imagex provides most features of Microsoft's ImageX, plus additional
+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", or default compression)
- compression ratio than Microsoft's ImageX.
-
* wimlib-imagex provides an easy-to-use "optimize" command to remove wasted
space from WIM files.
- * Whenever possible I have included improved documentation and informational
- output compared to Microsoft's software.
+ * In some cases, wimlib-imagex uses simpler command-line syntax. For
+ 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.
+
+ * On Windows, wimlib-imagex 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.
- * 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.
+ * wimlib-imagex also supports ESD (.esd) files, except when encrypted. (These
+ use a newer version of the WIM file format.)
- * wimlib is free software, so you can modify and/or audit the source code.
+ * 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 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