X-Git-Url: https://wimlib.net/git/?p=wimlib;a=blobdiff_plain;f=README.WINDOWS;h=d240b7b77cc86a7ed518e1737abbbf47546c19cf;hp=952cbd85cf1ae239fbe2de95b1ec18074ae81d98;hb=50e2715272c44a059f9726f5558782d796a0df8f;hpb=811a38dfe05ef337e2d627f654f8a3e559900790 diff --git a/README.WINDOWS b/README.WINDOWS index 952cbd85..d240b7b7 100644 --- a/README.WINDOWS +++ b/README.WINDOWS @@ -1,39 +1,69 @@ -wimlib 1.3.0 has added experimental support for Windows builds. These builds -include both the "wimlib" library (built as a DLL) and the "imagex" executable. -The Windows builds use native Win32 calls when appropriate to handle alternate -data streams, security descriptors, and reparse points. + INTRODUCTION -Windows support currently has the following limitations: +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. -- It relies on the Cygwin UNIX-compatibility layer. You do not, however, need - to have the Cygwin distribution installed to run it, as I have posted a ZIP - file on SourceForge that contains the build of wimlib and "imagex" along with - the DLLs needed for it to run. Please note that these DLLs are free and open - source software; see http://www.cygwin.com/ for more details. + WINDOWS DISTRIBUTION -- Mounting WIM files is not supported. +For the convenience of Windows users, the Windows distribution of wimlib is a +ZIP file containing the following items: -- wimlib's API is not compatible with Microsoft's WIMGAPI, although they offer - some of the same functionality. + * 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. -So, in terms of the "imagex" program: + * Very short batch scripts (e.g. wimapply.cmd) which are shortcuts to the + corresponding wimlib-imagex commands (e.g. `wimlib-imagex apply'). -"imagex capture", "imagex append", and "imagex apply" will work on Windows and -have the added advantage of saving and restoring alternate data streams, -security descriptors, and reparse points. + * The documentation, including this file, the generic README.txt, and + PDF documentation for wimlib-imagex in the 'doc' directory. -"imagex delete", "imagex dir", "imagex export", "imagex info", "imagex join", -"imagex optimize", and "imagex split" are all portable and should work the same -way on Windows as on UNIX. + * 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. -"imagex mount", "imagex mountrw", and "imagex unmount" will NOT work on Windows. + * License files for all software included. These are all free software + licenses. -So on Windows, why would you want to use wimlib's ImageX instead of Microsoft's? -Well, here are a few reasons: + WIMLIB-IMAGEX -- wimlib can be freely distributed; there is no need to download a 1.8 gigabyte - "Windows Automated Installation Kit". -- wimlib offers fast multithreaded compression, so making WIM images can be much - faster. -- wimlib is free software, so you can modify and/or audit the source code. +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 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, 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 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.