Use Virtualbox to Build a Standard Image of Windows 7

Question

SO I'm building a standard image of Windows 7 according to this documentation: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee523217%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

However, my reference computer is a install of Windows 7 with Virtualbox. My image is ready and I have applied OOBE with sysprep. I also made a Windows PE USB Drive.

According to documentation I am suppose to boot from the USB stick. Now virtualbox does not see this USB as a hard-drive. So I used this link to make Virtualbox think my USB with Windows PE is a hard-drive.

http://www.howtogeek.com/187721/how-to-boot-from-a-usb-drive-in-virtualbox/

So I finally run into my first major issue, which is I can't capture my image of Windows 7 using the tools on Windows PE that I have loaded in my Virtualbox instance.

I am using the following commands.

Keys: D: is my Windows 7 files on Virtualbox (dynamic VDI Image)

E: Tools on Windows PE USB

E:\imagex /compress fast /capture d: d:\install.wim

This command works but yells at me with an error stating that I do not have enough space. Maybe its becuase my VDI image hosted by Virtual box is Dynamic up to 70GB and my image loaded (uncompress) is 30GB. However I am using compression.

Has anyone every tried to make a Standard Image of Windows 7 with Virtualbox as your reference computer?

UPDATE: Using the suggestions below, I added 2 usb drives as vdi's to virtualbox. USB 1 which contains the Windows PE stuff and USB2 which is 8GB FAT32 freshly formated. I then ran my Windows 7 Refrence Virtual Instance and booted fro USB 1 which is Windows PE. I then ran the following command line below. Which is stating that imagex(on USB1) using fast compression and capture the content on Windows7 Refrence Virtual Instance and then put everything on USB2.

D:\imagex /compress fast /capture f: c:\install.wim "Win7Wim"

The scaning of files and directiores starts. Then I get the following fatal error from virtualbox.

It's stating I do not have enough HD space. I guess I'll have to try to make a VDI out of my 1TB harddrive, but I will not be able to make it FAT32. hmmmmmm

UPDATE: So I used my 500GB HD. I used this link to help me mount the HD as a vdmk disc and write through. However I still get the error above, so it can't be space issues.

Answer 1

You can't create the image file on the volume that you're capturing.

If you want to use the WIM file outside a virtual environment, however, then you wouldn't want it contained inside a VDI anyway.

The easiest way would be to get another USB stick and map that to the VM.

If the VM has a virtual network adapter then you could also share a folder out on your hard drive and then map that to a drive letter inside the VM.