How to test Gandalf's PE with only 4GB of RAM

kelper · Jun 3, 2025

I want to run Gandalf's Win 11 PE ISO, but it is too large.

I'm trying to trim the Programs folder which I don't need. I used 7-Zip to extract the contents to a folder. I know 7-zip can delete folders but then I have to use Anyburn to write a new ISO which might not be bootable. Just extracting all the files in the ISO took ninety minutes. Now I have to extract the bootable elements from the ISO and incorporate these into the new ISO.

Surely, there must be an easier way?

Rollback_Jockey · Jun 3, 2025

Rufus?

Ghot · Jun 3, 2025

List of AnyBurn tutorials...

AnyBurn - awesome software

AnyBurn is software like the old days. Free, no ads, excellent GUI, does... everything. https://www.anyburn.com/ Also comes in a portable version. TUTORIALS Burn CD, DVD, and Bluray disc Burn ISO file Burn NRG file Burn DMG file Burn image file Burn files and folders to CD, DVD...

www.elevenforum.com

SIW2 · Jun 3, 2025

I am not familiar with that pe. I dont know what it does. Does it create an extra ramdisk in addititon to the standard pe X ramdisk?

Have you tried extracting the contents to a usb stick ? Either fat32 or prep the stick with ventoy and add the ventoy_wimboot.img

OR

I'm trying to trim the Programs folder which I don't need

use anyburn EDIT image, delete the programs you dont want ( use the REMOVE button ) and save it using a new name eg. smaller.iso

Anyburn edit and save retains the original iso bootability.

As far as I can tell you are correct that anyburn cant create a muliboot iso. But it can edit and save one. I know because I have tried it.

NOTE:
Anybody who wants to create an iso from a distribution could use dism++ to avoid resorting to commands

Toolkit>Isomaker

SIW2 · Jun 3, 2025

Alternatively you could copy the iso contents with the trimmed programs folder to a partition then add a winpe entry to the current live bcd store.

I have added a couple of winpe entries to this bcd store

kelper · Jun 3, 2025

SIW2 said:
Alternatively you could copy the iso contents with the trimmed programs folder to a partition then add a winpe entry to the current live bcd store.

I'm not that clever.

SIW2 · Jun 3, 2025

Simple to use ventoyed usb stick

or

Anyburn edit and save the iso. It is very easy.

hsehestedt · Jun 3, 2025

I always use Microsoft OSCDIMG to create Windows ISO images. This way gives me a perfect bootable ISO every time.

Sample command:

Note: The following is a single command even though it spans multiple lines here.

oscdimg -m -o -u2 -udfver102 -l"VolumeName" -bootdata:2#p0,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\boot\etfsboot.com"#pEF,e,b"c:\project\ISO_Files\efi\microsoft\boot\efisys.bin" "c:\project\ISO_Files" "c:\destination\image.iso"

SIW2 · Jun 3, 2025

It is obvious.

This iso is not very big, but I will remove a few things to demonstrate the method

Will remove a few things from the USBPrograms folder

Select the items and click Remove button

confirm you want to

they have gone

so click Next

Type in a name for the smaller iso file

then click Create

The original and the smaller one that has just been created

SIW2 · Jun 3, 2025

Quick check with winiso

You can see it wants to save it as a multi-bootimage file. so it is fine

kelper · Jun 4, 2025

SIW2 said:
Simple to use ventoyed usb stick

or

Anyburn edit and save the iso. It is very easy.

It's not that easy! I did create a bootable USB of Gandalf's PE which works. But I put it on my Ventoy and it won't boot.

SIW2 · Jun 4, 2025

But I put it on my Ventoy and it won't boot.

create a folder on on the big usb partition name it ventoy

put the ventoy_wimboot.img inside that folder

https://github.com/ventoy/wimiso/releases/download/v1.0/ventoy_wimboot.img

kelper · Jun 4, 2025

I had already done that months ago. I'm going to boot in a different way. Later today, I will go through all your suggestions.

kelper · Jun 4, 2025

Wimboot mode doesn't work either.

kelper · Jun 4, 2025

@SIW2

If I use Anyburn to make the cut-down Gandalf ISO into a bootable USB, should I select GPT and NTFS for the USB?

SIW2 · Jun 4, 2025

dont know. I have never used anyburn to make bootable usb. If you go for gpt it might need a fat32 partition depending on your bios.

most bios will only look for the .efi file on fat32. There are some e.g. the gigabyte I am using which will find it on ntfs.

kelper · Jun 4, 2025

Anyburn made a bootable USB but it does not boot from Ventoy as I do not have enough memory to create a ramdisk device. That's OK, I will just keep the UFD handy.

How to test Gandalf's PE with only 4GB of RAM

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers