Q. How can I mount a Windows Imaging Format (WIM) file so that I can view or edit its content?

Create a folder on the file system that will be used to access the WIM file content (e.g., d:vistamount).

Start a command prompt with Administrative credentials (Start, Programs, Accessories; right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator").

Navigate to the C:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsx86 folder on a machine with WAIK installed (assuming you're running on an x86 architecture box).

Run the Imagex command with the /mount switch to open the WIM file in read-only mode or the /mountrw switch to open with full read and write abilities. Use the following command syntax: imagex For example, to mount the first image of the standard Vista install.wim file to path d:vistamount, use the following command:

C:Program FilesWindows AIKToolsx86>imagex /mountrw d:Sourcesinstall.wim 1 d:vistamount

You can then modify the WIM file via standard file system manipulation tools, such as the command prompt and Windows Explorer.

Once editing is complete, unmount using the Imagex utility with the /unmount switch, and if you wish to keep the changes made also add the /commit switch (if you don't specify the /commit switch, all changes will be lost, and you won't be prompted for confirmation). Unmounting without the /commit switch is significantly faster because it doesn't have to convert file system changes to the relevant area inside the WIM file.