Boot assets

The deployment server generates boot scripts and manifests. A separate web host serves WinPE, wimboot, the loader and engine. GitHub Pages serves documentation only.

Build WinPE

On Windows install the Windows ADK and its matching WinPE add-on from Microsoft’s ADK download page. The repository’s documented build baseline is ADK 10.1.26100.x; other versions have not been verified here.

Open an elevated Deployment and Imaging Tools Environment, then run the builder from the source checkout in PowerShell:

.\build\Build-WinPE.ps1 -Work C:\WinPE_minute2win -Base https://deploy.example.net/windows11

Replace the URL with your own base. The builder deletes the directory passed as -Work before recreating it. Use a dedicated scratch directory. -Drivers C:\drivers injects NIC/storage INF drivers. -Manual creates a debugging image that prints the deploy command and leaves a prompt.

Output is boot.wim, BCD, and boot.sdi under <Work>\out. The builder includes PowerShell components and an auto-running startnet. It builds amd64 WinPE. Its network wait probes 1.1.1.1 for up to about 60 seconds; networks without Internet ICMP may incur this delay before the loader fetch.

Stage and host

On a host with Bash, from the source checkout:

tools/stage.sh

This generates dist/windows11/; it uploads nothing. Supplying a different output directory is supported, but the script replaces its windows11/ subdirectory. Add your separately supplied boot files to produce:

windows11/
  wimboot                 # supplied separately
  BCD                     # WinPE builder output
  boot.sdi                # WinPE builder output
  boot.wim                # WinPE builder output
  install.wim             # your licensed image, if hosted here
  install.ps1             # staged loader
  minute2win.ipxe          # staged static boot script
  minute2win/
    VERSION
    Minute2Win.psm1
    Start-Minute2Win.ps1
    Start-FirstBoot.ps1
    unattend-oobe.xml
    manifests/
      win11-pro.json

The release boot-files zip contains the staged scripts, not Windows images or boot binaries. Replace staged win11-pro.json with your own profile for static boots; add other profiles as needed. Both the static iPXE script and server boot script inject the selected profile as manifest.json using iPXE’s explicit --name option. The loader stops if injection is missing. A deliberate manual fallback requires install.ps1 -Base <your-base> -Manifest <profile-name>.

Host the directory at your configured base URL. The builder’s -Base, server’s -image-base, and hosted loader/engine tree must agree. The Windows image URI in the manifest can point elsewhere. WinPE must trust any HTTPS certificate; browser access alone does not prove WinPE certificate trust.

Updates and the static route

To update the engine, stage and upload a consistent version of the scripts. Rebuild WinPE when changing its base URL, startnet behavior or drivers. Active deployments download scripts, so update between deployments.

The static minute2win.ipxe has its own hard-coded base URL. Edit it to your host before using it, and set m2w-manifest to select a staged profile (default win11-pro). It does not use server arms and deploys every time it is reached. Put it behind a deliberate per-boot opt-in. Prefer the server route for firmware configured to network-boot first.

No iPXE binaries are bundled. Supply builds from the iPXE project under their license. Secure Boot requires an appropriate signed chain and remains unverified for Minute2Win. See Server reference for shim filenames and TFTP case sensitivity.