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I have a base wim image file that I apply by booting into window pe and installing on a devices hard drive.

After the base image is applied I would like to install custom software depending on what is needed, similar to a task sequences done by sccm imaging.

What tool or command line would let me accomplish this?

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    The proper procedure to accomplish what you want would involve installing the software, and creating a windows installation image, that includes the software you want installed. What you want is not possible. You will be unable to install software to your Windows installation from within WinPE. What you can do is install the software to your Windows installation, create a new windows image from that installation, and then apply the new image (which already includes the software you want installed).
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 14:29
  • I guess my sub question is how is Microsoft able to accomplish this.
    – man0man
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 17:57
  • What do you mean? Microsoft simply creates a Windows Installation Image (WIM). SCCM would be the tool to use to install software, to images already deployed on machines, but you already know that.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 16, 2020 at 17:59
  • @ramhound I think he wants to know the underlying technology through which sccm or mdt allow to install software during OSD after the image is applied
    – Syberdoor
    Commented Jul 29, 2020 at 13:01
  • @Syberdoor - The author asked specifically WinPE The author should edit and clarify their question.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 29, 2020 at 18:25

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Microsoft does not install Software from within WinPE to the full OS but rather reboots, let's Windows do it's configuration and then hooks itself into the now running real OS and continues the isntallation from there. The method used afaik is the setupcomplete.cmd file. This is basically an normally empty file that is always executed at the end of a windows setup (see detailed documentation here). I think nothing stops you from using the same file. You can hook a script (maybe more powerful than cmd) in there and install whatever you want (probably needs to be silent, user interaction in that phase does not really work that well).

Another method to get software to run during a Windows setup would be modifying the unattend.xml. Several passes allow for a RunAsynchronousCommand step that will execude code where you could again hook yourself in. I always found the answer file modifications a little tedious especially if you have to debug so I would recommend the cmd file.

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