How to create an NTLite template
- Thread starter Nando1988
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When you save your current work to a preset (XML file), it can be reloaded on a clean image.
For best results, the source image should match the same version you edited. But if it doesn’t match, NTLite will try to save what changes it can copy over. You can have many different preset files.
NTLite has some example templates, which can be used to load default edits.
On this forum, you cannot share ISO’s — but presets are OK.
For best results, the source image should match the same version you edited. But if it doesn’t match, NTLite will try to save what changes it can copy over. You can have many different preset files.
NTLite has some example templates, which can be used to load default edits.
On this forum, you cannot share ISO’s — but presets are OK.
Presets are independent files. They list all the editing changes you made in the last NTLite session before trying to apply them.
What some users like to do is to "stack" presets like layers in a cake. You can load an image, and add a saved preset. This adds the first set of changes. If you try loading another preset, NTLite will ask to confirm if you want to overwrite or append the next preset.
Overwrite replaces any setting in the current session which is duplicated. Append will only add new settings if they don't exist in the current session. Users can repeat this process over and over.
When you make a preset, you don't have to add all the changes at one time. One preset can have just the Updates and removals, another preset could be all your Settings, etc.
NTLite has four built-in templates, which only apply a set of Component removals. Each template is a superset of the previous template in terms of what's included for removal.
The templates are color coded based on how risky the changes are to breaking software apps you may have. Not recommended is only provided for teaching purposes to demonstrate which components are critical to Windows, and shouldn't be removed.
What some users like to do is to "stack" presets like layers in a cake. You can load an image, and add a saved preset. This adds the first set of changes. If you try loading another preset, NTLite will ask to confirm if you want to overwrite or append the next preset.
Overwrite replaces any setting in the current session which is duplicated. Append will only add new settings if they don't exist in the current session. Users can repeat this process over and over.
When you make a preset, you don't have to add all the changes at one time. One preset can have just the Updates and removals, another preset could be all your Settings, etc.
NTLite has four built-in templates, which only apply a set of Component removals. Each template is a superset of the previous template in terms of what's included for removal.
| Least removed | Most removed | ||
| Privacy -> | Gaming -> | Lite -> | Not recommended |
The templates are color coded based on how risky the changes are to breaking software apps you may have. Not recommended is only provided for teaching purposes to demonstrate which components are critical to Windows, and shouldn't be removed.
When you select any one of the templates, it applies a fixed list of changes. Switching to a different template does not reset the pending changes. Once a component is marked for removal, the only way to restore it is to manually recheck its box or reset the current session.
1. If you apply Privacy first, and then apply Gaming, you get Privacy + Gaming. Gaming is a superset of Privacy, so you get everything in Gaming.
2. If you pick Not recommended, and then pick Gaming, you don't get Gaming since Not recommended is larger than Gaming. You would need to reset from the toolbar, and select Gaming again.
Templates are not the same as presets. The template will always apply the same set of removals when used. They are not presets, as templates can be applied to your current preset. Think of them as a macro for removing items.
1. If you apply Privacy first, and then apply Gaming, you get Privacy + Gaming. Gaming is a superset of Privacy, so you get everything in Gaming.
2. If you pick Not recommended, and then pick Gaming, you don't get Gaming since Not recommended is larger than Gaming. You would need to reset from the toolbar, and select Gaming again.
Templates are not the same as presets. The template will always apply the same set of removals when used. They are not presets, as templates can be applied to your current preset. Think of them as a macro for removing items.
There isn't really a guide because it depends on which Windows release you're using.
For a good overall preset, which tries to keep apps compatibility, you can look at the GamerOS preset for comparison.
GamerOS Windows 10 & 11 Preset (Locked)
For a good overall preset, which tries to keep apps compatibility, you can look at the GamerOS preset for comparison.
GamerOS Windows 10 & 11 Preset (Locked)
francis11
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But first thing first.
Always check Compatibility needed in Component Removal before apply a template, as Compatibility protected components override template configs by design.
Only use templates and remove other components sooner or later give error.
Always check Compatibility needed in Component Removal before apply a template, as Compatibility protected components override template configs by design.
Only use templates and remove other components sooner or later give error.
I can't handle NTLite licensing issues, as I'm only a forum mod.
Are you re-installing NTLite inside a VM?. As long as you keep the same VM machine, once you've activated it in VM then re-licensing NTLite after a re-install will not use up another activation. If you make a totally new VM, that counts as a different "PC".
Are you re-installing NTLite inside a VM?. As long as you keep the same VM machine, once you've activated it in VM then re-licensing NTLite after a re-install will not use up another activation. If you make a totally new VM, that counts as a different "PC".
No, a VM is considered another "PC" for licensing purposes.
NTLite is activated against a HW ID provided by the host, whether that's a physical PC or VM. Several users in a commercial environment actually run NTLite inside a VM, so they can create an environment which can be migrated to another VM host without requiring a license change.
If you have activated multiple instances of NTLite on different PC or VM instances, each is an independent copy activated under your current license. They can run in parallel simultaneously. But if you re-image a VM and try installing NTLite again, it's reading the VM as the Windows platform and not the physical host.
So yes, it will ask if you need to activate the license. The licensing server will remember this VM's HWID from before, but you still have to enter the license details unless you copied over the settings file and license.dat from the previous VM install.
NTLite is activated against a HW ID provided by the host, whether that's a physical PC or VM. Several users in a commercial environment actually run NTLite inside a VM, so they can create an environment which can be migrated to another VM host without requiring a license change.
If you have activated multiple instances of NTLite on different PC or VM instances, each is an independent copy activated under your current license. They can run in parallel simultaneously. But if you re-image a VM and try installing NTLite again, it's reading the VM as the Windows platform and not the physical host.
So yes, it will ask if you need to activate the license. The licensing server will remember this VM's HWID from before, but you still have to enter the license details unless you copied over the settings file and license.dat from the previous VM install.
The physical PC has a different HWID than the VM, you're copying a license.dat which matches the host and not the VM. license.dat isn't a generic file, it's created specifically for the machine that's activated.
Why do you need to recreate a new VM instance so often? As long as you keep the same VM machine, all the reported "HW" never changes. You can resize the system disk, or add new drives, and it doesn't change the HW ID. Then you can activate a copy of NTLite once, and not have to use extra activations in the case of you destroying and making a new VM.
I literally run on W7, with a W10 VM hosted on VMware Workstation which has a copy of licensed NTLite. I used two activations: one for the physical host, another for my VM.
VMware is not a hypervisor, Windows sees the VM instance and not the underlying host platform.
You don't use Unattended mode for WinRE, it's for managing a clean install or setting up for sysprep. WinRE is an alternative boot environment for repairing things when you mess up the primary Windows instance. If you have multiple Windows install images, the unattended file (by default) applies to all of them on the ISO media.
Why do you need to recreate a new VM instance so often? As long as you keep the same VM machine, all the reported "HW" never changes. You can resize the system disk, or add new drives, and it doesn't change the HW ID. Then you can activate a copy of NTLite once, and not have to use extra activations in the case of you destroying and making a new VM.
I literally run on W7, with a W10 VM hosted on VMware Workstation which has a copy of licensed NTLite. I used two activations: one for the physical host, another for my VM.
VMware is not a hypervisor, Windows sees the VM instance and not the underlying host platform.
You don't use Unattended mode for WinRE, it's for managing a clean install or setting up for sysprep. WinRE is an alternative boot environment for repairing things when you mess up the primary Windows instance. If you have multiple Windows install images, the unattended file (by default) applies to all of them on the ISO media.
boot.wim is a limited Windows environment only used to run Windows Setup, or to perform repair actions if you don't have a working Recovery environment.
You don't need to customize boot.wim, other than to add missing storage drivers (ie. SATA or USB3).
You don't need to add/remove features or components from boot.wim, if you're only running Setup.
Don't extract the current image state from boot.wim and apply it to install.wim, or the other way around.
Extract current image state is only useful for recovering information from an edited install image. I'm sure it works for boot.wim, but that's not what it's designed for.
You don't need to customize boot.wim, other than to add missing storage drivers (ie. SATA or USB3).
You don't need to add/remove features or components from boot.wim, if you're only running Setup.
Don't extract the current image state from boot.wim and apply it to install.wim, or the other way around.
Extract current image state is only useful for recovering information from an edited install image. I'm sure it works for boot.wim, but that's not what it's designed for.
What are you trying to do? boot.wim is a stub Windows created for explicit purpose of running Setup, and exiting. The two are unrelated to each other, so they don't need to share anything except required drivers. Both are standalone images, which don't depend on the other one.
You're getting off track, and I'm not sure why you're asking these non-NTLite questions.
W10 Starter was never a released product and is unsupported. Just because someone on MDL resurrected it for fun, doesn't mean you should be using it for production use.
W10 China Government is a special Windows variant created by a Chinese partner to address CCCP concerns and mandates about allowing MS (US-based company) to operate in the Chinese marketplace. Some telemetry and other features have been changed. It's not intended for use outside of the limited Chinese market, and even then Chinese users don't even really use it because they're pushed into CCCP-mandated "Red" OS'es based on Linux.
Validation and Factory OS'es are variants of WinPE designed for OEM's to write testing frameworks. They don't work to run desktop applications, but scripted automation to do HW testing and validation. They are not legitimately used outside these reasons.
None of these versions are supported by NTLite.
You're right. I have no idea where you're heading and leave you to be.
W10 Starter was never a released product and is unsupported. Just because someone on MDL resurrected it for fun, doesn't mean you should be using it for production use.
W10 China Government is a special Windows variant created by a Chinese partner to address CCCP concerns and mandates about allowing MS (US-based company) to operate in the Chinese marketplace. Some telemetry and other features have been changed. It's not intended for use outside of the limited Chinese market, and even then Chinese users don't even really use it because they're pushed into CCCP-mandated "Red" OS'es based on Linux.
Validation and Factory OS'es are variants of WinPE designed for OEM's to write testing frameworks. They don't work to run desktop applications, but scripted automation to do HW testing and validation. They are not legitimately used outside these reasons.
None of these versions are supported by NTLite.
You're right. I have no idea where you're heading and leave you to be.
Are you trying to debloat Windows this way? Why not just use the built-in Privacy template, or someone's provided preset?
You can't extract image state from a different Windows to apply to another, because they're not built on the same code base. The components won't match what's found on the other releases.
You can't extract image state from a different Windows to apply to another, because they're not built on the same code base. The components won't match what's found on the other releases.