Is NTLite a wrong tool for me, or am I using it wrong?

[kiler129]

Hi folks!

What I'm looking for?
I am trying to prepare an image of Windows 11 Enterprise for use in a multi-PC gaming setup (sort of like gaming cafe but private). I would like the setup to have as little maintenance as possible, which to me implies:

• Working Windows Update
• Games "just working" at least most of the time
• The OS being lean in terms of not "going in the way" with things like surprise Cortana/Copilot/OneDrive/Candy Crush etc

In other words, I am not looking for a super-minimized install that fits in X GB of space or boots in under Y seconds.

My experience
I worked in IT for close to two decades, but mostly in *nix environments. I have some experience with professionally creating windows embedded images. In the XP era, I also used nLite extensively to mostly squeeze the OS where it didn't belong. In other words, while I know what GPOs and autounattend are, I don't work with these on a daily basis.

What I tried?
I purchased the NTLite license and started with the GamerOS preset and began testing on a VM. I modified it to bake-in updates and changed basic post-install options like default username or computer name. After installation, the OS was functional but I quickly ran into issue with broken WU and non-functional RDP server.
Troubleshooting, with the help of the forum, I was able to fix WU and restore RDP options. However, RDP is still not functional after re-installing the new image.

Is NTLite for me or am I using it incorrectly?
The expirence above, which to be clear I absolutely not not blame NTLite's or the preset's author for, made me rethink the plan. First of all, it seemed like I wasn't able to fix the OS post-install as packages were removed, even if I had the full Win 11 ISO. Attempting to install NTLite on that system and load the preset resulted in NTLite failing to find some of the files in C:\Windows (which I think is expected). Reinstalling the OS whenever I hit a problem isn't really a very good option for me, since a lot of games don't tolerate being moved without reinstall to a new OS install.
Moreover, I'm not sure if I can dedicate a lot of time into debugging every small issue and relationship.

Should I maybe stick to just official autounattend options and potentially just use bare GPOs (esp. since 25H2 apps can be removed)? Or maybe I am misunderstanding how to properly use NTLite?

 

[garlin]

NTLite's flexibility is both a blessing and a curse. You can try many different setups, but not all of them will work. Some things will work for a specific Windows release, and stop working in another because the dependencies have changed.

GamerOS does remove features that didn't interest the original author, Txmmy.

Those include RDP support and Windows Update. WU is removed because a number of hard-core gamers don't like "random" changes introduced by the Monthly Updates, and will defer or entirely ignore them.

Presets are XML files, but you can open it in your favorite text editor and browse the Component block for removed features. The good news is you delete any of the <c>component_name</c> lines from a preset, it undoes what's been removed the next time it's used on a clean image.

The real problem isn't so much NTLite, as you have to get to understand Windows in terms of which features are involved in system functions. As a quick start, it's often recommended to use someone's preset to get a taste of what can be done. And then experiment, by restoring or removing components until it fits your needs.

There is no perfect preset, only one that makes you and your apps happy.

---

The 25H2 apps removal GPO isn't very exciting, all it does is establish in a GPO what you can already do with a PowerShell "Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers" command. I imagine it was provided so you can play whack-a-mole with users who like to reinstall apps on a managed PC.

 

[nuhi]

To add.
Intended usage is try the Templates first, using other people's presets raises too many questions.
Also leverage Compatibilities.

Try this:
- load fresh ISO, non-edited
- Updates - Add - Latest online updates - Enqueue
- Components - toolbar - Templates - Gaming
- Components - toolbar - Compatibility - check/enable the Remote Desktop
- Unattended - toolbar - Enable and Auto-fill
- Apply - Create ISO

That should work with everything, set in minutes.
If you have any issues, let me know with the preset.

Then move onto Lite template, or manually keep adding things, it's fun to find more unnecessary components once you see it's not that complicated going bottom up.
If you wonder why ISO size doesn't reduce dramatically, it's because file copies are kept in WinSxS, which are just passively staying there for Windows Update compatibility.
To reduce the ISO size itself, depending if you update via reinstall and Host Refresh, you can enable deep removal by disabling Servicing Stack compatibility, that breaks live Windows Update though.