This article explains how to deploy/install Windows 10 or 11 over a network without using a bootable USB drive or installation DVD. We will use the compact Tiny PXE Server for PXE network booting. This guide applies to installing Windows on devices with UEFI or BIOS firmware.
In corporate networks, solutions like Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) are often used for deploying Windows images over the network. However, this article demonstrates how to quickly set up a PXE server on any computer to install Windows on devices in a local network with minimal resources.
Requirements
– A Windows 10 or 11 installation ISO image (can be created using Windows Media Creation Tool).
– A Windows PE image — you can use a custom WinPE image, extract it from the MS DART recovery image, or download the original WinPE using Windows ADK.
– The Tiny PXE Server.
Creating a Bootable Windows PE Image with ADK
1. Download the Windows ADK for Windows 11 and the Windows PE add-on for the Windows ADK from the official website.
2. During installation, select the minimal set of Deployment Tools.
3. Install the Windows PE add-on.
4. Launch the Deployment and Imaging Tool via the Start menu
5. Copy the files for the WinPE environment:
copype amd64 C:\tools\winpe
6. Create a bootable WinPE ISO image:
MakeWinPEMedia /ISO C:\tools\winpe c:\tools\WinPE.iso
Preparing the TinyPXE Server for Network Installation
1. Extract the pxesrv.zip archive to the directory C:\tools\pxesrv.
2. Create a text file named pxe_menu.txt with the following content:
#!ipxe
set boot-url http://${dhcp-server}
menu iPXE boot menu
item WinPEISO WindowsPE ISO
choose target && goto ${target}
:WinPEISO
sanboot ${boot-url}/iso/WinPE.iso
boot
3. Copy WinPE.iso to the directory C:\tools\pxesrv\files\iso.
4. Mount the Windows installation ISO image and share its contents.
5. Run pxesrv.exe as an administrator and enable the HTTPd option.
6. Specify the computer’s IP address in the Option 54 DHCP Server and Next-Server fields.
7. Set ipxe.pxe (for BIOS) or ipxe-x86_64.efi (for UEFI) as the Boot File.
8. Specify pxe_menu.txt in the Filename field.
9. Start the PXE server by clicking the Online button.
Network Installation of Windows 10 and 11 via PXE Server
Now, you need to boot the target computer (where Windows will be installed) from the PXE server. The computer must be in the same local network (VLAN) as the PXE server.
1. Configure the target computer to boot via PXE in BIOS/UEFI.
2. The computer will obtain an IP address via DHCP and display the iPXE menu.
3. After booting WinPE with the command wpeinit, connect to the network share containing the Windows installation image using:
Net use E: \\192.168.13.202\e
Where 192.168.13.202 is the IP address of the PXE server, and e is the name of the shared folder.
After this, you can launch the Windows Setup wizard and proceed with the installation as you would with a USB or DVD.
