Image deployment overview
Factory OS can be deployed in a few different ways. You can flash it to a device, boot it from a USB drive, or deploy it as a virtual hard disk.
Deployment options overview
The Windows System Kit can generate Factory OS images in two different formats:
- Full flash images (FFU) that can be quickly applied to a device, either locally or connected to a host device.
- Virtual hard disks (VHDX) that can used in virtual machine
FFU flashing
Flashing is the process of getting a Windows image onto a device. The Windows System Kit includes tools to enable manufacturers to flash Factory OS FFU images onto a device.
If you're flashing an image to a device, your image needs to have:
- DevicePlatformID that describes one or more hardware configurations where the image can be flashed.
- A DevicePath defined in the image's device layout.
Boot from a USB drive
Booting from a USB drive allows you to boot a device from a USB drive, without the need of a host PC.
See Boot from a USB drive to learn how.
Flash from a safe OS
Flashing from a safe OS, like WinPE, requires booting a device into an operating system, and then flashing an image onto the local device.
See Flash using a safe OS for more information.
VHD image deployment
See Deploy a virtual hard disk image to learn how to configure Factory OS virtual machines.