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Create an SDI File on Your Development Computer

  • Article

5/10/2007

Use SDI to create an image of a partitioned, formatted disk on your development computer. With SDI, you create an SDI file on your computer, which will then appear as a mounted regular drive that you can add files to.

To create an SDI file

  1. On the Start menu, click All Programs, point to Microsoft Windows Embedded Studio, and then click SDI Loader.

  2. The Storage Device Image Loader dialog box appears.

  3. Click Add Disk.

  4. Specify a new file name, for example, recovery.sdi.

  5. Click Open, and then click Yes to confirm that you want to create the file.

  6. Specify the size of disk that you want to create to hold your run-time image, and then click OK.

    Set this to a size just larger than the total size of your master image. In most cases, you can set this to 490 MB. Depending on whether you are using a 74-minute or 80-minute CD-R, your recovery CD will hold about 650-700 MB of data. Your recovery CD will include the following:

    • Windows PE (unmodified, 154 MB; a customized version can be larger or smaller depending on your changes)
    • Your SDI file (400-490 MB)
    • SDI Manager (sdimgr.wsf, 217 KB)
    • A few small miscellaneous files (1 KB each)
    • Any other additional files you want to include outside of the image

    Given these default sizes, you may have 40 to 200 MB of free space on your disc depending on your disc capacity.

    Found New Hardware notifications appear in the Taskbar notification area for the new SDI disk and disk drives.

  7. Click Done.

  1. On the Start menu, click All Programs, point to Microsoft Windows Embedded Studio, and then click SDI Loader.

  2. The Storage Device Image Loader dialog box appears.

  3. Click Add Disk.

  4. Specify a new file name, for example, recovery.sdi.

  5. Click Open, and then click Yes to confirm that you want to create the file.

  6. Specify the size of disk that you want to create to hold your run-time image, and then click OK.

    Set this to a size just larger than the total size of your master image. In most cases, you can set this to 490 MB. Depending on whether you are using a 74-minute or 80-minute CD-R, your recovery CD will hold about 650-700 MB of data. Your recovery CD will include the following:

    • Windows PE (unmodified, 154 MB; a customized version can be larger or smaller depending on your changes)
    • Your SDI file (400-490 MB)
    • SDI Manager (sdimgr.wsf, 217 KB)
    • A few small miscellaneous files (1 KB each)
    • Any other additional files you want to include outside of the image

    Given these default sizes, you may have 40 to 200 MB of free space on your disc depending on your disc capacity.

    Found New Hardware notifications appear in the Taskbar notification area for the new SDI disk and disk drives.

  7. Click Done.

To initialize the SDI file as a disk drive

  1. On the Start menu, click Control Panel, and then double-click Administrative Tools.

  2. Double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk Management.

    The Initialize and Convert Disk wizard appears.

  3. Click Next to accept the defaults, and then click Finish to complete the wizard.

  4. In the bottom pane of the Computer Management window, locate the new disk you just created. Right-click the area where Unallocated appears, and then click New Partition.

  5. Follow the steps in the New Partition wizard to:

    • Create a primary boot partition, using the default value.
    • Specify partition size. Accept the default value, which will be slightly smaller than the size you specified for the SDI file you created in the previous procedure).
    • Assign a drive letter. Accept the default value, or change if needed.
    • Specify the file system. Accept the default value, NTFS.
    • Format the partition by selecting Perform a quick format.

  6. Click Next, and then click Finish.

    Depending on the size of the disk, it may take a few minutes to format the drive.

  7. Right-click the new volume, and then click Mark Partition as Active.

    You should now have a drive with a drive letter, ready to receive your image.

  1. On the Start menu, click Control Panel, and then double-click Administrative Tools.

  2. Double-click Computer Management, and then click Disk Management.

    The Initialize and Convert Disk wizard appears.

  3. Click Next to accept the defaults, and then click Finish to complete the wizard.

  4. In the bottom pane of the Computer Management window, locate the new disk you just created. Right-click the area where Unallocated appears, and then click New Partition.

  5. Follow the steps in the New Partition wizard to:

    • Create a primary boot partition, using the default value.
    • Specify partition size. Accept the default value, which will be slightly smaller than the size you specified for the SDI file you created in the previous procedure).
    • Assign a drive letter. Accept the default value, or change if needed.
    • Specify the file system. Accept the default value, NTFS.
    • Format the partition by selecting Perform a quick format.

  6. Click Next, and then click Finish.

    Depending on the size of the disk, it may take a few minutes to format the drive.

  7. Right-click the new volume, and then click Mark Partition as Active.

    You should now have a drive with a drive letter, ready to receive your image.

See Also

Tasks

Boot and Test the Master Image

Concepts

How to Create a Device Recovery CD by Using Windows PE and SDI
Choose Your Windows PE Options

Other Resources

System Deployment Image