Ultra-portable image – Lenovo ThinkPad SL300 User Manual
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• If you plan to install a mix of PCs from various manufacturers and want to minimize the number of images
you want to maintain and have the maximum portability across various PC manufacturers’ platforms,
your best bet is to develop Ultra-Portable Images using operating-system modules that you create
using the ImageUltra Builder program.
• If you plan to install a mix of PCs from various manufacturers, and you are not ready to make the jump to
developing Ultra-Portable Images, consider using the ImageUltra Builder program in conjunction with
third-party image-cloning software to create Portable-Sysprep Images that enable the installation of
application or device-driver modules so that the image can be deployed across a wider range of PCs.
Because Smart Images support all three types of images, you can use combinations of images within a
single base map.
Each image type has its own characteristics. The following sections provide a brief overview of the function,
advantages, and disadvantages of each type of image that can be deployed as part of a Smart Image.
Ultra-Portable Image
The Ultra-Portable Image is the most portable of the three types of supported images. Because an
Ultra-Portable Image is deployed in an uninstalled state and uses the full Windows setup for hardware
detection during installation, the image is virtually hardware independent. However, the high portability
of an Ultra-Portable Image comes with a cost; this type of image takes more than 50 minutes to install.
Nevertheless, the life-cycle of an Ultra-Portable Image is typically longer than Portable-Sysprep Images and
Hardware-Specific Images because the image can be used across a wide range of personal computer
platforms regardless of the core chip set and other hardware variations.
• When using imported ImageUltra-developed base operating-system modules, you can use the same
Ultra-Portable Image across the entire Lenovo branded product line of personal computers, but you
cannot use the same Ultra-Portable Image on non-Lenovo branded computers.
• When using I386 base operating-system modules that you develop using the ImageUltra Builder program,
you can use the same Ultra-Portable Image across multiple manufactures’ personal computers. The only
limiting factor is the licensing agreement between you and the Microsoft Corporation related to the
PID you assign to the operating-system module.
• Microsoft delivers Windows Vista and Windows 7 images in Sysprep form. You will need to provide a PID
and other customization in an UNATTEND.XML file.
Anatomy of an Ultra-Portable Image
An Ultra-Portable Image consists of several modules that are either developed using the ImageUltra Builder
program or imported from the service partition or the Hidden Protected Area (HPA) of a source Lenovo
branded computer.
Notes:
1. For more information about the HPA, see “ImageUltra Builder relationships with the Hidden Protected
Area (HPA)” on page 33 or go to the Lenovo Web site:
2. The Sysprep module is used in conjunction with building an Ultra-Portable Image for Windows XP and
Windows 2000, and needs to be placed in the C:\SWWORK\SYSPREP folder.
These modules are stored in the ImageUltra Builder repository. One type of module is the base
operating-system module. The base operating-system module contains all of the files required for a specific
operating system. An ImageUltra developed base operating-system module resides in the service partition
or HPA of the source Lenovo branded computer and is part of a container module that also holds add-on
operating-system modules for hot fixes, patches, updates, and service packs.
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ImageUltra Builder Version 5.01 User Guide