ReMin - replicated MinWin

A project of the Replicated Systems Division.

ReMin aims to replicate MinWin/bare-metal Nano Server based on current Windows bits.

Current supported base build: 19041.1 ("2004")

How to run

1. Ensure you have en_windows_server_version_2004_x64_dvd_765aeb22.iso.
2. Build the tools using build.cmd in their respective directories. Yeah.
3. Install PowerShell 7 or above on modern Windows 10.
4. Make sure V:\ and X:\ are not currently mounted to a volume.
5. From an elevated pwsh, run .\build.ps1 -IsoPath "A:\en_windows_server_version_2004_x64_dvd_765aeb22.iso" -SaveRoot "A:\OS\Save" -WorkRoot "A:\OS\Work", replacing paths with the path to the ISO and a save directory.
6. You should have A:\OS\Save\OS.vhdx if it completed successfully, which should boot in Hyper-V, other hypervisors, or bare metal if applying correctly.

Known issues

• msxml6 will crash due to an incorrect urlmon stub in kernelbase.
• Online servicing requires patched winload since tm.sys and clfs.sys do not get loaded by the Microsoft-signed ApiSetSchema.dll, and these needs a custom API set schema extension (TM-Extension.dll) to load.
• First boot will have wininit.exe crash and error out with CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, reboot after this if not done automatically.
• The OS itself does not have a login guard and will auto-logon as SYSTEM.

Todos

Ever-evolving.

• Apply deltas so we don't have to include pre-reverted PSFX forwarders.
• Fix LSA init bug on first boot.
• Be more build-independent.
• Automatically patch wcp.dll instead of pre-bundling such.
• More components that one might need/want.
  • Hyper-V host?
  • Hacks to support WAC more cleanly?
  • PowerShell bundled natively?
  • Extra CLI utilities?
  • An installer booting in WinPE mode?
  • Logon!
• Custom CUs to patch components not covered by default package.
• Better way to break CI? Have a custom root added?
• Automatic component generation instead of the current mess of slightly-hacked components?

Fun tricks

• You can run PowerShell 7 and it'll work. Pretty helpful as many utilities for use with cmd.exe are missing.
• Same goes for the 19041.388 CU, the related SSU and the 20H2 enablement package. Do note that dism /add-package will want an extracted .cab from the .msu, and some components do not get updated as they don't match original OS package composition.
• OpenSSH-Server-Package.cab will also install and run fine.
• curl.exe and tar.exe are installed and work just as they do on normal Windows.