WinReducer ESD - Wim Converter can convert ESD - WIM, WIM - ESD, ESD - SWM, SWM - ESD, SWM - WIM, and WIM - SWM. Video walkthrough available.

Recently we bumped into a problem with MSMG Toolkit generating an error because there was no install.wim. A quick look and we found that there was an install.wsd in the folder. So, we began the fun of searching Google for an answer. Well, the answer was to create a folder, copy your source directory, copy the esd file, open command prompt as admin, change directory, show all available images in the install.esd, and then type a long line to extract install.wim.

Seriously?

And it looks like someone, somewhere wrote up that guide and everyone else copied it. Well, we're geeks, but we like to be efficient whenever possible. Enter WinReducer ESD - Wim Converter that we eventually stumbled on. While it's a bit nag happy about buying their WinReducer program, it made life a little easier. The app is portable, so just extract and run WinReducerESWimConverter.exe. You'll get your first nag screen here. The next screen there's little to do, so proceed to Software Installation. Here, WinReducer ESD - Wim Converter needs to download the tools you'll need to accomplish the conversions. We suggest downloading the four listed at the top. Now, the app will skip all of that in the future.



There are additional options to be found, however merely browse to the file you want to convert, select the format you're switching to, and click convert. Deleting the file after conversion and using better compression are two options you might consider.

Overall, the nag is annoying, but if you hate the command prompt as much as us, this is a quick way to convert these unusual (for most people) files for free.