Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 provides new and improved deployment tools for automating large-scale deployments of Windows 10.
Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10
Windows ADK for Windows 10 documentation
Need more help?
Want more options?
Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.
Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 13 February 2007; 16 years ago |
| Stable release |
10.1.22000.1 |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 and later |
| Platform | x64 (exclusively) |
| Size | 32 MB ~ 3.48 GB |
| Available in | Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish |
| Type | Utility software |
| License | Freeware |
| Website | docs |
Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK), formerly Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK or WAIK), is a collection of tools and technologies produced by Microsoft designed to help deploy Microsoft Windows operating system images to target computers or to a virtual hard disk image in VHD format. It was first introduced with Windows Vista. WAIK is a required component of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.[2][3]
History[edit]
Windows AIK Version 1.0 was released with Windows Vista. New or redesigned tools and technologies included Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM), Sysprep, ImageX, and Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) v2.0.[4]
Windows AIK Version 1.1 was released with Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. A number of new tools were introduced, including PostReflect and VSP1Cln. WinPE 2.1 could be more customized.[5] Supported operating systems include Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows Server 2003 SP2 and Windows XP SP2.
Windows AIK Version 2.0 was released with Windows 7 beta. Significantly, a single new tool, DISM, replaced several earlier tools including PEImg and IntlCfg, which were deprecated. User State Migration Tool (USMT) was added to this version of WAIK.[6] Supported operating systems include Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, Windows Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
Windows AIK version 3.0 is exactly the same as 2.0; the version number has only been updated to correspond with the release of Service Pack 1 for Windows 7.[7] Microsoft has also released a WAIK supplement for Windows 7 SP1. WAIK readme[8] references the WAIK supplement,[9] which optionally adds WinPE v3.1 to a previously installed, compatible WAIK. Sysprep is not included with WAIK, but is instead included with the operating system.
AIK has been renamed The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8 and includes Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit.[10] ImageX was removed from this version, as DISM is offering all its features.[11]
Components[edit]
Application compatibility tools[edit]
This toolset consists of Compatibility Administrator and Standard User Analyzer.
Configuration Designer[edit]
![[icon]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png){kind=small} |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
DISM[edit]
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line tool that can perform a large number of servicing tasks. It can query, configure, install and uninstall Windows features such as locale settings, language packs, optional components, device drivers, UWP apps, or Windows updates. DISM can perform these tasks on the live (running) Windows instance, an offline instance in another partition, or a Windows installation image inside a WIM file.[12][13][14] Starting with Windows Server 2012, it can repair damaged or corrupt Windows files by downloading a fresh copy from the Internet.[15]
DISM has been part of Windows since Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.[12] Before Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, DISM had incorporated the majority of ImageX functions but not all; ImageX was still needed to capture the disk image for deployment.[12] However, DISM deprecated ImageX in Windows 8.[11] In addition, Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 expose DISM services in PowerShell through 22 cmdlets for object-oriented scripting.[16] This number has reached 62 in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.[17]
Imaging and Configuration Designer[edit]
|
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
Preinstallation environment[edit]
WAIK includes Windows Preinstallation Environment, a lightweight version of Windows that can be booted via PXE, CD-ROM, USB flash drive or external hard disk drive and is used to deploy, troubleshoot or recover Windows environments. It replaces MS-DOS boot disks, Emergency Repair Disk, Recovery Console and Automated System Recovery boot disks. Traditionally used by large corporations and OEMs (to preinstall Windows client operating systems to PCs during manufacturing), WinPE is now available free of charge via WAIK.
User state migration[edit]
WAIK for Windows 7 includes User State Migration Tool v4.0, a command-line interface tool for transferring Windows user settings from one installation to another as part of an operating system upgrade or wipe-and-reload recovery, for example, to clean out a rootkit. USMT v4.0 can transfer the settings from Microsoft Windows XP or later to Microsoft Windows Vista and later.[18]
Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)[edit]
|
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
Windows Assessment Toolkit[edit]
|
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
Described in Microsoft documents.[19]
Windows Performance Toolkit[edit]
|
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2017) |
Described in Microsoft documents.[20]
Former components[edit]
ImageX[edit]
ImageX is the command-line tool used to create, edit and deploy Windows disk images in the Windows Imaging Format. Starting with Windows Vista, Windows Setup uses the WAIK API to install Windows.
The first distributed prototype of ImageX was build 6.0.4007.0 (main.030212-2037). It allowed Microsoft OEM partners to experiment with the imaging technology and was developed in parallel with Longhorn alpha prototypes. It was first introduced in Milestone 4 into the Longhorn project, and used in later builds of Longhorn. Build 6.0.5384.4 (Beta 2) added significant advantages over previous versions, like read-only and read/write folder mounting capabilities, splitting to multiple image files (SWM), a WIM filter driver and the latest LZX compression algorithms. It has been used since pre-RC (release candidates) of Windows Vista.
References[edit]
- ^ «Download and install the Windows ADK». Windows Hardware Developer. Microsoft. 23 September 2021 – via Microsoft Docs.
- ^ Czechowski, Aaron (17 August 2015). «MDT 2013 Update 1 Now Available». Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Team Blog. Microsoft.
- ^ «Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 Update 1 Release Notes» (Office Open XML). microsoft.com. Microsoft. September 2012.
- ^ «Download Details: Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK)». Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ «Download Details: Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008». Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ «Download Details: The Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) for Windows 7». Microsoft Download Center. Microsoft Corporation. 6 August 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ «bink.nu».
- ^ «Windows Automated Installation Kit for Windows 7 Readme». TechNet Library. Microsoft. 22 February 2011.
- ^ «Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) Supplement for Windows 7 SP1». Download Center. Microsoft. 21 February 2011.
- ^ «Windows ADK Overview». microsoft.com. Microsoft.
- ^ a b «What is DISM?». Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Technical Library. Microsoft. 18 April 2014.
- ^ a b c Savill, John (29 January 2010). «Q. What’s Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)?». Windows IT Pro. Penton.
- ^ «DISM — Deployment Image Servicing and Management Technical Reference for Windows». Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Technical Library. Microsoft. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- ^ «What Is Deployment Image Servicing and Management?». Windows 7 Technical Library. Microsoft. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ «Repair a Windows Image». Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Technical Library. Microsoft. 10 February 2014.
- ^ «Dism (Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012)». TechNet. Microsoft. 28 July 2016.
- ^ «DISM (Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016)». TechNet. Microsoft. 28 July 2016.
- ^ «Download Details: Windows 7 Walkthrough: User State Migration Tool». Microsoft. 9 January 2009.
- ^ «Windows Assessment Toolkit». Microsft. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ «Windows Performance Toolkit». Microsoft. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
External links[edit]
- Official website
Businesses that need to deploy Windows in a larger environment often require customization before they can go about their operations and processes. This large-scale deployment is carried out by IT professionals and system administrators on many computers using the toolset, known as the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit, or simply, Windows ADK.
Microsoft Windows ADK is a collection of tools that you can combine to prepare, assess, and launch image-based large-scale Windows deployments. These tools are also used to test the operating system’s quality and performance, as well as the applications running on it.
The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit was earlier known as the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK).
Windows ADK can be deployed on a broad range of devices, such as desktops, notebooks, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. This toolkit works across platforms that work with devices with and without screens.
Windows ADK was first introduced in Windows Vista and since then has always been available in the latest Windows operating systems. The tools currently available in Windows ADK have varied through the years, but currently, they include the following:
- Windows System Image Manager
- Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)
- Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (DISM)
The key advantage of using Windows ADK for IT teams is to apply different tools to test software, drivers, and hardware compatibility before finally moving to Windows 11 or 10.
The Application Compatibility Toolkit, for instance, lets developers and IT professionals test how 32 and 64-bit Windows applications work on a new operating system before the final installation. IT admins can also use Windows ADK to automate large-scale deployments of Windows.
Download Windows 10 and 11 ADK Versions
On a high level, Windows ADK has two different formats, which have their own versions. One format is reserved for Windows Insider Preview users. The other format is available publicly and can be downloaded via the Windows ADK page on Microsoft’s website.
The variant available publicly is usually around 2 MB in size and comes in different versions, where each new release of Windows ADK involves new features and product enhancements.
If you want to know about the version history, take a look at the list below:
| Windows ADK Versions | Download Links |
| Windows ADK for Windows 11 22H2 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 11 21H2 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 22H2 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 21H2 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 21H1 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 20H2 | Download ADK Download WinPC Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 2004 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1909 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1903 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1809 | Download ADK Download WinPE Addon |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1803 | Download ADK |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1709 | Download ADK |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1703 | Download ADK |
| Windows ADK for Windows 10 version 1607 | Download ADK |
| Windows ADK for Windows Insider Preview | Download ADK |
The Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) comes as a separate download from the Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK), before Windows 10 version 1809. To add Windows PE to your ADK installation, you need to download and install the Windows PE add-on after installing the ADK.
When it comes to features, Windows 10 ADK allows you to select specific features at the time of installation. You can pick and choose the exact features you want to include in the toolkit. The options include:
- Application Compatibility Tools
- Deployment Tools
- Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
- Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD)
- Configuration Designer
- User State Migration Tool (USMT)
- Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)
- Windows Performance Toolkit
- Windows Assessment Toolkit
- Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V)
- Application Virtualization Sequencer (App-V)
- Microsoft Application Virtualization Auto Sequencer (App-V)
- Media experience Analyzer
In general, these features let you perform the following functions:
- Add product branding, applications, along with settings
- Keep Windows up to date with the latest updates, language packs, and drivers
- Look for and identify application compatibility
- Perform user data migration between Windows installations
- Manage bulk activation of Windows
How to Install Windows ADK
Since you can only install one version of Windows ADK at a time, you will need to uninstall any existing ADK installation before installing the new one.
Otherwise, you will need to install the new ADK using the command line for multiple ADK versions working on the same computer.
Follow these steps to install Windows ADK using the traditional method:
-
Download the correct ADK version from above.
-
Run the “adksetup.exe” file to start the installation.
-
Now select “Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for installation on a separate computer” and click Next.
Install ADK on a separate computer -
Select either Yes or No for Windows Kits Privacy and click Next.
Select privacy preferences -
Click Accept to agree to the licensing terms.
Accept license agreement The download process will now start.
-
Once downloaded, close the wizard.
Close the wizard
After the download process is complete, you can move the downloaded files onto the computer on which you want to install Windows ADK.
If you wish to install it on the current computer, then you must select the first option “Install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit on this computer” in Step 3 above and then select the components to install.
Download and Install WinPE Add-On
As discussed earlier in the article, starting with Windows 10 ADK version 1809, WinPE is no longer part of the ADK tool. If you wish to get WinPE, follow these steps to download and install the add-on:
Note: The minimum estimated disk space required is 6.0 GB for the WinPE add-on. Hence, it may take longer for the installation to finish than the ADK. The package includes Windows PE(x86), Windows PE (AMD64), Windows PE (ARM), and Windows PE (ARM64).
-
Begin by downloading the WinPE setup file from the links given above for your respective OS version.
-
Run the downloaded “adkwinpesetup.exe” file.
-
The rest of the process is the same as Windows ADK installation.
Windows ADK Validation
To confirm the Windows ADK installation on a device, follow these steps:
-
Open the Programs and Feature applet by typing in “appwiz.cpl” in the Run Command box.
Open Programs and Features -
Check that Windows ADK and Windows PE have been installed.
Windows ADK has been installed
Conclusion
In order to deploy Windows OS on a large scale, you need a Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit. This article covers the basics of the Windows ADK toolkit, its download links directly from Microsoft, and how to install it.
You can also use this tool and its add-on in conjunction with Windows Deployment Server to level up your automation and operations.
In this article, I will cover the steps to install Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit in Windows Server 2022. There are two ways to install the ADK on Windows: via the GUI or the command line. The Windows ADK (Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit) and PE (Windows Preinstallation Environment) Add-on are additions of tools and technologies manufactured by Microsoft designed to help install Microsoft Windows operating system images on the target system.
We need to download ADK – Windows PE and then install them one by one. First, we install Windows ADK and then add Windows PE to our ADK installation.
Visit the Microsoft website to download the Windows ADK and Download Windows PE Add-on.
Downloaded ADK Setup files
Download Offline Windows ADK
Download Offline Windows PE
Install Windows Assessment and Deployment KIT
Once you download the ADK offline version, Mount the ISO file, then double-click to run adksetup.
Windows Assessment and Deployment kit install wizard
If you need to download and Install Windows ADK Offline on a system that doesn’t have Internet access, Select the second option, and Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for installation on a separate system. Download the ADK installer files on a computer that has internet access. Copy the ADK downloaded files to a directory and run the installation in the directory. Click next.
Select the Windows Kits Privacy setting, and then select Next.
Accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
Select the minimum required component hardware under required features. If you are developing an Operating System Deployment environment, you have to choose the Deployment Tools and then click Install.
After selecting features, Once the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for Windows installation is completed, it may take a few minutes to complete the ADK installation.
Click Close
How to Install WinPE Add-ons for Windows
Mount the WinPE ISO file and then run adkwinpesetup.exe as an administrator.
Install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit and specify the location screen. Select Install the Windows Assortment and Deployment Kit Windows Preinstallation Environment Add-ons” for this system.
Windows Kit privacy screen, click next.
Accept the license agreement.
Select the checkbox for Windows Preinstallation Environment feature and then click Next.
The Windows PE installation is in progress.
Click the Finish button.
Refer to this article to learn more about downloading and installing the Windows ADK.
-
Home
-
News
- Download and Install Windows ADK for Windows [Full Versions]
By Daisy | Follow |
Last Updated
When you try to provision Windows 11/10, you need the corresponding version of Windows ADK (Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit) to help you finish the task. This post from MiniTool teaches you how to download and install Windows ADK.
What Is Windows ADK
What is Windows ADK? Windows ADK is the abbreviation of Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit. The Windows ADK was originally introduced in Windows Vista and has been available in the latest Windows operating system versions ever since.
Windows ADK is a set of tools that can be used to prepare, assess, and launch large-scale image-based Windows deployments. These tools are also used to test the quality and performance of the operating system and the applications.
Windows 10 ADK can be deployed on many devices, such as desktops, laptops, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Windows ADK toolkit is available for platforms that can be used with both screened and screenless devices.
When you download and install Windows ADK, there are other tools you can choose:
- Windows Performance Toolkit
- Windows Assessment Toolkit
- Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
- Application Compatibility Tools
- Deployment Tools
- Imaging and Configuration Designer (ICD)
- Configuration Designer
- User State Migration Tool (USMT)
- Microsoft User Experience Virtualization (UE-V)
- Application Virtualization Sequencer (App-V)
- Microsoft Application Virtualization Auto Sequencer
How to Download Windows ADK for Windows 11/10
Windows ADK has two formats – one is for Windows 11/10 Insider Preview users and the other one is public and all users can download it via the Windows ADK page on Microsoft’s website according to their operating system version.
Note:
1. Starting with Windows 10 version 1809, the Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE) is released separately from the ADK.
2. Starting with ADK version 22H2 for Windows 11, the 32-bit version of Windows PE is no longer included in the Windows PE add-in.
3. The last supported 32-bit version of Windows PE is available in the Windows PE Add-in for Windows 10, version 2004.
How to download Windows ADK? You can download it from the following sheets based on your operating system version.
| Windows Version | Download Link |
| Windows 11 |
|
| Windows 10 version 2004 |
|
| Windows 10 version 1903 |
|
| Windows 10 version 1809 |
|
| Windows 10 version 1803 | Windows ADK Windows 10 version 1803 |
| Windows 10 version 1703 | Windows ADK Windows 10 version 1703 |
| Windows 10 version 1603 | Windows ADK Windows 10 version 1603 |
How to Install Windows ADK for Windows 11/10
After downloading Windows ADK, you need to install Windows ADK for Windows 11/10. This part introduces how to do that:
Step 1: Find the Windows ADK exe file and double-click it to start the installation.
Step 2: There are 2 options for you to install ADK:
- Install Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit on this computer
- Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit for installation on a separate computer
Step 3: Select the second option to download Windows ADK offline.
Step 4: On the Windows kits privacy page, click Yes to allow Microsoft to collect insights for the Windows Kits.
Step 5: Accept the license agreement and click Next. Then, it will start the installation.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.