The essentials
Quick reference
One focused task per row. Jump to the related section for complete, working examples.
| Use | Syntax | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Select the destination disk | select disk 3 | View examples |
| Verify disk identity | detail disk | View examples |
| Erase existing layout | clean | View examples |
| Initialize MBR | convert mbr | View examples |
| Create a system partition | create partition primary size=500 | View examples |
| Format the system partition | format quick fs=ntfs label="System" | View examples |
| Mark the system partition active | active | View examples |
| Mount system in WinPE | assign letter=S | View examples |
| Create the Windows partition | create partition primary | View examples |
| Reserve 1500 MB for recovery | shrink desired=1500 minimum=1500 | View examples |
| Format Windows as NTFS | format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows" | View examples |
| Mount Windows in WinPE | assign letter=W | View examples |
| Create recovery storage | create partition primary | View examples |
| Set the MBR recovery type | set id=27 | View examples |
| Create an extended partition | create partition extended | View examples |
| Create a logical drive | create partition logical size=20480 | View examples |
| List final partitions | list partition | View examples |
| List final volumes | list volume | View examples |
BIOS/MBR layouts are for hardware booted in legacy BIOS compatibility mode. Modern UEFI deployments should use GPT instead. MBR limits usable partitions to four primary entries and Windows boot partitions to 2 TB, so plan the layout before erasing the disk. The complete deployment script is destructive, uses temporary Windows PE letters, and must be bound to a physically verified destination.
Step by step
Detailed examples
Use MBR only for an actual legacy BIOS requirement
Legacy BIOS boots Windows from an MBR disk and an active system partition. UEFI systems should normally use GPT. Confirm the machine is booted in the intended firmware mode and that the deployment requirement is not merely inherited. Match disk number to location path, model, serial, size, ID, and current layout before any destructive command.
list disk
select disk 3
detail disk
list partition
rem Stop unless the approved device truly requires legacy BIOS and MBR.Erase and initialize the approved disk as MBR
Clean removes the existing layout and data access. Convert mbr then writes an empty MBR partition table. MBR supports at most four primary partition entries and Windows partitions up to 2 TB. If the system can boot UEFI, reconsider GPT before committing to those limits.
select disk 3
detail disk
clean
convert mbr
list diskCreate and activate the BIOS system partition
The boot files reside on a primary NTFS system partition marked active. Active is meaningful for MBR/BIOS, not UEFI/GPT. Marking the wrong partition active can make the machine unbootable. The 500 MB example exceeds Microsoft's 100 MB minimum and leaves practical servicing room; deployment requirements may justify a different size.
create partition primary size=500
format quick fs=ntfs label="System"
assign letter=S
activePlace recovery after the Windows partition
Create Windows, reserve enough trailing capacity, format NTFS, and then create recovery. Microsoft recommends recovery immediately after Windows. The example reserves 1500 MB, exceeding the 990 MB custom-layout minimum; increase it for larger winre.wim files and servicing headroom. MBR recovery partitions use type 27.
create partition primary
shrink desired=1500 minimum=1500
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter=W
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery"
assign letter=R
set id=27Use an extended partition only when four entries are insufficient
An extended partition consumes one of the four MBR entries but can contain multiple logical drives. Do not add one blindly to the standard three-partition Windows layout; reserve the remaining table entry intentionally. Logical drives are a compatibility mechanism, not a reason to choose MBR for new hardware.
select disk 3
list partition
rem Ensure one MBR table entry is intentionally reserved.
create partition extended
create partition logical size=20480
format quick fs=ntfs label="LegacyData"
assign letter=DVerify active state, types, and temporary letters
Before applying images, confirm order, size, active marker, recovery type, and filesystems. S, W, and R are temporary Windows PE letters; never use X because WinPE reserves it, and do not expect the letters to persist after reboot. After installation, verify boot and Windows RE, then ensure system and recovery partitions have no ordinary drive letters.
rem WARNING: this script erases disk 3.
select disk 3
clean
convert mbr
create partition primary size=500
format quick fs=ntfs label="System"
assign letter=S
active
create partition primary
shrink desired=1500 minimum=1500
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter=W
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery"
assign letter=R
set id=27
list partition
list volume
exitSources and further reading
References
Authoritative documentation used to verify and expand this cheat sheet.
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