GhostWin 👻

GhostWin is your Windows setup automation sidekick, no more hackery to make a local Windows account - no account required!

A modern, secure, and Rust-powered Windows deployment toolkit designed for IT professionals. Built with simplicity, automation, and powerful customization in mind, GhostWin provides a fast and reliable interface for building custom Windows installer images with embedded scripts, tools, and user-driven options.

✅ Built for Resolve Technology in collaboration with Christopher Kelley

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🚀 Quick Start

One-Line Install (Windows)

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CK-Technology/ghostwin/main/install.ps1 | iex

Launch GUI

ghostwin gui

Build Custom ISO

ghostwin build --source-iso Windows11.iso --output-iso GhostWin.iso

📖 Need detailed setup instructions? Check out GUNPOWDER.md for a step-by-step guide with personality!

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✨ Goals

• Rust-native ISO builder for Windows-based WinPE environments
• CLI and GUI workflows for power users and technicians
• Built-in automation for post-install scripts, tool inclusion, driver injection
• Flexible folder-based config system for layout and tool registration
• Remote-friendly with optional VNC/mesh VPN integrations
• Better DX than DISM/Build.bat workflows

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✨ Key Features

🎨 Modern GUI Interface

• Professional dark ocean blue theme optimized for WinPE environments
• Intuitive tool management with organized system and automation sections
• Real-time status displays and deployment progress tracking

🔧 Powerful Automation

• One-click deployment modes: Normal and Automated installation
• Integrated script execution for registry tweaks and system configuration
• Auto-detection and organization of tools across multiple directories

🌐 Remote Access Ready

• Built-in VNC server with connection management
• Secure remote assistance capabilities for complex deployments
• Real-time connectivity status and controls

⚡ Performance & Reliability

• Rust-native implementation for speed and memory safety
• Minimal dependencies optimized for WinPE environments
• Robust error handling and recovery mechanisms

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🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 with Administrator privileges
• 20GB+ free disk space for ISO building
• Internet connection for dependency downloads

Dependencies (Automatically Handled)

The installer automatically detects and installs required dependencies:

• 🔧 Visual Studio Build Tools — Required for Windows compilation
• 🦀 Rust Toolchain — For building from source (skippable with -PreBuilt)
• 📦 Windows ADK — Assessment and Deployment Kit (via winget or manual download)
• 🔌 Windows PE Add-on — Preinstallation Environment support (via winget or manual download)

💡 Tip: The installer uses winget as the primary method for ADK/PE installation with automatic fallback to manual downloads if winget is unavailable.

Automated Installation (Recommended)

# Full installation with dependency handling
iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CK-Technology/ghostwin/main/install.ps1 | iex

# Quick install with pre-built binaries (faster)
iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CK-Technology/ghostwin/main/install.ps1 | iex -PreBuilt

# Custom installation path
iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CK-Technology/ghostwin/main/install.ps1 | iex -InstallPath "C:\Tools\GhostWin"

🎯 Installation Features:

• 🤖 Smart dependency detection — Checks for all required components
• 📦 Winget integration — Modern package management for ADK/PE installation
• 🔄 Automatic fallback — Direct downloads if winget unavailable
• ⚡ Pre-built option — Skip compilation for faster setup
• 🛡️ Error handling — Clear guidance when issues occur

Manual Installation

1. Install Rust: Download from rustup.rs
2. Clone Repository: git clone https://github.com/ghostkellz/ghostwin.git
3. Build Project: cargo build --release
4. Verify: ./target/release/ghostwin.exe --version

📖 Detailed Setup Guide: Check GUNPOWDER.md for step-by-step instructions!

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🖥️ GUI Interface

The GhostWin GUI launches inside WinPE with a professional dark ocean blue theme and intuitive layout:

🎯 Main Features:

• Installation Modes: "Normal Install" (no modifications) and "Automated Install" (full automation)
• Tool Management Center: System tools and automation scripts organized in dedicated sections
• VNC Remote Access: Integrated controls with real-time connection status
• Professional Theme: Deep ocean blue design optimized for deployment environments
• Real-time Status: System information panel showing tool count and deployment readiness

🎨 UI Framework:

• Slint: ✅ Implemented – native WinPE rendering, minimal dependencies, pure Rust compatible
• Modern dark theme with professional branding
• Responsive layout optimized for various screen resolutions

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🧰 Toolkit

GhostWin includes:

• 📦 7-Zip — Compression + ISO extraction
• 📁 Explorer++ — WinPE file browser
• 🧠 Sysinternals Suite — Disk2VHD, Autoruns, etc.
• 🔍 NirSoft Utilities — Device + event log explorers
• 💡 ReactOS Paint — Image viewer
• 🔧 NTPWEdit — Local account password reset
• 🧪 CrystalDisk, GSmartControl — Disk health & benchmarks
• 🔐 Optional: Netbird or Tailscale support for remote/mesh connectivity

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🔧 ISO Creation

GhostWin's ghostwin build CLI tool will:

1. Mount the Windows boot.wim image
2. 🔥 Auto-inject storage drivers (Intel VMD/RST, NVMe)
3. Inject GhostWin helper + user scripts/tools
4. Inject WinPE packages from ADK
5. Modify registry if needed (e.g., DPI fix)
6. Unmount and commit WIM changes
7. Rebuild a bootable ISO using oscdimg

🚀 Two Options for Dell/Lenovo NVMe Systems:

Option 1: Disable Intel VMD in BIOS (Recommended - No Drivers Needed!)

For fresh Windows installs, just change one BIOS setting:

Dell: BIOS → System Configuration → SATA Operation → AHCI Lenovo: BIOS → Devices → SATA Controller Mode → AHCI

✅ No drivers needed ✅ Drives visible immediately ✅ Simplest solution

See VMD Bypass Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Option 2: Keep VMD Enabled + Auto-Load Drivers

For systems requiring RAID or Intel Optane:

# Download Intel RST drivers automatically
.\scripts\Download-Drivers.ps1 -IntelRST

# Download all supported drivers
.\scripts\Download-Drivers.ps1 -All

Supported Hardware:

• ✅ Intel 15th Gen (Arrow Lake) with VMD
• ✅ Micron 3400 NVMe (common in Dell 2024+ systems)
• ✅ Samsung 980 PRO / 990 PRO / 970 EVO Plus
• ✅ Dell Optiplex 3000/5000/7000/9000 series

See Driver Guide for driver setup details.

Requirements:

• Windows ADK + WinPE Add-on
• Rust (1.78+) + ghostwin CLI
• Base Windows 11 ISO
• Storage drivers (auto-downloaded or manual)

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🔒 Security

• No modifications to install.wim by default
• Scripts and tools are user-injected and logged
• Optional remote access tools are encrypted & ephemeral
• ISO builds are reproducible via config file

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🧱 Project Structure

ghostwin/
├── ghostwin.exe
├── ghostwin.toml          # Configuration file
├── tools/                 # System tools
├── scripts/               # Build scripts
├── pe_autorun/           # Auto-run scripts
├── resources/            # Fonts, icons, etc
└── config/               # Default configurations

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🗺️ Development Roadmap

Feature	Status	Notes
Build custom WinPE ISOs	🟨 In Progress	Clean Rust CLI instead of batch scripts
Integrate scripts & tools	🟩 Done	Folder-based detection (/Tools, /Logon)
GUI frontend in WinPE	🟩 Done	Slint-based native GUI with dark theme
VNC & remote access	🟩 Done	TightVNC integration and status display
Driver injection	🟨 Planned	PEAutoRun/Drivers/ detection
Logon script selector	🟨 In Progress	With background/system context flags
ghostwin build CLI tool	🟨 In Progress	Replaces Build.bat completely

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📜 License

MIT License — see LICENSE file.

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🎯 Inspiration & Credits

Audit Scripts & WinPE Components

The audit scripts and WinPE functionality in GhostWin were inspired by Windows Setup Helper created by jmclaren7. Windows Setup Helper provided valuable insights into automating Windows deployment and served as a foundation for our enhanced automation features.

🤝 Contributors

• Resolve Technology
• Christopher Kelley (@ghostkellz / CK Technology)
• Jmclaren7 - Creator of Windows Setup Helper which inspired this project

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🔗 Links & Resources

📖 Documentation

• Setup Guide - Step-by-step setup with personality
• Technical Documentation - Complete technical reference
• Command Reference - CLI command documentation
• VMD Bypass Guide - Disable Intel VMD (no drivers needed!) 🔥
• Driver Guide - Auto-download drivers for Dell/Lenovo 15th Gen ⚡
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

🌐 Online

• CK Technology - Professional IT services
• GhostKellz - Developer portfolio and tools

🛠️ Tools & Scripts

• Tool Collection - System utilities and diagnostic tools
• Automation Scripts - Deployment and configuration automation
• PE AutoRun - Boot-time script execution

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GhostWin is your Windows setup automation sidekick, no more hackery to make a local Windows account - no account required! 🚀