Update start.ps1 (#4141)

* updated the iso creator docs

* added creator info to the arch docs

docs/content/dev/architecture.md

@@ -128,6 +128,154 @@ winutil/
 - CheckBoxes for options
 - ListBoxes for selections
 
+## Win11 Creator Architecture
+
+The **Win11 Creator** is a specialized subsystem within Winutil that creates customized Windows 11 ISOs. It operates independently from the main package installation and tweak system.
+
+### Win11 Creator Components
+
+**Core Functions** (`functions/private/`):
+- `Invoke-WinUtilISO.ps1`: Main orchestrator containing all Win11 Creator functions
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOBrowse`: ISO file selection dialog
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOMountAndVerify`: Validates and mounts ISO, verifies it's official Windows 11
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOModify`: Launches modification in background runspace
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOExport`: Handles ISO and USB export
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOCheckExistingWork`: Recovers incomplete work sessions
+  - `Invoke-WinUtilISOCleanAndReset`: Cleans up temp directories and resets UI
+
+- `Invoke-WinUtilISOScript.ps1`: Applies modifications to mounted install.wim
+  - Removes provisioned AppX packages (40+ bloatware apps)
+  - Injects drivers (optional) from current system
+  - Removes OneDrive setup files
+  - Applies offline registry tweaks (hardware bypass, privacy, telemetry, OOBE)
+  - Deletes telemetry scheduled task definitions
+  - Pre-stages setup scripts from autounattend.xml
+  - Removes unused Windows editions
+  - Cleans component store via DISM
+
+### Win11 Creator Data Flow
+
+```
+User selects official Windows 11 ISO
+    ↓
+Invoke-WinUtilISOBrowse → OpenFileDialog, validates file size
+    ↓
+Invoke-WinUtilISOMountAndVerify
+    ├─ Mount ISO via Mount-DiskImage
+    ├─ Verify install.wim or install.esd exists
+    ├─ Check for "Windows 11" in image metadata
+    ├─ Extract available editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc.)
+    └─ Store ISO path, drive letter, WIM path, image info in $sync
+    ↓
+User optionally enables Driver Injection checkbox
+    ↓
+Invoke-WinUtilISOModify (runs in background runspace)
+    ├─ Create work directory: ~WinUtil_Win11ISO_[timestamp]
+    ├─ Copy ISO contents to disk (~5-6 GB)
+    ├─ Mount install.wim at selected edition/index
+    ├─ Invoke-WinUtilISOScript:
+    │   ├─ Remove 40+ bloat AppX packages
+    │   ├─ Export and inject drivers (if enabled)
+    │   ├─ Remove OneDrive setup
+    │   ├─ Load offline registry hives
+    │   ├─ Apply 50+ registry tweaks (hardware bypass, privacy, telemetry, OOBE, etc.)
+    │   ├─ Delete telemetry scheduled task files
+    │   ├─ Pre-stage setup scripts from autounattend.xml to C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\
+    │   └─ Unload registry hives
+    ├─ DISM /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup /ResetBase (saves 300-800 MB)
+    ├─ Dismount and save modified install.wim (~10+ minutes, slowest step)
+    ├─ Export selected edition only (removes all other editions, saves 1-2 GB each)
+    ├─ Dismount source ISO
+    └─ Report completion, enable export options
+    ↓
+Invoke-WinUtilISOExport (user chooses output)
+    ├─ Option 1: Save as ISO
+    │   ├─ Build bootable ISO via oscdimg.exe (BIOS/UEFI dual-boot)
+    │   └─ Output: Win11_Modified_[date].iso (2.5-3.5 GB)
+    │
+    └─ Option 2: Write to USB
+        ├─ Format USB as GPT
+        ├─ Create 512 MB EFI partition
+        ├─ Copy modified ISO contents
+        └─ Output: Bootable USB (minimum 8 GB)
+    ↓
+Invoke-WinUtilISOCleanAndReset (optional)
+    └─ Delete temp working directory (~10-15 GB)
+    └─ Reset UI to initial state
+```
+
+### Win11 Creator Validation & Safety
+
+**ISO Validation**:
+- Only accepts official Microsoft Windows 11 ISOs
+- Validates presence of install.wim or install.esd
+- Checks image metadata for "Windows 11" string
+- Rejects custom, modified, or non-Windows 11 ISOs
+
+**Work Session Recovery**:
+- Auto-detects incomplete work from previous sessions
+- Allows resuming Step 4 (export) without re-running Steps 1-3
+- Prevents redundant modifications
+
+**Modification Safety**:
+- All registry changes are documented in script (reversible)
+- Original ISO never modified; only working copy
+- Logged to `WinUtil_Win11ISO.log` for debugging
+- DISM handles image dismount with automatic cleanup on error
+
+### Win11 Creator Registry Tweaks
+
+The `Invoke-WinUtilISOScript` function applies **50+ offline registry tweaks**:
+
+**Hardware Bypass**:
+- TPM 2.0 check bypass
+- Secure Boot requirement bypass
+- CPU compatibility bypass
+- RAM requirement bypass
+- Storage check bypass
+
+**Privacy & Telemetry**:
+- Disable advertising ID
+- Disable tailored experiences
+- Disable input personalization
+- Disable speech online privacy
+- Disable cloud content suggestions
+- Disable app suggestion subscriptions
+- Remove CEIP, Appraiser, WaaSMedic, etc.
+
+**OOBE & Setup**:
+- Enable local account setup
+- Skip Microsoft account requirement
+- Dark mode by default
+- Empty taskbar and Start Menu
+
+**Post-Setup Installations**:
+- Prevent DevHome auto-installation
+- Prevent new Outlook Mail app installation
+- Prevent Teams auto-installation
+
+**System Features**:
+- Disable BitLocker and device encryption
+- Disable Chat icon from taskbar
+- Disable OneDrive folder backup
+- Disable Copilot
+- Disable Windows Update during OOBE (re-enabled at first login)
+
+### Driver Injection Feature
+
+**Optional Enhancement**: When enabled, exports all drivers from the running system and injects them into both:
+- `install.wim` (main OS image)
+- `boot.wim` index 2 (Windows Setup PE environment)
+
+**Use Case**: Enables offline installation on systems with missing drivers.
+
+### Disk Space Requirements
+
+- **Temporary working directory**: ~10-15 GB
+- **Original ISO**: 4-6 GB
+- **Modified ISO**: 2.5-3.5 GB
+- **Total needed**: ~25 GB for safe operation
+
 ## Data Flow
 
 ### Application Installation Flow
@@ -514,6 +662,7 @@ Outputs `winutil.ps1` in the root directory.
 
 - [Contributing Guide](../../contributing/) - How to contribute code
 - [User Guide](../../userguide/) - End-user documentation
+- [Win11 Creator Guide](../../userguide/win11Creator/) - Building customized Windows 11 ISOs
 - [FAQ](../../faq/) - Common questions
 
 ## Additional Resources

docs/content/userguide/win11Creator/_index.md

@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ weight: 5
 Winutil includes a built-in **Win11 Creator** tool that lets you take any official Windows 11 ISO and produce a customized, debloated version — with telemetry removed, hardware requirement checks bypassed, and local account setup enabled out of the box. You can export the result as a new ISO file or write it directly to a USB drive.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> You need a valid Windows 11 ISO before starting. Download one from [Microsoft's official site](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11) or use [UUP Dump](https://uupdump.net/). The process uses ~10–15 GB of temporary disk space, so make sure you have room.
+> You need an **official Windows 11 ISO** from [Microsoft's website](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11) before starting. Custom, modified, or non-official ISOs are not supported. The process uses ~10–15 GB of temporary disk space, so make sure you have room.
 
 ---
 
-### Step 1 — Select Your ISO
+### Step 1 — Select Your Official Windows 11 ISO
 
 1. Open Winutil and go to the **Win11 Creator** tab.
-2. Click **Browse** and select your Windows 11 ISO file (must be 4 GB or larger).
+2. Click **Browse** and select your **official Windows 11 ISO file** from Microsoft (must be 4 GB or larger). Custom or modified ISOs are not supported.
 3. The file path and size will appear on screen once selected.
 
 ---
@@ -35,14 +35,31 @@ Winutil includes a built-in **Win11 Creator** tool that lets you take any offici
 
 Click **Run Windows ISO Modification and Creator** to start the customization process. Winutil will:
 
+**App & Component Removal:**
 - **Remove 40+ bloat apps** — Clipchamp, Teams, Copilot, Dev Home, new Outlook, Bing apps, Solitaire, and more
 - **Delete OneDrive setup** from the image
-- **Apply registry tweaks** — disables telemetry, advertising ID, tailored experiences, and cloud content features
+
+**System Customization:**
 - **Bypass hardware checks** — removes TPM, Secure Boot, CPU, and RAM requirement enforcement so the ISO installs on unsupported hardware
 - **Enable local account setup** — injects an `autounattend.xml` that skips the Microsoft account screen during OOBE
+- **Disable BitLocker and device encryption** — removes startup overhead
+- **Disable Chat icon** — removes chat taskbar button
 - **Strip unused editions** — keeps only your selected edition, saving 1–2 GB per removed edition
 - **Clean the component store** — runs DISM cleanup to reclaim another 300–800 MB
+
+**Privacy & Telemetry Tweaks:**
+- **Disable telemetry** — advertising ID, tailored experiences, input personalization, speech online privacy
+- **Disable cloud content features** — app suggestions, Microsoft Store recommendations
 - **Remove telemetry scheduled tasks** — CEIP, Appraiser, WaaSMedic, and others
+- **Disable OneDrive folder backup** — prevents automatic backups to cloud
+- **Prevent DevHome and Outlook post-setup installation**
+- **Prevent Teams installation** — blocks auto-install after OOBE
+- **Prevent new Outlook Mail app installation**
+- **Disable Windows Update during OOBE** — re-enabled automatically on first login
+- **Disable Copilot and search box suggestions**
+
+**Optional: Driver Injection**
+- If enabled, injects all drivers from your current system into the install.wim and boot.wim — useful for offline installations on machines with missing drivers. This is an optional checkbox in Step 3.
 
 A live log shows progress as each step completes. This stage takes **10–30 minutes** depending on your disk speed — the WIM dismount near the end is the slowest part, so don't close Winutil while it's running.
 
@@ -94,9 +111,9 @@ When you install Windows 11 from your modified ISO:
 - **No Microsoft account required** — create a local account directly during setup
 - **No hardware checks** — installs on machines without TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or supported CPUs
 - **Dark mode enabled by default**
-- **Empty taskbar and Start Menu** — no pinned apps
+- **Empty taskbar and Start Menu** — no pinned apps, Chat icon removed
-- **Windows Update re-enabled automatically** after first login (it's paused during OOBE to prevent interruption)
+- **Windows Update disabled during OOBE** — automatically re-enabled on first login to prevent setup interruptions
-- **BitLocker disabled**, Recall disabled, desktop shortcuts removed
+- **BitLocker disabled** — removes startup overhead on first boot
 
 ---
 
@@ -150,4 +167,4 @@ A list of the best free and open source tools for downloading, creating and flas
 > Always download Windows ISOs from official Microsoft sources or trusted tools like Rufus/UUP Dump to avoid tampered images.
 
 > [!NOTE]
-> Newer Windows 11 ISOs may not boot correctly on older versions of Ventoy — make sure Ventoy is up to date before use. If issues persist after updating, this is a Ventoy compatibility limitation outside of Winutil's control.
+> Newer Windows 11 ISOs may not boot correctly on older versions of Ventoy — make sure Ventoy is up to date before use. If issues persist after updating, this is a Ventoy compatibility limitation outside of Winutil's control.

scripts/start.ps1

@@ -27,26 +27,6 @@ if ($Noui) {
     $PARAM_NOUI = $true
 }
 
-# Load DLLs
-Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationFramework
-Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
-
-# Variable to sync between runspaces
-$sync = [Hashtable]::Synchronized(@{})
-$sync.PSScriptRoot = $PSScriptRoot
-$sync.version = "#{replaceme}"
-$sync.configs = @{}
-$sync.Buttons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[PSObject]]::new()
-$sync.preferences = @{}
-$sync.ProcessRunning = $false
-$sync.selectedApps = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
-$sync.selectedTweaks = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
-$sync.selectedToggles = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
-$sync.selectedFeatures = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
-$sync.currentTab = "Install"
-$sync.selectedAppsStackPanel
-$sync.selectedAppsPopup
-
 
 if (!([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)) {
     Write-Output "Winutil needs to be run as Administrator. Attempting to relaunch."
@@ -80,6 +60,26 @@ if (!([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]:
     break
 }
 
+# Load DLLs
+Add-Type -AssemblyName PresentationFramework
+Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
+
+# Variable to sync between runspaces
+$sync = [Hashtable]::Synchronized(@{})
+$sync.PSScriptRoot = $PSScriptRoot
+$sync.version = "#{replaceme}"
+$sync.configs = @{}
+$sync.Buttons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[PSObject]]::new()
+$sync.preferences = @{}
+$sync.ProcessRunning = $false
+$sync.selectedApps = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+$sync.selectedTweaks = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+$sync.selectedToggles = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+$sync.selectedFeatures = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()
+$sync.currentTab = "Install"
+$sync.selectedAppsStackPanel
+$sync.selectedAppsPopup
+
 $dateTime = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd_HH-mm-ss"
 
 # Set the path for the winutil directory