What does adding KillDisk to a PXE image involve?

To make Active@ KillDisk available over PXE, the software has to be embedded into a WinPE boot image — the BOOT.WIM file used as the network boot environment. This requires the Windows ADK (Assessment and Deployment Kit) to be installed, since modifying a WIM image relies on the DISM tool.

The process starts by creating a bootable media set with the Boot Disk Creator, filling in the KillDisk App Config settings as normal. The resulting BOOT.WIM file is then mounted to a local folder using DISM, and several files are placed inside the mounted image: the BOOTDISK.KEY registration file (which carries the licensing information needed for KillDisk to run without prompting for activation), the company logo used for branding the boot screen, and a configured settings.xml file that defines KillDisk's behavior. Optionally, a startup script can be added to a BootDisk_Scripts folder so that KillDisk launches automatically with predefined command-line parameters right after boot — for example, specifying the erase method, number of passes, or automatic shutdown — enabling fully unattended operation. Once everything is in place, the image is dismounted with the changes committed, producing a BOOT.WIM ready to be served from a PXE/TFTP server.

For more information on launching Active@ KillDisk directly over the network, please refer to our User Guide.