Sometimes you may need to delete a windows image (install.wim ) file and be prompted with the following error message as shown below. Here are some other errors you can run into while working with windows images. Error code 15601: How to resolve DISM unspecified error when removing preinstalled packages, Error 0xc1420127: The specified image in the specified .wim is already mounted for read and write access. Here are some related errors: How to fix error 0xc1510114: The wim file needs to be remounted, Error 0x80070002: When trying to mount an image file, Error code 15601: How to resolve DISM unspecified error when removing preinstalled packages, Error 0xc1420127: The specified image in the specified wim is already mounted for read and write access, and Error 740: Elevated permissions are required to run DISM.
Why was this error prompted?
This error was prompted because of the install.wim file (image) was in use and mounted. Due to errors I ran into, I needed to delete the install.wim and re-extract it from the source (ISO). In the cause of trying to delete the install.wim file that was mounted, the above error was prompted. Here are some possible errors you can encounter while working with the DISM tool. Error 0xc1570103: The license file was not found in the specified path, and how to fix error 0xc1510114: The .wim file needs to be remounted
How do we resolve this issue?
1: We will have to unmount the install.wim file and discard the changes made. In this way, the install.wim file will be closed back and then you should be able to delete the file again. See the following guide on how to unmount and discard windows images.
- dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:C:\path-to-the-mount\Mount-A /discard2: Alternatively, you may just kill the process as you will not be needing the install.wim anyways. After killing the process, just proceed and delete the install.wim file and the mounted image. To do this, follow the steps below.
To kill a process in Windows, launch the Task Manager by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting “Task Manager” as shown below.
This will open the Task Manager Window, click on More Details as shown below to get access to the Task Manager menu.
Click on the details page and select “wimserv.exe”. Right-click on the wimserv.exe and click on End Task
You will be asked to confirm if you wish to end the wimserv.exe. Click on End process to end the wim service.exe. After this step is complete, you should be able to delete the install.wim file.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.