WindUSB-GUI 🚀

WindUSB-GUI is a modern, Rust-based graphical tool for creating bootable Windows USB installers on Linux. It is a GTK4/Libadwaita wrapper based on the original WindUSB CLI bash script.

This tool handles partitioning, formatting (FAT32), and automatically splitting large install.wim files to ensure UEFI compatibility.

🛠️ Requirements for Building

The new build system is designed to be highly independent. You only need the basic development headers on your host machine; the script handles the complex system tools by compiling them from source.

1. Host Build Dependencies

On Arch Linux, ensure you have the base development tools:

sudo pacman -S base-devel rust git

2. Automated Build Engine

The build.sh script is a "Portable Build Engine" that automatically downloads, compiles, and bundles:

• Static System Tools: wimlib, parted, sgdisk, util-linux, and dosfstools.
• Packaging Tools: appimagetool and a standalone 7-Zip binary.
• Recursive Libraries: A deep-scan trace of the GTK4/Libadwaita stack to ensure the AppImage runs on any distribution.

🚀 How to Build & Bundle

1. Clone the repo:

git clone https://github.com/YourUsername/WindUSB-GUI.git
cd WindUSB-GUI

2. Run the build script:

chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

Build Options

• Clean Start (y): Re-compiles all C tools from source and performs a Recursive Library Scan. Use this for your first build or when moving to a different OS.
• Rust Only (n): Skips tool compilation and library gathering, only updating the Rust binary. Use this for fast iteration during development.
• Git Preservation: The script automatically preserves .gitkeep files in bin-local and lib-local to maintain repository structure.

🤝 Credits & Appreciation

WindUSB-GUI is only possible thanks to the incredible work of the open-source community. We rely on and extend our gratitude to the following projects:

Project	Purpose	Link
wimlib	Handling Windows Imaging files (.wim)	wimlib.net
GNU Parted	Partition manipulation and partprobe	gnu.org/s/parted
GPT Fdisk	GPT partitioning (sgdisk)	rodsbooks.com/gdisk
util-linux	wipefs and block device management	kernel.org
dosfstools	FAT32 filesystem creation	github.com/dosfstools
7-Zip	ISO verification and extraction	7-zip.org
AppImageTool	Packaging and portability	appimage.org

⚠️ Current Status

• Host OS: Built and tested on Arch Linux.
• Portability: The AppImage uses a Recursive Dependency Trace to bundle its own graphics and GUI stack, ensuring compatibility with Pop!_OS, Fedora, Ubuntu, and Debian.

⚖️ License

GNU General Public License v3.0.