Trying to Create a Catalog file using WSIM (Windows System Image Manager)

Question

I have been looking online for a solution to htis problem for days and come up with nothing so any help would be amazingly helpful.
I have created a Windows 8.1 image which I would like to role out to all users within my company but when trying to create a catalog file I am getting an erorr message saying "Windows SIM was unable to generate a catalog."  It says "Mounting
Windows Image file......This might take a few minutes" and then fails after 6-7mins.
When opening the log file I get this:
10:00 : Cannot obtain read/write access for F:\sources\install.wim.
In order to generate a catalog file, you must have read/write access to the Windows image file and its containing folder.
10:13 :
10:13 : Windows SIM was unable to generate a catalog. For troubleshooting assistance, see the topic: 'Windows System Image Manager Technical Reference' in the Windows OPK or Windows AIK User's Guide.
10:13 :
10:13 : System.InvalidOperationException: The operation failed to complete. ---> System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.ArgumentNullException: String reference not set to
an instance of a String.
Parameter name: source
   at System.Globalization.CompareInfo.IsPrefix(String source, String prefix, CompareOptions options)
   at ?A0xfe36268f.ConvertToNtPath(String path)
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.CbsSessionAdaptor..ctor(String bootDrive, String imageWinDir, String servicingPath)
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.OfflineImageImpl.InitializePackages()
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.OfflineImageImpl..ctor(OfflineImageInfo imageInfo)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.RuntimeMethodHandle._InvokeConstructor(Object[] args, SignatureStruct& signature, IntPtr declaringType)
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeConstructorInfo.Invoke(BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture)
   at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceImpl(BindingFlags bindingAttr, Binder binder, Object[] args, CultureInfo culture, Object[] activationAttributes)
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.Cpi.PlatformImplementation.CreateOfflineImageInstance(OfflineImageInfo imageInfo)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
The one image that did work (LiteTouchPE_x64.wim) was from the OS I imported to Microsoft Workbench but the components are different to any that I have seen online when looking on how to do this.
I have made sure that the architecture is x64 and tried from ISO files I have on the system already but get the same error.
This is the first project I have been involved in and only ever done IT support before this.
Thanks for your help in advance.

Answer 1

Yes I am trying to capture a reference image that I have created on another machine and then reploy this through MDT. I am trying to open the Unattend.xml file because the "Capture and Sysprep" fails on the reference machine when trying to run
Sysprep. When I try to open the Unattend.xml file in MDT I get the error below:
Performing operation "generate" on Target "Catalog".
Starting: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit\Bin\Microsoft.BDD.Catalog35.exe" "D:\Windows8.1 TEST3\Operating Systems\Windows8.1 x64\Sources\install.wim" 1 > "C:\Users\*****\AppData\Local\Temp\3\Microsoft.BDD.Catalog.log"
2>&1
No existing catalog file found.
PROGRESS: 0: Starting.
PROGRESS: 0: Creating mount folder: C:\Users\*****\AppData\Local\Temp\3\IMGMGR_install_Windows 8.1 Enterprise_njegg3ph.con.
PROGRESS: 5: Creating temp folder: C:\Users\*****\AppData\Local\Temp\3\IMGMGR_install_temp_qj0x3ga5.obv.
PROGRESS: 10: Mounting Windows image: D:\Windows8.1 TEST3\Operating Systems\Windows8.1 x64\Sources\install.wim. This might take a few minutes.
ERROR: Unable to generate catalog on D:\Windows8.1 TEST3\Operating Systems\Windows8.1 x64\Sources\install.wim: System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.WimImageInfo.PreCreateCatalog()
   at Microsoft.ComponentStudio.ComponentPlatformInterface.OfflineImageInfo.CreateCatalog()
   at Microsoft.BDD.Catalog.Program.DoCatalog()
Non-zero return code from catalog utility, rc = 2002