diff --git a/playbook/startnet.cmd b/playbook/startnet.cmd
index bc0d3b3..5b5573a 100644
--- a/playbook/startnet.cmd
+++ b/playbook/startnet.cmd
@@ -493,11 +493,14 @@ REM      (so 09-Setup-WaxAndTrace.ps1 mounts the right version per bay)
 if /i not "%PCTYPE%"=="gea-shopfloor-waxtrace" goto skip_waxtrace_stage
 if not exist "Y:\installers-post\waxtrace\waxtrace-manifest.json" goto skip_waxtrace_missing
 mkdir W:\WaxTrace-Install 2>NUL
-REM xcopy everything except the formtracepak\ dir (we cherry-pick one ISO below).
-xcopy /E /Y /I /EXCLUDE:NUL "Y:\installers-post\waxtrace" "W:\WaxTrace-Install\" >NUL 2>NUL
-REM (Exclude file via /EXCLUDE expects a file; simpler to xcopy the whole tree
-REM then delete the formtracepak\ subdir + re-create with just the matched ISO.)
-if exist "W:\WaxTrace-Install\formtracepak" rmdir /S /Q "W:\WaxTrace-Install\formtracepak"
+REM robocopy /XD excludes the formtracepak\ dir up front so we don't waste
+REM disk + time copying 12+ GB of vendor ISOs only to delete them. The
+REM matched FTPak ISO gets cherry-picked below into the same target dir.
+REM /NFL/NDL keep the listing manageable; output left visible (no >NUL) so
+REM any failure is debuggable from the install log. robocopy exit codes
+REM 0-7 are "OK" (per Microsoft); 8+ is real failure.
+robocopy "Y:\installers-post\waxtrace" "W:\WaxTrace-Install" /E /XD formtracepak /R:1 /W:1 /NFL /NDL
+if errorlevel 8 echo WARNING: robocopy exit %ERRORLEVEL% - some files may not have copied.
 mkdir W:\WaxTrace-Install\formtracepak 2>NUL
 echo Staged WaxTrace bootstrap minus formtracepak\ to W:\WaxTrace-Install.
 REM Resolve bay-config: writes W:\Enrollment\waxtrace\{version,model,userid}.txt