[MDT] MDT Resources

[garethedmondson]

WIth more and more using MDT 2010 on here I wonder if it's worth starting a sticky at the top of this forum with MDT Tips and Tricks?

If I get time I might start going through the posts collecting things from the forum.

Anyhow, to start here is an excellent set of links:

Blogs:
Johan Arwidmark - Deployment Gurus
Mike Nystrom - Deployment Gurus
http://blogs.technet.com/b/mniehaus/ - Lead MS Deployment Guy

Websites:
MDT 2010 Setup Step By Step
XenApp Blog

PDFs:
Aidan Finn - Deploying Windows 7 with MDT 2010
PDF from Microsoft France:

Forum:
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/...US/mdt/threads

Books:
Mastering Windows 7 Deployment
Deployment Fundamentals

There are thousands of links out there that can help. These are the ones I've been reading this evening.

Anyone got anything else to add to this possible sticky?

Gareth

[Jamo]

Awesome thanks for those blog links they are excellent! Must remember to add some of those bits in on Monday!

[garethedmondson]

Not a problem. A 'Thank Post' would be nice :-) MDT 2010 is my new obsession now. I'm working through various search engines to see what I can find. Page 9 of Google at the moment LOLOL.

Gareth

[Jamo]

O dear! Yeah its great, I've been working on it this week, got the main XP deployment done and split the normal apps away from the image (apart from the wonderous SIMS) and am now testing W7. Getting a few issues with W7 sysprep though will read on about this 'audit' mode I thinks

[garethedmondson]

Sysprep - We had MDT do it all

Sims - there is an msi generator somewhere online. CS3 is the only thing in our image now. MDT takes care of Office as well.

Gareth

[Jamo]

Lol you are adding links faster than I can read! Is the MSI generator supported by capita?

Unfortunately we still use 2003 and MDT doesn't seem to see it as the Office style package. I have a 2007 disc but with only a few licences its not worth trying for now will probably give it a go later though. Have you managed to get SP1 to work? I have heard issues with W7 SP1 and MDT and that it cant be used as a package and instead has to be run as an application?

[garethedmondson]

Hi Jamo,

Sorry about that. I've tidied the post up quite a bit now. I'll add things to the Wiki I think - saves making a huge post :-)

As for Windows 7 SP1 - we had problems with the slipstreamed disk downloaded from the Microsoft licensing site. For some reason it didn't have the drivers in WinPE - really strange. Sooooo I used the original Windows 7 Enterprise disk that I downloaded a few months ago. Then in the capture image I put a pause in there (following one of the books) - this paused the capture image and let me install SP1 and CS3. I then kicked off the image capture resume and it worked fine.

MSI Generator for SIMS - Doubtful. It works though and our LEA have adopted it. A quick search on the internet for 'Mini Solus' finds the site is still there: http://www.schooltechnician.co.uk/kn...eployment.html - it installs an older version and then updates itself based on the settings you set it for.

Gareth

[Jamo]

Ah I see, are you following a sysprep and capture task or just the standard client task with added capture?

[garethedmondson]

Well I have followed the book - we have two deployment shares - one is a capture share and one is a production share. We have a sysprep and capture. We then import the image file into the production share.

As for sysprep - it's not the same as WIndows XP is it - I haven't made any sysprep.inf files this time around. Just followed the book - it works.

Gareth

[Arthur]

Here are a few more links...

Blogs
Microsoft Team Blogs - MDT / SCCM / WSUS
Deployment Research (formerly DeployVista) (Johan Arwidmark)
The App Compat Guy (Chris Jackson)
The Deployment Bunny / Mike's Tech Head Blog (Mikael Nystrom)
The Deployment Guys (Richard Smith, Ben Hunter et al.)
Windows and Office Deployment Ramblings (Michael Niehaus)
Xtreme Deployment (Keith Garner & Tim Mintner)
Aidan Finn
Chris Nackers Blog
Deploy_Windows (True)
Deploy Windows 7
Education Technology Now
Fixing the Annoying IT Stuff
Scriptimus Ex Machina
The D-Spot
The Decoder Wheel
The IT Bros.

Books
Deployment Fundamentals: Volume 1 - Paperback / Kindle Edition (Sample Files)
Mastering Windows 7 Deployment - Paperback / Kindle Edition (Sample)
Windows 7 Resource Kit - Paperback (Sample)
Least Privilege Security for Windows 7, Vista and XP - Paperback / eBook (Sample)

Forums
App Deploy - Imaging and Unattended OS Installation / Package Development
Ars Technica - Windows Technical Mojo
MSFN - Application Installs / Unattended XP/2003, Vista/2008, Windows 7/2008 R2 / Windows PE
MyITForum - Microsoft Deployment / Deployment Fundamentals
ServerFault - MDT 2010 / SysPrep
WinCert - Microsoft Operating Systems and Software / Unattended XP/Vista
Windows-Noob - MDT / SCCM / WSIM / WDS / Zero Touch & Lite Touch

Twitter
Aidan Finn
Catapult Systems
Chris Jackson
Chris Nackers
Deployment Guys
Johan Arwidmark
Mikael Nystrom
Mitch Tulloch
Michael Niehaus
The IT Bros.
Xtreme Deployment

Videos
MDT 2010 Lite Touch Unleashed by Johan Arwidmark - A series of 27 videos covering literally everything MDT-related (also on YouTube).
IT Idiots - Lite Touch Deployment of Windows 7 (Episode 71)
Windows 7 AIK/OPK Deployment 101 (Download)
Windows 7 OEM Preinstallation Kit Training (Microsoft)
TrueSec Deployment CD v2.0

Microsoft TechNet

• Deploying Windows Server 2008 R2 and Hyper-V with MDT
• Image Servicing with DISM
• Using MDT to quickly and efficiently deploy Windows 7 across your organization
• Windows 7 Image Creation and Lite Touch Deployment using MDT 2010

Microsoft TechEd 2010

• 64-bit Windows 7: Is Now the Time to Deploy? - Mike Niehaus
• A Drivers Saga: The Control Freak meets The Dynamic Developer - Johan Arwidmark, Mike Niehaus
• Choosing the Right Deployment Tool - Mikael Nystrom, Johan Arwidmark
• Deploying Windows Server 2008 R2? Which Tool Should You Use... - Rhonda Layfield
• Migrate XP to Windows 7 Without Loosing any User or Application Settings - Rhonda Layfield
• Troubleshooting Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Lite Touch - Johan Arwidmark
• Unleash the Power of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 - Mike Niehaus
• Windows 7 Deployment on Mass - Mike Niehaus, Kyle Rosenthal

Microsoft Management Summit 2011

• Troubleshooting Configuration Manager 2007 OS Deployments (Download)
• SCCM/MDT OSD Tips & Tricks from the Deployment Masters (Download)
• Inside Panther – Troubleshooting the Windows Setup Engine
• Advanced MDT 2010 Customizations - Dueling MDT Enhancements (Download)
• Deployment Internals – Mastering the Windows Deployment Service (Download)

[Arthur]

Downloads

Essentials
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1
Windows Automated Installation Kit v3.0
Windows AIK Supplement for Windows 7/2008 R2 SP1 (updates WinPE to v3.1. Read this first before installing)

Optional Extras
Application Compatibility Toolkit v5.6 (Download)
Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (Download)

ISOs (via MDL)
Windows 7 Professional (x86/x64)
Windows 7 Enterprise Evaluation (x86/x64)

Packages (Patches and Languages Packs)

Updates/Hotfixes
SoLoR's Hotfix Repository - MSU Update Packs for Windows 7 (Post-SP1) and Office 2010
Microsoft Update Catalog - Updates and drivers. Must use Internet Explorer to download files.
Microsoft Security Bulletin Search - Find Microsoft updates using various criteria

Microsoft KB Articles
KB976932 - SP1 for Windows 7 & Windows Server 2008 R2 (x86 & x64)
KB2534111 - "Computer name cannot contain only numbers" error message when you install Windows 7 by using Windows 7 SP1 integrated installation media. This is the hotfix which is integrated into the SP1-U ISOs.
KB2529073 - Binary files in some USB drivers are not updated after you install Windows 7 SP1 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
KB982018 - Advanced Format Disks Compatibility Update for Windows 7/2008 R2 inc. SP1 (includes new fsutil.exe)

Internet Explorer v9.0 (MSUs)

Windows 7
x86: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=210145
x64: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=210143

Windows Vista
x86: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=210146
x64: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=210144

Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 SP1
x86: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...RefreshPkg.msu
x64: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...RefreshPkg.msu

Language Packs (MUIs)

Windows 7 SP1 (All Languages)

x86
English:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...795bde46c8.exe
French:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...1f48983d22.exe
German:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...054d23bf81.exe
Spanish:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...7005628286.exe
Japanese: http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...517e4c0a3d.exe
Polish:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...7d3552d245.exe
Arabic:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...c44ef9b53f.exe

x64
English:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...58572b9b87.exe
French:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...2bd2177798.exe
German:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...a0cba13773.exe
Spanish:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...543ed8ce33.exe
Japanese: http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...655f1f8715.exe
Polish:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...3d3e2d01e7.exe
Arabic:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...26b08b8f63.exe


Windows 7 RTM (All Languages)

x86
English:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...33662fd500.exe
French:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...b00b793bf1.exe
German:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...99278b05fc.exe
Spanish:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...bf77319ee8.exe
Japanese: http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...bbc8b45420.exe
Polish:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...8120d326b2.exe
Arabic:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...53d6d54c97.exe

x64
English:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...df3ea4ad27.exe
French:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...96b7bbc8d8.exe
German:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...e75f4ad533.exe
Spanish:  http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...4f996ee014.exe
Japanese: http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...94daddb848.exe
Polish:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...9746ff3454.exe
Arabic:   http://download.windowsupdate.com/ms...be9cfa28f6.exe


Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
All 35 Languages: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...MSXLP1_DVD.iso

French:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-fr-FR.exe
German:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-de-DE.exe
Spanish:  http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-es-ES.exe
Japanese: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-ja-JP.exe
Polish:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-pl-PL.exe
Arabic:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...-x64-ar-SA.exe


Internet Explorer v9.0 (All Languages)

x86
French:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-fra.msu
German:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-deu.msu
Spanish:  http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-esn.msu
Japanese: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-jpn.msu
Polish:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-plk.msu
Arabic:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x86-ara.msu

x64
French:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-fra.msu
German:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-deu.msu
Spanish:  http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-esn.msu
Japanese: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-jpn.msu
Polish:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-plk.msu
Arabic:   http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...ck-x64-ara.msu

Language Interface Packs (LIPs)
LIPs provide a translated version of the most widely used areas of the user interface. The parts that are not translated into the LIP language are displayed in the parent language.

Welsh

Windows 7
x86: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...y-GB-32bit.mlc
x64: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...y-GB-64bit.mlc

Windows Vista
x86: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo.../LIP_cy-GB.mlc
x64: N/A

[Arthur]

Drivers
Dell - Driver packs for almost every business-class desktop/laptop that Dell sell.
» Desktops - XP, Windows 7
» Notebooks - XP, Windows 7
» Windows PE v3.0 (NIC and Mass Storage drivers only)

HP - SoftPaq Download Manager / SmartStart Scripting Toolkit (WinPE drivers for Proliant servers)
IBM - ServerGuide Scripting Toolkit (WinPE drivers for IBM servers)
Lenovo - ThinkVantage Update Retriever

Driver Backup Tools
CLI: Drvbckp
GUI: DriverGrabber, Double Driver, Driver Magician Lite

Scripts
Bulk import drivers into MDT using PowerShell
Check to see if the TPM is enabled (for BitLocker)
Identify driver problems in MDT 2010 Litetouch
Install driver EXE package
Use MAC address to name computer
ZeroTouch for MDT without SCCM

Useful Apps
Windows 7 Toolkit - Like nLite, but for Windows 7 (and with more features)
AppInst - A small program to easily install applications from an MDT deployment share.
Duplicate Driver Tool
Exe2Cab - Converts language pack installers from EXEs to CABs so they can be integrated into Windows using MDT or DISM
GImageX - ImageX GUI
Hotfix Extractor
KeepAlive - Prevent machines from falling asleep during LTI
MDT App Export - Export & share MDT applications
MDT Application Ordering Tool
MDT Debugger
MDT MSI App - Quickly add MSIs to MDT either via GUI or command-line
MDT Web Front-end
MDT Wizard Editor
Pretty Good Frontend Clone
USB Boot Tool - Wizard to add/remove WinPE Boot.wim(s) to a USB flash drive.

[Arthur]

Tips, Tricks & How To's

Guides
Windows 7 Lite Touch installation with MDT 2010 - Part One / Two / Three / Four
Sysprep a Windows 7 machine from start to finish
How to automate Lite Touch Installation (LTI) using MDT 2010 by Mitch Tulloch (Very comprehensive, but contains some old stuff)

Drivers
Assign Drivers to Computer Makes and Models
Injecting Intel Storage Drivers into XP WIMs via MDT
Injecting VMware drivers into your Windows 7/2008 R2 install discs
Lite Touch Driver Management
Manage drivers in MDT 2010
VMware VMXNET3 Driver with WinPE
Dell Owners - Avoid the IDT 92HDxxx HD Audio driver
Windows Recovery Environment mass storage driver injection

Images / WIMs
How to create a Windows 7/2008 R2 reference image for deployment - Part I / Part II
How to create a Windows XP reference image for MDT using VMware Workstation v7.0
Combining WIM files
MDT 2010 and deployment from a USB key
Multilingual Image Creation

Hints & Tips
Snazzy OSD status with BGInfo
BGinfo and VNC server in your boot image
Configure MDT 2010 to send an e-mail when deployment is completed
Default product keys for Vista and Windows 7 deployment
DeploymentShare folder permissions
Disable mouse and keyboard during deployment
Get rid of the EU browser choice in a task sequence
Install software based on PnP hardware ID
MDT and OUs, including spaces and odd characters
Password "protect" MDT 2010 LiteTouch (and disable F8 key / Command Prompt)
Set screen resolution in WinPE 2.x/3.x
Upgrading Dell, HP & Lenovo BIOSs during LiteTouch Deployment
Using application "bundles" in MDT 2010
Using a proxy during OSD
Windows Server deployment using MDT 2010
VMware View Windows 7 Optimizations

SysPrep / Unattend.xml etc.

Windows XP
Sample Sysprep Files for Windows XP SP3
Single Image Intel/AMD & uni/multi-processor with Windows XP
UK regional settings in MDT for Windows XP

Windows 7 / 2008 R2
Customizing Windows 7 Unattend.xml
SysPrep with the CopyProfile setting - the correct WAY
Customizing default users profile using CopyProfile
SysPrep - Windows 7 and the 100MB hidden partition

TechNet Technical References
Unattended Windows Setup Reference
Settings to use for an unattended installation
How configuration passes work
Understanding Disk Partitions
Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM), ImageX, SysPrep, Windows System Image Manager (WSIM)
Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) User's Guide

[Arthur]

Deployment Fundamentals: Volume 2 is out! Although this book focuses on deploying physical and virtual servers using MDT 2010 and SCVMM 2008 R2, it is still contains useful info for deploying client OSs according to co-author Mikael Nystrom.

Amazon: UK (£30) / US ($45)

[stevenewman]

Can you add drivers from cab files? I've just come across MDT and I'm just wondering if I can take any shortcuts by using the drivers folder (which is full of cab files) from my CC4 build server.