Windows 7 Deployment

[tomgrindle]

Hi All,

Now I can't seem to find a definitive answer, or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. I have read through alot of threads though.

But anyway, here is the question: Can you use WDS on a Windows 2003 Server to install Windows 7?

Cheers
Tom

[Chuckster]

Yes, as WDS came in SP2 to support Vista installs.

[tomgrindle]

Ahh brilliant, thank you , just the answer I was looking for!

So I am right in thinking that creating the image etc is pretty much the same as well, (Windows Deployment Services Legacy --> Add New Image --> etc etc) ?

[mavhc]

Main difference is no multicast, and no adding drivers to the server instead of the image. Do you want to use legacy though? Surely the new WDS is better.

[tomgrindle]

That is very true. I have just configured this on the server as it hadn't been done before. The server used to run RIS, which is I presume why legacy was being used.

Is it possible to use an unattend.xml file as you would with XP or is it a case of WIAK, MDT etc?

[tomgrindle]

Sorry as you can tell, I'm a little new to this side of things.

[sted]

as far as i remember with xp it just uses the sysprep file thats in c:\sysprep.

you can actually add drivers to wims in 2003 server (and edit xp wims to change sysprep files) just requires use of imagex/dism at the command line pita but doable

[mavhc]

I don't bother with MDT, just specify an unattend.xml file in WDS for each image.

Yeah, with WIM files you can edit them post capture if you need to, as long as you have disk space to mount them, but with 2k8 you can just add more drivers to the server to be added to the client computer after the wim's been applied, much easier, only need dism to add network drivers to the winpe wim.