Hands free(ish) software install/config?

[jamwatn]

Please move if I've not posted in the right section!

 

I'm looking for advice on the best way to automate software installs on builds.

I end up rebuilding quite a few teacher laptops/pc's fairly often and I want to speed things up.

Once the o.s (win 7) is deployed I have a set of software to be installed and tasks to complete. This can't be done in the o.s deployment for reasons I won't go into.

 

I'd like to try speed this up and have a simple batch script that installs programs one after the other but of course you have to click through each install. Some are customised to be unattended.

It's an alternative to using a checklist.

There's also things like pointing libraries, adding printers to be done too.

 

Batch scripting is great but feels clumsy. Is there an easier way and perhaps more of a hands free method? Eg. Visual basic?

 

Can anyone recommend me a scripting language that's not too tricky to learn?

 

In an ideal world I'd have a gui with a drop down list of faculties and I select one and off it goes installing and configuring things!

 

Please help simplify my builds!

[plexer]

Use mdt to to deploy the os and the s/w or use mdt to build and msi's and group policy to deploy software.

 

Ben

[jamwatn]

I should explain further that the O.S is already deployed including office and I don't have control over deployment. So perhaps I'm after a 'slightly' interactive package I can just get rolling and forget for thirty mins.

[strawberry]

MDT is the closest thing to what you are asking for. It allows you to create separate scripts and group them together in a gui. The script can be in whichever language you like.

[plexer]

You don't have to use mdt for the O/S then you could connect to it from a client via the unc and kick off the software deployment process then go have a cuppa.

 

Ben

[jamwatn]

Looks interesting. I'll have to give that a go! Not sure where to start!

[e-class]

Try looking at Admin Arsenal, PDQ Deploy

 

Deployment Software and System Administrator Tools

[strawberry]

Nice and easy, install mdt, add a program of your choice ( look at itininja.com for hints) then open a command prompt, map \\server\share\scripts and run wscript x:\litetouch.wsf .

[peterp]

We use a package manager called WPKG (WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution) along with WPKG-GP (wpkg-gp - Running WPKG as a Group Policy Extension - Google Project Hosting) to automate package deployment.

It's a little fiddly coding the XML documents, but it really works well.

[tmcd35]

If you have an EES subscription then SCCM would be fully licensed for use with your desktops. Takes a bit of setting up but once done is by far the best way of managing software installs, bar one... If you pay out for MDOP on top of EES then you also get App-V. The combination of SCCM+App-V really can't be beat.