SCCM 1610 & Capuring/Deploying Windows 10 Education 1607

[CHiLL]

We have upgraded our SCCM to 1610, the server has ADK 1610 installed and we would like to start testing Windows 10 Education 1607 x64. For this I would need to create a reference Windows 10 image that I can use as a base image to create Task Sequences around for our different hardware. I have never done this before, nor have I ever used 'sysprep' before (though I don't believe that is necessary for the later OS's), so I'm after a little advice or a good guide that I can follow that will help me through it step by step.

 

I have followed this guide: https://www.systemcenterdudes.com/sccm-windows-10-build-and-capture-task-sequence/. However, it simply pushed Windows 10 to the VM I was using and immediately captured it. I'd like to perform some necessary changes to the OS before it is captured, such as enabling .NET 3.5 (as I've never got this to work via Task Sequence)

 

Can anybody help?

Edited January 23, 2017 by CHiLL

[KevinB]

When I started down the SCCM route I stumbled upon this blog: Gerry Hampson Device Management: ConfigMgr 2012 / SCCM 2012 SP1 Step by Step Guide

 

It goes into plenty of detail from initial SCCM/MDT installation all the way through to operating system and application deployment, MDM, maintenance etc.

 

The OSD section starts at part 8 and assuming you have access to either a couple of spare machines or can spin up some VM's as needed, you could well have created all of your task sequences from 1 or 2 images and then tailored task sequences for your individual machine types in a day or so!

 

Some of the screenshots and text are a little out of date but where it does differ from 1610 it's still pretty obvious what you need to do.

 

Edit: Spellung am not good.

Edited January 24, 2017 by KevinB

[SuperduperPackager]

We have upgraded our SCCM to 1610, the server has ADK 1610 installed and we would like to start testing Windows 10 Education 1607 x64. For this I would need to create a reference Windows 10 image that I can use as a base image to create Task Sequences around for our different hardware. I have never done this before, nor have I ever used 'sysprep' before (though I don't believe that is necessary for the later OS's), so I'm after a little advice or a good guide that I can follow that will help me through it step by step.

 

I have followed this guide: https://www.systemcenterdudes.com/sccm-windows-10-build-and-capture-task-sequence/. However, it simply pushed Windows 10 to the VM I was using and immediately captured it. I'd like to perform some necessary changes to the OS before it is captured, such as enabling .NET 3.5 (as I've never got this to work via Task Sequence)

Can anybody help?

 

Honestly I wouldn't bother with all that crap. We used that mehod for a couple of years and it worked "fine" but we ran into some problems that made us question the way we did things. And that is how we found this simpler, safer and more efficient solution which also offers more flexibility:

 

1 - Download the Windows ISO

2 - Mount with explorer or whatever

3 - Extract the file Install.wim. That is your image.

4 - Plug that in SCCM and in your task sequence. You're done with the image. It's 100% Microsoft.

5 - Now you can focus on customizing your image by task sequence. It's gonna take a little work to do everything you want by script, but it'll be worth it in the end, believe me.

 

Then when the next build of Windows comes out, you just repeat steps 1 to 4, it takes 30 minutes and you're done.

 

We couldn't be happier with this new method and I would NEVER recommend going the "capturing" route ever again.

 

If you need some help with how to customize stuff by task sequence, I can try to help you.

 

For example, enabling .NET 3.5 is quite simple with the right PowerShell script:

 

Enabling .NET Framework 3.5.1 in Windows 10 OSD using Configuration Manager - msitproblog

 

Honestly it took me maybe 3 days to figure out how to apply all the changes I was doing manually by script and oh my gosh was it worth it.

 

Cheers!

[free780]

Honestly I wouldn't bother with all that crap. We used that mehod for a couple of years and it worked "fine" but we ran into some problems that made us question the way we did things. And that is how we found this simpler, safer and more efficient solution which also offers more flexibility:

 

1 - Download the Windows ISO

2 - Mount with explorer or whatever

3 - Extract the file Install.wim. That is your image.

4 - Plug that in SCCM and in your task sequence. You're done with the image. It's 100% Microsoft.

5 - Now you can focus on customizing your image by task sequence. It's gonna take a little work to do everything you want by script, but it'll be worth it in the end, believe me.

 

Then when the next build of Windows comes out, you just repeat steps 1 to 4, it takes 30 minutes and you're done.

 

We couldn't be happier with this new method and I would NEVER recommend going the "capturing" route ever again.

 

If you need some help with how to customize stuff by task sequence, I can try to help you.

 

For example, enabling .NET 3.5 is quite simple with the right PowerShell script:

 

Enabling .NET Framework 3.5.1 in Windows 10 OSD using Configuration Manager - msitproblog

 

Honestly it took me maybe 3 days to figure out how to apply all the changes I was doing manually by script and oh my gosh was it worth it.

 

Cheers!

The issue with this method is Office. Its better to have office in the image and updates for windows and office. I've found the best things is to use MDT and create a task sequence that is automated.

[SuperduperPackager]

The issue with this method is Office. Its better to have office in the image and updates for windows and office. I've found the best things is to use MDT and create a task sequence that is automated.

 

What's the issue with Office? We use it and I can't find any.

[free780]

If you don't include it in your image you have to deploy it and all the updates it requires.

[SuperduperPackager]

If you don't include it in your image you have to deploy it and all the updates it requires.

How is that an issue?

 

Isn't that the beauty of SCCM?

 

Might as well use Ghost so you don't have to deploy the drivers?

[imullings]

Couldn't agree more with SuperduperPackager.

Use the MS wim and do the task sequence on top of that (with gpo's , GPP and sccm or your choice of software deployment). We do inject windows updates into windows 7 wim but other than that no alterations is the way to go.

 

Ian Mullings

Devizes School IT Support

[free780]

I guess it depends if you've got 100mbps network or 1gig. And how decent your desktops are.

[gshaw]

Couldn't agree more with SuperduperPackager.

Use the MS wim and do the task sequence on top of that (with gpo's , GPP and sccm or your choice of software deployment). We do inject windows updates into windows 7 wim but other than that no alterations is the way to go.

 

Ian Mullings

Devizes School IT Support

 

That's how we've been doing it with MDT now, with the rate MS keep updating the ISO, plus the fact updates are Cumulative means it's easier to swap components out in a Task Sequence than go through a recapture process. Certainly with Windows 10 that's been the case as we've gone from 1511 to 1607.

 

The exception may be if you have loads of legacy software you can't package neatly for silent install but hopefully the majority of us are past that place now

[CHiLL]

Cheers for the replies so far. I'd love to go down the no alterations to the WIM route, but we need .NET 3.5 enabling on the clients. I've tried this via SCCM's Task Sequence, or deploying by script using SCCM's Software Deployment and had no luck.

[Arthur]

I'd love to go down the no alterations to the WIM route, but we need .NET 3.5 enabling on the clients.

It's really easy to add .NET 3.5 with MDT (which can be integrated with SCCM)...

 

www.osd-couture.com/2015/07/mdt-2013-u1-how-to-install-net.html

 

Alternatively you could try the following PowerShell script (after editing the parts in red). This will mount a Windows 10 ISO, extract the install.wim and then integrate the .NET Framework 3.5.1 package.

 

#Requires –Version 5.0
#Requires -RunAsAdministrator
#Requires –Modules Dism

# Get script directory
if ($myInvocation.MyCommand.CommandType -ne [system.Management.Automation.CommandTypes]::Script) {
$ScriptDir = [system.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($myInvocation.MyCommand.Definition)
} else {
$ScriptDir = [system.IO.Path]::GetDirectoryName($psISE.CurrentFile.FullPath)
}
Set-Location "$ScriptDir"

$ISO = "$ScriptDir\[color="#FF0000"]SW_DVD5_WIN_EDU_10_1607.1_64BIT_English_MLF_X21-27205.iso[/color]"
$RefImage = "$ScriptDir\[color="#FF0000"]Windows10Edu_2017_001.wim[/color]"
$MountFolder = "$ScriptDir\Mount"

# Verify the ISO exists
if (!(Test-Path -path $ISO)) { Write-Warning "Could not find Windows ISO file. Aborting..."; Break }

# Mount the ISO
Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath $ISO
$ISODrive = "{0}{1}" -f [string](Get-DiskImage -ImagePath $ISO | Get-Volume).DriveLetter, ':'

# Extract to a new WIM
Export-WindowsImage -SourceImagePath "$ISODrive\Sources\install.wim" -SourceName "[color="#FF0000"]Windows 10 Education[/color]" -DestinationImagePath $RefImage

# Create mount folder if it doesn't exist
if (!(Test-Path -path $MountFolder)) {
New-Item -Path $MountFolder -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null
}
Mount-WindowsImage -ImagePath $RefImage -Index 1 -Path $MountFolder

# Add .NET Framework 3.5.1 to the image
Add-WindowsPackage -PackagePath $ISODrive\sources\sxs\microsoft-windows-netfx3-ondemand-package.cab -Path $MountFolder

Dismount-WindowsImage -Path $MountFolder -Save
Dismount-DiskImage -ImagePath $ISO

Edited January 26, 2017 by Arthur

[SuperduperPackager]

Cheers for the replies so far. I'd love to go down the no alterations to the WIM route, but we need .NET 3.5 enabling on the clients. I've tried this via SCCM's Task Sequence, or deploying by script using SCCM's Software Deployment and had no luck.

 

Did you read post #3? I posted a link explaining step by step how to do it. I know it works cause that's exactly what I did.