Imaging machines

[Badaz52]

Hi, we use a vanilla windows domain environment and i build custom images and send them down over pxe via WDS. While this works well it requires me to physically go and pxe boot each machine and pick the image I want which is time consuming. It would be handy to initiate this from home for example.

 

Is there anyway to send a custom image when the machine is already turned on to which it would then reboot and install??

 

Sorry for asking an obvious question if I've completely missed something blatant.

 

Cheers

[DalekSec]

Not used WDS, but i know this is possible with SCCM.

[Badaz52]

I had a feeling you might say SCCM, How much does it cost?

[PotNoodleTech]

WDS and MDT is like a super easy cut down version of SCCM, and it's free. Just a bit of setting up required (there's plenty of MDT guides out there) and then you can build a whole IT suite in 20 minutes unnatended whilst you have a cup of tea and maybe a edu hobnob or two.

[FishCustard]

Yep, start with MDT as it's free - if you find you can't do what you need or want more power then look at SCCM.

 

For many schools SCCM is overkill.

[SHimmer45]

+1 for MDT .

 

Norton Ghost suite used to have the feature you describe as you could reboot the PC using the "ghost agent" to start an image process

[thebatman]

+1 for MDT

We don't do remote installs, but in theory once MDT is setup and you have a Task to do what you want all automated, you can run a script remotely that looks something like this to start the install:

 

 

\\ServerName\DeploymentShare$\Scripts\LiteTouch.vbs /SkipTaskSequence:YES /TaskSequenceID:CurricPCInstall /SkipDeploymentType:Yes /DeploymentType:REFRESH /SkipComputerName:YES /SkipDomainMembership:YES /UserDataLocation:AUTO /SkipUserData:YES /SkipComputerBackup:YES /ComputerBackupLocation:NONE /SkipLocaleSelection:YES /SkipApplications:NO /SkipAdminPassword:YES /SkipBitLocker:YES /SkipSummary:YES /FinishAction:Nothing

[aicrd]

+1 for MDT.

 

I use our remote management tools to deploy the script remotely then simply wait for the devices to appear online again then login as test account.

 

Not sure what you use, but I am currently using Senso and it allows us to have a shortcut button in the toolbar that runs our reimaging script. Just select the computers and click the button.

[junz]

+1 for MDT.

 

I use our remote management tools to deploy the script remotely then simply wait for the devices to appear online again then login as test account.

 

Not sure what you use, but I am currently using Senso and it allows us to have a shortcut button in the toolbar that runs our reimaging script. Just select the computers and click the button.

 

Would you be willing to share the script as this sounds very useful?

[aicrd]

Would you be willing to share the script as this sounds very useful?

The script isn't really that good as it is a simple bat file that just launches Litetouch.vbs with a couple of command line switches that skips all of the Locale selection, bitlocker and backup.

 

You'll have to manually override these in your customsettings.ini file.

 

Here are some links:

 

Link to Script:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1e8kD3lR-yiWfaCL70-pb23HeSctyUNvy (You'll need to modify this for you deployment server).

More info on Command Line Switches: https://mdtguy.wordpress.com/2016/04/21/overriding-customsettings-ini-in-mdt-2013-update-2/

Configuring customsettings.ini: https://itinlegal.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/mdt-tutorial-part-4/