[mdt] It works!

[Gatt]

Finally got MDT 2010 to play nicely and will install a variety of apps with no user interaction!

 

This includes AutoIT scripts and even SIMS.net!!

 

Time to start creating MSI and AutoIT wrappers for a bunch of apps now!

[PiqueABoo]

Finally got MDT 2010 to play nicely and will install a variety of apps with no user interaction!

 

Can you elaborate on the context - do you mean install a variety of apps with no user interaction immediately post-OS installation (or something else)?

 

PS: You do know about the recent MDT 2010 Update 1 don't you? I've been playing, but fortunately the claim in the release docs about "Removed Features: None" appears to be correct and so far things that used to, still work.

[reggiep]

Ooh, sounds exciting! Let us know what you have managed to install. We are looking at moving to Windows 7 on clients and are having a few issues with fog so would like to find alternative methods.

[tommccann]

has anyone had a read of this: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta 1: Using MDT to Prepare, Install and Capture customized Windows 7 Images – Part I « Augusto Alvarez. not sure if it worth the read because i have not look to far into 7 deployment

[Gatt]

here's the list of stuff so far:

 

Windows 7 (Duh!)

Office 2010

Viso 2010

Project 2010

Adobe AIR

Expression Studio 3

AutoRoute 2010

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.7i

Google Earth

Google Sketchup

SIMS .net

VLC Player

Fireworks MX (via AutoIT)

Password Control 2.4

Custom MSI - Win7 Lgon Background, Bulletin Display Softwre, Poweroff, USBDLM

Audacity

[Quackers]

I am not liking the way LiteTouchPE_x86.wim keeps getting bigger and bigger the more drivers i add, and the fact its a boot image, so have to wait ages on machines for it to load the whole WIM and its only going to get longer. Why is there not a smaller Boot WIM to get it started first then pull down the larger image once you have clicked buttons.

[PiqueABoo]

LiteTouchPE_x86.wim keeps getting bigger and bigger the more drivers i add

 

It would, but why do you need to keep adding drivers? WinPE3 is the Win7 version and because that is relatively recent and has lots of driver support in it by default I've rarely had to add any drivers - and then all you should normally need to add is a NIC and/or mass storage driver.

[sted]

got it to deploy a vanilla image of xp/win7 havnt tried apps yet just drivers. anyone found a way of adding windows updates into it as without them with xp needing 90 aftter install wds still seems the way to go

[Gatt]

Not as yet, because it interferes with Application installation - I have to disable the WU Service until the apps are installed...

If we could slipstream the updates in with the install it would be perfect..

[plexer]

I do an offline install using the logistix update packs saves having to connect to anything else.

 

This is the last thing that is done when an os is deployed.

 

Ben

[sted]

I do an offline install using the logistix update packs saves having to connect to anything else.

 

This is the last thing that is done when an os is deployed.

 

Ben

 

any more info on how to do that

[PiqueABoo]

I use nLite to slipstream both SP3 and the latest xable SP3 update pack into the XP source before importing the OS into MDT. Having done that every now and again I slipstream new xable updates into the MDT distribution share copy of XP.

 

I don't sysprep, capture and deploy XP images i.e. all XP builds copy down that updated XP source which MDT installs the old fashioned way, then adds apps (workstation locked), joins the domain (OU is selected in the few remaining pages I haven't nuked from the initial MDT deployment wizard), reboots which gets policy including WSUS => done.

 

For Win7 you've got the MDT packages feature which works with CABs or **MSUs**.

Edited July 13, 2010 by PiqueABoo

[sted]

while its been mentioned how do you get mdt to put it in the right ou do you have to type cn=blah,dc=blah,dc=local as typing in the ou name diddnt seem to work for me but ive not had much time on it yet

 

ive had issues in the past using nlite for adding updates with system verification checker going nuts on just about every file possible rendering installs useless

[PiqueABoo]

how do you get mdt to put it in the right ou

 

I statically pre-populate the deployment wizard's OU drop-down via entries in bootstrap.ini e.g.

 

DomainOUs1=OU=Blah,DC=..

DomainOUs2=OU=AnotherBlah,DC=..

 

I did contemplate dynamically grabbing them from AD at deploy-time but WinPE didn't (easily) have the traditional APIs for talking to AD.. not sure if that's changed.

[Arthur]

I am not liking the way LiteTouchPE_x86.wim keeps getting bigger and bigger the more drivers I add

An easy way to fix that would be to use selection profiles. These would prevent unnecessary drivers from being added to your LiteTouchPE_x86.wim and keep it as small as possible. As PiqueABoo mentioned, you only really need NIC and MSD drivers for the boot image (to enable it to connect to your deployment share).

[ranj]

Your so lucky its working for you I keep hitting a brick wall.

 

I got a few issues which hoping someone can help with

 

I don't know how I did it before but when we used MDT to create an XP image. I used imageX to capture a sysprepped xp image and then loaded this onto our WDS server. When I PXE booted a client to load this image I found it used the solution accellerators bootup process which I think is a customised MDT specific winpe process. When I have done the same with Windows 7, I dont get this option anymore but instead get the normal Windows 7 setup alongside a few options which make it talk to our WDS server. I give you an instance, when now I PXE boot any client computer the first screen I get is Windows deployment services screen which asks me for language and country details and then it lists all the images which are present on WDS. Can I change the settings so it shows the solution accellerators screens instead?

 

2) I have been using WISM with the help of lots of guides on the internet and have created an unattend script. This image where I used the unattend script is just Windows 7 enterprise with a few customisations and no additional applications installed. Still though I get asked country and keyboard layout, asks for local username, asks how i want to protect the computer with WIndows update and time and date settings. I think it is picking up the unattend script because it automatically joins the PC to the domain and gives it a name called ADMINISTRATOR. Is this setting being picked up from WDS rather than my script? Does anyone know how do I get it to pick up the unattend file I have created. I suspect its not picking the file up.

 

BTW I am using the latest version of MDT with WDS on a server 2008 R2 server.

[Gatt]

I don't know how I did it before but when we used MDT to create an XP image. I used imageX to capture a sysprepped xp image and then loaded this onto our WDS server. When I PXE booted a client to load this image I found it used the solution accellerators bootup process which I think is a customised MDT specific winpe process. When I have done the same with Windows 7, I dont get this option anymore but instead get the normal Windows 7 setup alongside a few options which make it talk to our WDS server. I give you an instance, when now I PXE boot any client computer the first screen I get is Windows deployment services screen which asks me for language and country details and then it lists all the images which are present on WDS. Can I change the settings so it shows the solution accellerators screens instead?

 

What Boot Images do you have on the WDS Server? and have you assigned a default boot image?

 

have you configured a PC inside the Advanced Configuration/Database section of MDT? this would force a given MAC/GUID to use a sepcific set of options (under "Computers") or a specific Make & Model iof machines (eg Hewlett-Packard - HP Compaq dc7700 Small Form Factor)

 

2) I have been using WISM with the help of lots of guides on the internet and have created an unattend script. This image where I used the unattend script is just Windows 7 enterprise with a few customisations and no additional applications installed. Still though I get asked country and keyboard layout, asks for local username, asks how i want to protect the computer with WIndows update and time and date settings. I think it is picking up the unattend script because it automatically joins the PC to the domain and gives it a name called ADMINISTRATOR. Is this setting being picked up from WDS rather than my script? Does anyone know how do I get it to pick up the unattend file I have created. I suspect its not picking the file up.

 

BTW I am using the latest version of MDT with WDS on a server 2008 R2 server.

 

As for the Windows 7 - this is normal for WDS images - you have not specified an unattend script, so the image automatiocally runs through "Mini Setup" - to stop this you need to create an ImageUnattend.xml file and attach it to the custom WIM image..

[Gatt]

Ok here is a list of all the apps that successfuly deploy via MDT without being prompted..

 

Windows 7 (Duh!)

Office 2010

Viso 2010

Project 2010

Adobe AIR

Expression Studio 3

AutoRoute 2010

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.7i

Google Earth

Google Sketchup

SIMS .net

VLC Player

Fireworks MX (via AutoIT)

Password Control 2.4

Custom MSI - Win7 Lgon Background, Bulletin Display Softwre, Poweroff, USBDLM

Audacity

QuickTime

IS Decisions Userlock

VMWare's VMPlayer 3

Scratch 1.4 (custom MSI iirc)

Smart Notebook & Drivers

 

So far the following REFUSE to silently deploy..

 

Real "Pain In the A**e" Player

Sibelius 3

Circuit Wizard

Maths In Motions Cars V10

Autograph

Windows Live (Movie Maker & PhotoGallery)

[ranj]

What Boot Images do you have on the WDS Server? and have you assigned a default boot image?

Hi Yes I have copied a Windows 7 Enterprise DVD onto the WDS server and use the install and boot.wim files of the DVD and then created an unattend script and with the install image I have ticked the box which says allow image to install in unattend mode and pointed it to my imageunattend.xml file.

 

have you configured a PC inside the Advanced Configuration/Database section of MDT? this would force a given MAC/GUID to use a sepcific set of options (under "Computers") or a specific Make & Model iof machines (eg Hewlett-Packard - HP Compaq dc7700 Small Form Factor)

 

No I haven't done any filtering of any guide at the moment. Also the WDS server is not a SQL Server. My intention later once i have got a 'lite touch' working will be to look at SCCM2007 to do a 'zero touch' deployment but really need the lite touch working and getting used to the feature before I look at that. Thanks

 

 

 

As for the Windows 7 - this is normal for WDS images - you have not specified an unattend script, so the image automatiocally runs through "Mini Setup" - to stop this you need to create an ImageUnattend.xml file and attach it to the custom WIM image.

[qehsmft]

Just starting to get to grips with MDT 2010 and deployed a few apps successfully to a Windows 7 64bit client, but can't seem to work out how to deploy Google Earth. What Quiet Install Command should I be using with the msi? Any help gratefully received.

[Gatt]

I usually use

msiexec /i  /qn

However it varies with MSI files - some need more switches and options than others......