Windows 7 and WDS

[IKWeb]

Morning All

 

We have WDS up and running, with an answer file.

 

This answer file is working fine; machine joins the domain, and gets all the settings whcih are set in the answer file.

 

What doesn’t happen, is when the machine Re boots, it DOSNT ask you for a machine name, we haven’t specified a name within the answer file, so my understanding is the machine should prompt for this but its not, and its driving me nuts.

 

Can anyone help, and give any advice on what I am missing here for the computer name to be prompted when the computer goes though the initial setup after its been imaged.

 

TIA

[TheScarfedOne]

Heres a script to add to the deployment sequence which will do just that. Put it in as a program (with package) after the Configure Disks section...

 

PromptForPCName.7z

[IKWeb]

Put it in as a program (with package) after the Configure Disks section...

 

Confused... Do the files need to go local on the machine before the image is captured?

 

TIA

[6Foot2]

We are trying to set it up so that it gets its name from Active Directory [controlled by MAC address]

 

It is looking promising at the moment with three test stations successfully building, joining the domain and getting their station names.

 

They then go on to pull down any allocated programs [Group Policy/MSI]

[Reaper]

I just looked at my answer file and I left out the PC Name field and my image prompts me for the name. If you look at the XML of the answer file do you have an empty field for the PC Name?

[6Foot2]

I have a little utility that puts the station name into Active Directory with the associated MAC address. From there it is plain sailing.

[Duke5A]

I have a little utility that puts the station name into Active Directory with the associated MAC address. From there it is plain sailing.

 

What's the name of that utility? Is it home brew?

[6Foot2]

What's the name of that utility? Is it home brew?

 

Not Home Brew. I will check our WDS server next week and let you know.

[6Foot2]

What's the name of that utility? Is it home brew?

 

I have had a look at our WDS server. The utility I spoke of is contained within Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK)

 

http://gyazo.com/2266d9f024a265e111d3b98236d4e114.png

 

In the screenshot above I am using notepad to enter the name of the station to be built [in this case wdstest04] and its MAC address to create a string I can copy and paste into the DOS Box shown behind. When the command is run it creates an object in my domains Active Directory that corresponds to the station and allows the build to proceed. If the command is not run the build cannot start because the stations MAC address is not recognized.

 

HTH.

[Gatt]

2 optioins spring to mind here

 

Stay with WDS but set the WDS Server to prompt for administrator approval..

When you boot to network for the 1st time it will pause with an ID code - go into "Pending Devices", right click the appropriate ID in the consle and choose "Name and Approve", enter the name you want and, if you want to, specify an OU.. as soona s you do this the PC continues to WDS with the newly specified name

 

Use MDT 2010 - part of the Task Sequnece is to enter a PC name...

[Michael]

I don't use WDS, but here's how I get Sysprep to prompt for a computer name.

 

It much easier and quicker than manually creating Computer Objects in Active Directory.

[mavhc]

What I do is set it to prompt, but pre-add with wdsutil, as I open the new computer I barcode scan the LAN MAC into the inventory spreadsheet, then with an excel formula create a list of wdsutil commands, which I save to a bat file to auto add them all at once, if you reimage it'll remember them, for machines without a LAN MAC in the inventory I just manually add the name on the WDS MMC