Can wds deploy windows 7 with multiple partitions ?

[mrstrong]

Hi,

 

So I decided to look into WDS to deploy a windows 7 image using this article

Windows Deployment Services Getting Started Guide

Quite long winded but I struggled through and basically did

1) set up my machine PC1 which has C:\ and D:\ drives

2) sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown

3) create capture image on server from existing boot image

4) PXE boot PC1 and select capture image and add it as an install image to server

5) PXE boot PC2 select boot image and choose to install my previously captured image

 

Now PC2 goes into a "standard" windows setup, e.g. choose UK keyboard, timezone, user etc

Also I deleted the old partitions on the drive (necessary to avoid a windows.old folder ?)

 

Eventually I get to login only to find no D:\ drive (think correct term is volume or partition ?)

It has created the hidden "100 MB windows 7 system partition" though.

 

Am I missing something here ? Can't believe it is only possible to image PCs with a single C:\ drive ?

Thanks

[andydis]

i think its in WDSClientUnattend.xml ( edit this with WAIK from Windows System Image Manager)

components > windows pe > *OS 32 or 64 setup neutruel * > disk configuration > disk 0 > create partitions

Edited May 25, 2012 by andydis

[mrstrong]

Thanks,

 

had a quick look at part 2 of the wds forum sticky:

 

Windows Deployment Services, WAIK & Windows 7 - Part 2 | SharePoint George

 

I can see I will need to install WAIK ans use WSIM

It says to load image install.wim from win 7 DVD and use this to create a WDSUnattend.xml

 

However I'm trying to deploy a sysprepped image I've allready captured (step 4 in my first post in this thread)

So should I use this image instead or is it to late for that ? i.e. do I need to create my

WDSUnattend.xml first from the standard win7 install.wim then go through the whole

sysprep, capture etc process again from the beginning ?

 

Thanks

[andydis]

do I need to create my

WDSUnattend.xml first from the standard win7 install.wim then go through the whole

sysprep, capture etc process again from the beginning

 

Yes thats what i would do

[mrstrong]

Thanks,

 

oh joy looks like its going to be a long week experimenting with this whilst keeping on top of all the usual day to day stuff!

[mrstrong]

Ok, my head hurts a bit, but from what I've read It doesn't seem to be possible to

deploy windows 7 with multiple partitions on the harddrive (i.e. C: and D:) via WDS.

 

E.g. the WDS capture image wizard will only capture one partition: the OS (C:) so even though it is possible

in theory to create a WDSUnattend.xml which will create multiple partitions when I PXE boot my captured image wim

will only have one partition in it ?!!!

 

Has anybody actually managed to do this in practice or do you all have images with only the C:\ partition ?

Thanks

[plexer]

Looks like it's a no as the only partition that will be sysprepped is the c: drive.

 

WDS Capture - Multiple partitions

 

Ben

[birchanger]

I'm trying to do something similar in that I want a 'normal' Windows 7 partition on the domain and a tied-down workgroup environment for scripting classes. I'm creating the second partition at deployment time; not in the captured image. The plan is to then install the second OS into the D: drive either from my main deployment TS using a new TS variable and ImageX; or perhaps by replicating some of the steps in the Install phase.

 

Minor problems such as fixing up the boot manager config. can be solved later.

[User3204]

I'm trying to do something similar in that I want a 'normal' Windows 7 partition on the domain and a tied-down workgroup environment for scripting classes. I'm creating the second partition at deployment time; not in the captured image. The plan is to then install the second OS into the D: drive either from my main deployment TS using a new TS variable and ImageX; or perhaps by replicating some of the steps in the Install phase.

 

Minor problems such as fixing up the boot manager config. can be solved later.

 

We have one room where the ICT teacher does the Computing Studies, and they need to have a computer that they can do software installs and stuff, so they needed to have Power user access.

 

To solve this we have created two images:

 

1. is the general one for the school machines - domain joined etc.

2. is the specific one for this room - not in a domain.

 

the second one doesn't have the same unattend.xml, so it doesn't join it to the domain.

 

We have a boot menu, that gives the option of 'network' (counts down from 3 seconds to autoboot) and computing.

 

I haven't had to re-image this suite in the 18 months since the Tech who set this all up has left the school for another job. I know I will need to do this soon, so I'll have a look through my notes and see if there was anything 'funny' I had to do to make it work.

[birchanger]

We have one room where the ICT teacher does the Computing Studies, and they need to have a computer that they can do software installs and stuff, so they needed to have Power user access.

 

To solve this we have created two images:

 

1. is the general one for the school machines - domain joined etc.

2. is the specific one for this room - not in a domain.

 

the second one doesn't have the same unattend.xml, so it doesn't join it to the domain.

 

We have a boot menu, that gives the option of 'network' (counts down from 3 seconds to autoboot) and computing.

 

I haven't had to re-image this suite in the 18 months since the Tech who set this all up has left the school for another job. I know I will need to do this soon, so I'll have a look through my notes and see if there was anything 'funny' I had to do to make it work.

 

I'd be grateful for that if you could dig it out.

[Jamo]

Is there any reason why you aren't looking at MDT for deployment? It does this kind of stuff so much quicker and with less hastle (its not perfect but its so much easier!)

[mrstrong]

So are we saying MDT can deploy images with several partitions ?

I'm assuming it's free?

Any tutorials you could point me at ?

 

The only other alternative I've found is FOG which seems a bit hard to set up, e.g. you need

a beefy linux box for starters.

[plexer]

MDT Partition

 

In MDT you can alter your task sequence to partition the drive how you want however I'm still not sure you can deploy multiple images to a partioned drive.

 

Ben

[birchanger]

I'm still working this through, but you (sort of) can get multuple partitions using MDT. You may even be able to achieve it is a single task sequence, but that seems like pushing it a bit.

 

The way I'm creating a dual-boot system is:

 

1) Create a task sequence for a deployment of the first OS but make sure you partition the drive with somewhere for the second OS to go.

2) Create a second task sequence with whatever you need (OS, apps, updates etc) for the second partition. Disable the 'New Computer' group in the task sequence and set the install OS task to use the second partition.

 

PXE or otherwise boot the target PC and run the first task sequence; then repeat with the second.

 

You should now have a dual-boot machine. The boot manager may have less than useful descriptions for the two OSes (mine are both called Windows 7) and the default OS and timeout may not be what you want, but (I hope!) that can be fixed by some manual BCDedit work or a script or two.

 

I'd certainly recommend MDT, because it's free, very flexible and there are good sites out there with a lot of helpful information. I'd also recommend the book ' Deployment Fundamentals - Volume 1' by Ardwidmark and Nystrom for a good walkthrough.

 

Another thing I'd certainly recommend is to use MDT to move machines being built to a temporary OU to stop GPOs being applied until the build is complete. See Moving Computers in Active Directory during MDT Deployments.

 

We now have our builds done entirely via MDT with customisations for the role of the machine (student laptop, ICT faculty) and the make/model, using the MDT database. It all works a treat,

[mistersparky]

Another vote for MTD here. We started to use WDS on its own, and although we managed to do quite a bit with it, MDT is a lot more advanced and feature rich. There are an awful lot of resources out there on it (many of them are listed in this board’s sticky - http://www.edugeek.net/forums/o-s-deployment/76099-mdt-resources.html). A great place to start might be the MDT 2010 Lite Touch Unleashed videos from Deployment Research/Johan Arwidmark - LTIUnleashedVideos

[Jamo]

Yup MDT is really good at what it does.

 

You can even create standalone media to deploy your apps and settings to a standalone PC without network connectivity.

 

MDT 2012 is def worth looking at, it allows a lot of new settings such as stopping the little darlings from pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL during the task sequences

 

Strangely enough playing with MDT is what got me most of the experience with it. Using the guides as pointers and weirdly.... the MS help guide within MDT describes each section really well.

 

Its basically a bunch of scripts in a folder lol, albeit some very handy scripts!

[mistersparky]

MDT 2012 is def worth looking at, it allows a lot of new settings such as stopping the little darlings from pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL during the task sequences

Not wanting to hijack the thread here, but do you mean during the post OS instalation where the PC is logged in with a local account and installing applications and so forth? That's something we have always wanted to change, but have not been able to in MDT2010. We have just upgraded to 2012, and if its possible, I would love to know how.

[Jamo]

Yup

 

in the default section of the customsettings try:

 

DisableTaskMgr=YES

HideShell=YES

[Jamo]

You need to update the deployment share after the above I believe as well btw

[mistersparky]

Yup

 

in the default section of the customsettings try:

 

DisableTaskMgr=YES

HideShell=YES

Woop - that worked! Thanks!