A geeks perspektive on desktop management
OS Deployment
Undocumented Properties in MDT 2010 Update 1
01 year ago
Mikael Nyström (aka The Deployment Bunny), has a new blog post on some of the undocumented Properties in MDT 2010 Update 1. Read the full blog post here.
Once again, at 33000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean on my way back from TechEd NA in Atlanta I started to think about all the different properties in MDT 2010 Update 1 that I use which are not really documented, trust me there are “some”. Some of them is, well, not really so useful, but some of them I really use and so should you. So this post is solely made for the purpose of giving you the same “relaxed” life that I have. Hmm, that did not More >
Creating a fully-patched image using MDT 2010 Lite Touch
02 years ago
Michael Niehaus has a new post on how to create a fully patched image using MDT 2010 Lite Touch. Read the full post here.
I’ve always been a fan of the thinnest image possible. Taking that to an extreme, that means using the original image straight off the Microsoft media. But over time if you did this you’d find that the time required to apply patches to that image becomes unmanageable. (Case in point: I started up a new laptop for the first time with an OEM-installed image that had hooks to require all patches be applied before first logon. It took three hours for that to happen.)
I’ve also More >
OSD: Change Volume Name
02 years ago
Lets say you need to change/rename the volume name of the C: drive to the computername, as part of your OS deployment Task Sequence. This script will help you do that:
strComputer = "." Set WshNetwork = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Network") Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:" _ & "{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\" & strComputer & "rootcimv2") Set colDrives = objWMIService.ExecQuery _ ("Select * from Win32_LogicalDisk where DeviceID = 'C:'") For Each objDrive in colDrives objDrive.VolumeName = WshNetwork.ComputerName objDrive.Put_Enjoy
Enable AERO on Windows 7 64-bit systems during OS Deployment using Configuration Manager
32 years ago
If you wish to deploy Windows 7 32-bit using Configuration Manager, and you need to enable AERO during deployment, you needs to add a “Run Command Line” step to the Task Sequence with the following command:
WinSAT.exe formal
If you do the same while deploying Windows 7 64-bit, the step will fail. The is due to the File System Redirector, and the fact that the Tack Sequence is running in 32-bit context.
To workaround this minor issue, make sure that you select Disable 64-bit file system redirection, on this step.
How to change the default BitLocker encryption method and cipher strength when using the Enable BitLocker task in ConfigMgr 2007
02 years ago
By default, the "Enable BitLocker" task of a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Task Sequence defaults to an encryption method and cipher strength of "AES 128-bit with Diffuser". However, the "Enable BitLocker" task does not have any way of changing from the default encryption method and cipher strength to any of the other options:
AES 256-bit with Diffuser AES 128-bit AES 256-bit
Normally the BitLocker encryption method and cipher strength is controlled by Group Policy. This policy can be found in the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) under the following node:
Computer More >
Exploring the User State Migration Toolkit (USMT) 4.0
12 years ago
Richard Smith has created a great video on how to get started with USMT 4.0.
View the video online here:
About this Video
User State Migration Tool (USMT) 4.0 is a scriptable command-line tool that provides a highly-customizable user-profile migration experience for IT professionals. USMT includes two components, ScanState and LoadState, and a set of modifiable .xml files: MigApp.xml, MigUser.xml, and MigDocs.xml. In addition, you can create custom .xml files to support your migration needs. You can also create a Config.xml file to specify files or settings to exclude from the migration. In More >
P2V Migration adds documentation and support of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Zero Touch Installation!
02 years ago
What is better than spending a moment to kick off a completely automated process to redeliver an existing operating system as a virtual machine within a new build of Windows 7?
Answer: Making the entire process "zero touch" without necessitating a visit to the target computer or manually initiating the migration!
P2V Migration for Software Assurance can now be implemented using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Operating System Deployment as well as native Lite Touch Installation with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010. Computer refresh, replace and restore task sequence templates More >
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010 Update 1 Beta – ready for download
03 years ago
The Beta version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 is now available for download on connect. MDT 2010 Update 1 includes Office 2010 support, the ability for users to initiate and customize their own deployments using Configuration Manager (codename Modena), key enhancements in Windows 7 driver support, and much more.
Download the beta here: https://connect.microsoft.com/site14
Enjoy.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 vs. Modena
03 years ago
Microsoft is currently preparing for an update for MDT 2010 that will add some new enhancements to the product. One of the most exciting ones is the new “user-driven OS deployment task sequence template”, which will enable “self-service OS deployment” with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2.
The idea for user-driven OS deployment was first developed by Microsoft IT under the codename “Modena” (http://blogs.technet.com/osd/). Modena was first “announced” to the public at Microsoft Management Summit 2009 (MMS) in Las Vegas, where Chris Adams delivered one of the best presentations More >
Healthcare Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010
03 years ago
Microsoft has released an updated version of the HealthCare pack for the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 (MDT). This guide is really great and can be a great for inspiration even if you’re not in the Health Care Business ), or if you’re using ConfigMgr/ZeroTouch, so I would highly recommend reading and testing this guide.
This guidance brings together the proven deployment approach of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010, with current best-practice specific to healthcare organizations. The result is Healthcare MDT 2010, a customized addition to MDT 2010, which can be used by More >
Top Commenters