Speaker: Olav Tvedt - Microsoft MVP
@olavtwitt
www.microsoft.com/springboard - videos and whitepapers on deploying Win8
www.microsoft.com/itpro
Desktop Optimization pack for Software Assurance 2013 (MDOP)
Devices that need to be managed but not in domain or mobile need to use Intune via SCCM2012. More Windows 8.1 BYOD solutions will be integrated.

The Mission of configuration and tuning: happiness! Happy users, happy IT staff.

The Challenges:

   * Change of Responsibility

      * Traditional clients, tablets, and mobile devices

Deployment Phase
Serious discussion needs to happen before deployment. Three main points:

  1. Master Image - never should be the DVD/ISO. Deploy, update, capture. CopyProfile=true mechanism for custom start menu will change in 8.1. This will now be configurable via XML and deployed via Powershell to push custom shortcuts for "start menu" across the enterprise

  2. WinRE - Recovery environment. Configurable to boot to specific DART (Diagnostic and Recovery Toolkit) environment image instead of local WinRE. reagentc.exe /info
  3. Refresh Image - Best practice is to update and recapture master every 3 months due to updates. recimg /createimage C:\Refresh

How to configure a WIM to use a specific DART image:
reagentc.exe /info
reagentc.exe /disable
reagentc.exe /setreimage /path C:\MyDARTFile
reagentc.exe /enable

DART features
Windows hotfix uninstall tool. Yay!
Remote Assistance tool for RDP
A few other cool tools like Disk Commander

Refresh Image commands
Recimg /showcurrent - if ran from a system that was deployed via WIM you can set a refresh image
recimg /setcurrent C:\MyRefreshImage

DaRT Recovery Image Wizard
Can be automated to run through this wizard via Powershell
Configure what Tools are enabled in the image
Add drivers for network and storage controllers
Add WinPE add-ons
Crash Analyzer for BSOD
Enable and update Windows Defender (this is a good reason to refresh the image every quarter so the definitions are updated and the image is scanned for viruses)
Create Image > Advanced editing = inject custom files

reagentc /boottore - force a recovery environment boot for testing

Patching
Online vs Offline
Offline

   * Easy
   * DISM
   * SCCM integrated
   * No service packs possible

Online

   * All updates including most current
   * Service Packs will be included
   * Reboots to see broken patches

Patching a WIM via offline:
Put update packages in C:\Updates
dism /Get-Wiminfo /WimFile:C:\folder\image.wim
dism /Mount-Wim /wimfile:C:\folder\image.wim /MountDir:C:\mount
dism /image:C:\mount /add-package /Packagepath C:\Updates

MDT task sequence enable Windows Update to make sure (Pre and Post Application). State Restore and Customizations pass

Management
http://olavtvedt.blogspot.no/2011/10/controlling-your-group-policies-with.html

Making the user experience as smooth as possible using Group Policy.
OU Structure - add it to the right place in AD
Group membership
Disabling/Enabling
Loopback Processing
WMI filtering - GPO specific to images
AGPM - Advanced Group Policy Management

   * Change Control folder in Group Policy Management. Client can checkout/checkin GPO and submit for approval by admin.
   * History of policies, changes, and versions..
   * Report on policies in XML or HTML format

Win8 Performance Changes and Tuning
Reduced install and boot times. This is due to services now starting automatically via triggers based on demand.
Service configurations for optimal performance - http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/
Page file needs only to be small and fixed so defragmentation can occur. Same with hibernation file.
Visual Effects - adjust for best performance and then edit from there. Controllable via WIM GPO for specific hardware limitations
GPO Preferences - Use them!