Software Deployment

I have a feeling you’re working too hard or using adifferent deployment method.  How are you trying to deploy the image?

I’m the SDA to deploy images directly.  There are twoways to bring an image into the SDA:

1. Create a WIM file from a reference computer using DISM and upload it to SDA\clientdrop, then import it into the System Images area

2. On your reference computer,
   1. install a fresh copy of the Windows OS you’re trying to deploy

   2. When you get to the OOBE prompts, press Ctrl-Shift-F3 to reboot the machine into Audit mode; from this point on, all changes happen to no profile you care about (it’s a branch of the Administrator account, but isn’t the Administrator account – usually called localaccount0 or something)

   3. Configure the operating system as you wish – remove appxpackages, or provisionedappxpackages, install applications, install appxpackages or provisionedappxpackages, desktop shortcuts, specialized configurations, etc. etc. etc., set up a custom Start Layout which includes the layout for the Taskbar (see Microsoft documentation on how to do this).

   4. Sysprep the computer; depending on your needs you may need to configure an unattend.xml file and use sysprep with that; make sure you shut the machine down using the /shutdown option.

   5. Boot the computer into your SDA via PXE-boot and import the computer.  Only take the C drive.

3. On the SDA, create a pre-deployment library task to create the appropriate partitions on the drive using diskpart (create a batch file for that).  Apply the task to the image so when you deploy the WIM file it will have a place to go.

4. Make sure you have mid-deployment task that uses bcdedit to create the boot files necessary.

 From here, follow the afore-mentioned training to review and fine-tune your procedure.

Good luck!

For extra credit, figure out how to talk with the SMA and get the machine name it's supposed to have (assuming it's a re-image) and have it join the domain.

For extra-extra credit, figure out how you can do this across subnets.

Robert

This is the best guide:
https://www.itninja.com/blog/view/sda-imaging-best-practices-sda-6-x

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