Is it possible to do a 2 stage image? Apply Windows to a HDD, then insert HDD in laptop and connect to Kace to apply drivers?
I have an upcoming project in which I am going to need to image about 100 laptops. The problem is that I do not have the laptops in my possession, and we are going to have to image them "in one go" so to speak, however many days that takes.
What my manager is requesting is to find a way to do the imaging in 2 stages. If we acquire 100 SSD's, is it possible to externally (connected via USB to management PC) apply the Windows installation to the drives, and then for stage 2, when we go on site to image the laptops, insert a drive in to any given PC, and then boot it in to KBE to apply the drivers?
Is this something that can even be done?
Would a scripted installation be a better method of accomplishing this?
Answers (2)
When you apply the Image, the Drivers are injected right after that.
Drivers Injection is a mid Level task.
So the Drivers will be injected in the hard drive anyways.
Actually to be honest, once you apply an Image, the SDA is not needed anymore...
The problem is, the SDA uses a queries to determine the Device Brand and Model, and based on the device's answer, it picks the right driver pack from the drivers_post install folder.
Then the machine reboots, or automatically reboots and Windows proceed to process the Injected Drivers during the first time boot.
I think your scenario has Only one Answer: Custom Deployments....
I would create two Custom Deployments:
#1- Format the HDD + Apply Image + Fix BCD --MBR or GPT-- (if needed)+ Shutdown Device
--Use this to Image one hundred SSD drives--
--Install them into their respective brand and models and proceed with this, a second Custom Deployment--
#2- Inject Drivers into Windows + Reboot or Shutdown the Device
There TWO stages. Custom Deployments don't care about stages, order, tasks MAC addresses, they're 100% manual.
I would make sure device does not boot into Windows in between these two custom deployments.
See the Answer Chosen by Author here:
https://www.itninja.com/question/got-a-problem-with-custom-deployments-and-tasks-xml-my-applications-don-t-find-their-payload
More about Custom Deployments here:
https://www.itninja.com/question/problems-with-deploy-user-states-with-custom-deployments
How we handle that is we do an image to the lab machines and get it all deployed except for joining to the domain. Does not matter if same hardware or not. Take that drive put it in the real machine, boot that into kace and run a custom deployment to inject the proper drivers, let it boot and fix itself.
you will have to attach to the ikbox share and go to peinst\applications and find the copy_drives.vbs location to call it
