Windows Deployment

Removing Windows 10 Universal Apps

Today’s Windows 10 Deployment Tip will include one of the most demanded help for Windows 10. We will go over how to remove Windows 10 Universal Apps for your production Windows 10 build.

The biggest misconception is that you remove Windows 10 Universal Apps during your build and capture.  These Apps will need to be removed during your Production OSD Build.  This can be easily done by incorporating a Run Command Line / Run PowerShell Script task sequence step that runs the below code / script.

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Windows 10 Deployment Tip – 2016-08-08

With the first Windows 10 Deployment Tip of this series, we will cover the most basic situation.  Building your reference image.  Yes, you have made the investment in Configuration Manager, but the best way to build your Gold image is still with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT).

Even if you use MDT in your environment today.  It is recommended to setup a dedicated Deployment Share just for your build and capture.

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SCCM / ConfigMgr Driver Package Best Practice

Overview

This post will outline driver package creation, management, and best practices for System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM / ConfigMgr). The steps outlined in this post will ensure minimal driver management in SCCM, while ensuring the end device receives the proper drivers during imaging.

Staging and Imaging the New Device

The first step in the process is to get the new device able to image with the environment’s gold image.   You will have to note that it may be necessary to inject the network drivers into your Windows Pre-Installation Environment (WinPE) boot image. If the device fails to load the WinPE environment it is either the network or storage drivers are not available.

Pick the below scenario that matches your environment:

  • The Task Sequence deployed to unknown computers and the local administrator password is set
    • Begin imaging the device
  • The Task Sequence deployed to unknown computer but the local administrator password is not enabled
    • Copy the task sequence to enable the local administrator account, deploy the task sequence and start imaging the device
  • No task sequence is deployed to unknown computers but the local administrator password is set
    • Import the device and add it to the proper collection and begin imaging
  • No task sequence is deployed to unknown computers but the local administrator password is not enabled
    • Copy the task sequence, enable the local administrator account, deploy the task sequence, import the device, and begin imaging the device

To import a device into SCCM follow the steps outlined in the below link:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh397287.aspx#BKMK_AddComputer

If network drivers are in the Operating System media that task sequence will complete successfully.  If the device does not receive a network driver it will fail, and you must logon as the local administrator.

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Windows 10 1511 BUG – DISM File Associations

Just wanted to share some Windows 10 deployment notes from the field.  My colleague Ryan Fitzgerald and myself have been troubleshooting file associations not being set properly in Windows 10 build 1511.  This has been confirmed from Microsoft Premier Support, that there is a current bug in 1511 that causes DISM not to properly set file associations.

I have tested this on insider build 14271 and file associations are still broken.  Insider build 14279 is being downloaded now.  I will strip DISM from there, and run DISM 14279 on the 1511 / 10586 upgrade sequence to see if will set the file associations as desired.

Stay tuned….