Any WDS - Windows Deployment Services experts ?

edscdk

edscdk

edscdk

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Joined
17 Jul 2008
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we have a laptop with 3 partitions, i assumed WDS would be like clonezilla, boot create clone, boot push clone... 5 mins work and you are pushing out perfect cloned images..

However it seems to have mandatory OOBE and has no concept of more than 1 partition..

The oobe breaks out install and d: e: f: are lost in the process, the resulting c: uses all the space, so a simple create 3 parts / put files there is made more complicated,

Am i missing something here? is there no way to simply create a multi partition image that does not have OOBE in it? (possibly unatteneded.tst could get past the oobe questions but that still leaves me with a broken windows config)

I would just use clonezilla as it seems like a far superior and easier solution but the powers that be say "WDS"

can anyone offer any insights?
 
Why clonezilla?

Sysprep the windows then capture with WDS. You'll need to make a capture image first before boot it up to capture the disk.
 
Django x2 said:
What is it you are trying to achieve? WDS can happily carve up a disk into multiple partitions and assign the letters accordingly.
Click to expand...
it seems you need the WDS + ADK to to do that and every step causes more errors to solve.. cannot find a WIM in the installer, need to extract the WIM from the ESD... Now it crashes updating the deployment share,

I have 1 perfectly build laptop, i just want to clone that to 1000 machines exactly as is with jsut the sysprep /generalize + a pwershell script to change its name and a few other bits..
 
Last edited:
wesley said:
Why clonezilla?

Sysprep the windows then capture with WDS. You'll need to make a capture image first before boot it up to capture the disk.
Click to expand...
I used WDS to capture an image but it forces me to do an /OOBE to even see that windows is installed, and it only captures c: (but we have an d/e/f)...

trying to get ADK / MDT working but this seems massively over complicated for deployed 1000 standalone laptops that only need a 10 line powershel scrip running after the image is done

is there a simple way to trick it into capturing an image thats not been "sysprep /oobe"'d ? that would be 50% done... and if it cannot capture d/e/d that would be perfect!
 
Last edited:
edscdk said:
it seems you need the WDS + ADK to to do that and every step causes more errors to solve.. cannot find a WIM in the installer, need to extract the WIM from the ESD... Now it crashes updating the deployment share,

I have 1 perfectly build laptop, i just want to clone that to 1000 machines exactly as is with jsut the sysprep /generalize + a pwershell script to change its name and a few other bits..
Click to expand...
Once you've captured an image using WDS use WSIM to create an unattend.xml file. You want something like this for the disk config

XML: 
            <DiskConfiguration>
                <Disk wcm:action="add">
                    <CreatePartitions>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <Size>500</Size>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <Size>100</Size>
                            <Type>EFI</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <Size>16</Size>
                            <Type>MSR</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                            <Extend>true</Extend>
                        </CreatePartition>
                    </CreatePartitions>
                    <ModifyPartitions>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>WinRE</Label>
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                            <TypeID>DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC</TypeID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>FAT32</Format>
                            <Label>System</Label>
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>Windows</Label>
                            <Letter>C</Letter>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                    </ModifyPartitions>
                    <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                    <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
                </Disk>
                <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
            </DiskConfiguration>
            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <InstallTo>
                        <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                        <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                    </InstallTo>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
 
Django x2 said:
Once you've captured an image using WDS use WSIM to create an unattend.xml file. You want something like this for the disk config

XML: 
            <DiskConfiguration>
                <Disk wcm:action="add">
                    <CreatePartitions>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <Size>500</Size>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <Size>100</Size>
                            <Type>EFI</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <Size>16</Size>
                            <Type>MSR</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                            <Extend>true</Extend>
                        </CreatePartition>
                    </CreatePartitions>
                    <ModifyPartitions>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>WinRE</Label>
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                            <TypeID>DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC</TypeID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>FAT32</Format>
                            <Label>System</Label>
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>Windows</Label>
                            <Letter>C</Letter>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                    </ModifyPartitions>
                    <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                    <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
                </Disk>
                <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
            </DiskConfiguration>
            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <InstallTo>
                        <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                        <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                    </InstallTo>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
Click to expand...
I'll look as wsim thanks this is so simple with clonezilla or Acronis! But we have been tol to use wds though
 
How will you deploy the captured image to the target devices? Do you need to use PXE boot and transfer over the network.
What state are the target devices in? If new factory image use a provisioning package, easy to create and devices deployed in minutes.

If you want a quick simple way of deploying captured a sysprepped image with all partitions, on the same physical disc, then capture as FFU instead of WIM. I have some notes I can share if this is what you are after.

As for you issue of completing OOBE, you'll need an unattend.xml in the build to create a local account, skip OOBE, skip privacy settings and first logon experience as a minimum. It's been years since I used WDS without MDT or SCCM but IIRC there is a section in the wizard to add an unattend file.
 
@edscdk just noticed you're the guy who does repairs on the side. Do you need this is create an image to quickly deploy Windows to a variety of computers?

There are two types of answer files, both can be placed in the route of a USB, only one at a times.
- autounattend.xml, this handles everthing from boot\setup through to OOBE and Desktop
- unattend.xml, this handles OOBE to Desktop

If you don't have time to learn WSIM I can share some of my older xml files or create one from scratch, been a while since I've had to.
 
Mujja said:
How will you deploy the captured image to the target devices? Do you need to use PXE boot and transfer over the network.
What state are the target devices in? If new factory image use a provisioning package, easy to create and devices deployed in minutes.

If you want a quick simple way of deploying captured a sysprepped image with all partitions, on the same physical disc, then capture as FFU instead of WIM. I have some notes I can share if this is what you are after.

As for you issue of completing OOBE, you'll need an unattend.xml in the build to create a local account, skip OOBE, skip privacy settings and first logon experience as a minimum. It's been years since I used WDS without MDT or SCCM but IIRC there is a section in the wizard to add an unattend file.
Click to expand...

we dont have to use PXE but it would be the preferred method,

target devices are from the factory so would boot into a windows setup

FFU sounds interesting, we have a laptop set up / partitioned as required we jsut want to make all 1000 laptops exactly the same (once build id run a script on them that changes their name and some other bits)
 
Mujja said:
@edscdk just noticed you're the guy who does repairs on the side. Do you need this is create an image to quickly deploy Windows to a variety of computers?

There are two types of answer files, both can be placed in the route of a USB, only one at a times.
- autounattend.xml, this handles everthing from boot\setup through to OOBE and Desktop
- unattend.xml, this handles OOBE to Desktop

If you don't have time to learn WSIM I can share some of my older xml files or create one from scratch, been a while since I've had to.
Click to expand...

all the laptops are identical, we have configured one perfectly and want to make all the others identical (a easy job with imaging software) but we have to use MS tools which done seem to do that... they jsut need the same image putting on them after that a powershell script configures some bits and bobs,
 
edscdk said:
all the laptops are identical, we have configured one perfectly and want to make all the others identical (a easy job with imaging software) but we have to use MS tools which done seem to do that... they jsut need the same image putting on them after that a powershell script configures some bits and bobs,
Click to expand...

Have a look at WCD if you want to use the OEM image and apply settings

learn.microsoft.com

Create a provisioning package (Windows 10/11) - Configure Windows

Learn how to create a provisioning package for Windows 10/11, which lets you quickly configure a device without having to install a new image.
learn.microsoft.com
 
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