Remote XP install - how?

philjayj · 3 Jun 2008 at 23:40

Hi, hopefully someone can help.

I need a way to remotely install a fresh copy of XP Pro without being at the PC. The company has multiple offices around Liverpool, which are linked via dedicated fibre, with only one IT department at Head Office. So we don't have to go out to the individual system, is there any way I can schedule a remote install?

Many thanks

L33 · 4 Jun 2008 at 13:07

Microsoft RIS / WDS

marc2003 · 4 Jun 2008 at 13:31

L33 said:
Microsoft RIS / WDS

that still requires human intervention and a domain admin password at the computer end.

paradigm · 4 Jun 2008 at 13:42

The way forward here is a trusted user at each site (to hold the username and password), and then a WDS server.

You DON'T need to be in Domain Admin Group to add computers to the domain or to install from RIS/WDS. Set up a custom usergroup.

L33 · 8 Jun 2008 at 01:51

marc2003 said:
that still requires human intervention and a domain admin password at the computer end.

It'll require someone to turn the PC on and choose to boot via network adapter / pxe, but then everything will.
You can set up fully unattended installation which will require no user intervention, including joining the domain, and once its installed then the admins can log in remotely to do whatever else needs doing.

paradigm · 8 Jun 2008 at 10:39

L33 said:
It'll require someone to turn the PC on and choose to boot via network adapter / pxe, but then everything will.
You can set up fully unattended installation which will require no user intervention, including joining the domain, and once its installed then the admins can log in remotely to do whatever else needs doing.

It would require someone at the remote end having a username and password for the RIS/WDS server that allows the level of privaledge to install an image.

This is what I said above over half a week ago.

The_morrell · 8 Jun 2008 at 10:51

We use Zenworks which is more of a complete desktop management solution than RIS.
From this you can wakeon lan the machines then image directly to them, plus a whole other load of features...

Expect to pay good money for it though, same goes for any of the decent DEsktop management systems.

I supprised you hav'nt got anything like this you must have a fairly large infastructure with several sites dotted around liverpool..