One of the challenges that I frequently come across is the shift from 32-bit operating system environments to 64-bit operating system environment during deployment projects. Windows 7 ships as both 32-bit as well as 64-Bit, with the 64-bit version becoming more popular due to its ability to handle large...

Two years ago I posted a script to automatically set the PATCH property used by ccmsetup.exe to install client updates during the Configuration Manager client installation in a task sequence. That post is found here . Since Cumulative Update 1 for ConfigMgr 2012 has a client update that is almost a necessity...

MDT 2010 introduced a new feature called Finish Actions .  This allowed you to set the variable FinishAction to either SHUTDOWN, RESTART (or REBOOT), or LOGOFF and the computer would be shutdown, restarted, or logged off after the task sequence (and subsequent cleanup) had completed.  Unfortunately...

  There is a little known component of the MDT database that, when used with Configuration Manager, can automatically re-install applications that were previously installed on a device.  It is not well known, simply because it isn’t readily visible from the database view within the Deployment...

I've had this tool sitting in a folder on my laptop half-finished for a few months but after a particularly frustrating problem with a script in a ZTI deployment I was encouraged to finish it! The original MDTDebugger that I wrote is a great help for debugging tasks running in a litetouch (LTI) deployment...

"Why deployment is so hard?", “Where can I find all related information?” What else I need to consider?” Those or similar questions are normal during my customer projects. After getting the same questions again and again, I’ve decided to create a Mindmap with all common links...

One of the most requested windows7 customization in every deployment projects is the OS branding. Here is a quick step by step guide. Windows Background Picture: If you want to assign a Win7 Background & Logon picture based on the size of the Monitor we recommend to create a picture that looks...

For a while I have been meaning to write up a solution around dynamic computer naming in Zero Touch. Many people have emailed or commenting on how useful this would be – so here goes. Zero Touch Installation relies on a combination of System Centre Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) and Microsoft...

Often the simplest tips are the best ones, so here is one I have been using pretty much ever since I started working with MDT. When working as part of a team in the same MDT environment, you can often run into issues when various people are modifying the task sequence, or debugging a process that...

I managed to beat fellow Deployment Guy Michael Murgolo to the honour of the first post of 2011, so it is my responsibility to wish all our readers a happy new year! I hope all your 2011 deployment projects go well, and we've all got some good posts lined up over the coming months which hopefully will...

Thanks you all for your patience waiting for the full set of deployment walkthrough videos to be posted on TechNet Edge . As per my previous post , over the past few months I have been updating the deployment walkthrough videos and I am pleased to announce that the whole video series has now been posted...

29 Aug 2010 Update – I must apologize to all of you who attempted to use this as originally posted. I wrote this script around two years ago and was posting it now because another MCS consultant needed. Unfortunately, while I was trying to remember how I did this, I left out an important detail...

Often when debugging a Windows deployment you might need to know the value that has been assigned to a particular variable. With a LiteTouch installation this is easy, you can just read the variables.dat file, or write a simple VBS/WSF script that displays a MsgBox() window showing the variable you want...

Here is a simple tip that I thought I'd share in the hope that you don't need to lose a few hours of your life trying to work out what is wrong with your SCCM client sotware install! I was onsite with a client recently trying to upgrade some Windows XP computers to Windows 7. However, trying to install...

Adding 802.1x functionality to WinPE has been a hot topic for a while now. And, given the amount of traffic and comments that my earlier post generated when I linked to the newly released updates for WinPE that add this long awaited support, it seems that a lot of people are interested in implementing...

ConfigMgr allows for great extensibility to perform right click actions. You can find information on this here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc143056.aspx . Those of you that have done this before know that the first step is digging through the adminconsole.xml file to find the correct GUID...

When working on deployment projects, there is often a requirement for a workstation to be customised on a location by location basis. Common workstation customisations which are applied in this manner include: Localisation settings (locales, keyboard settings, time zones, Windows (Windows Vista...

Ever wanted to add your own user communication and interaction to a Configuration Manager task sequence? Below is an HTML Application (HTA) that has a user interface for the task sequence with information about the deployment, a button to cancel or pause the deployment and even a button for a desktop...

Many scenarios arise in which you may want to port your task sequence from one environment to another. Common scenarios include promotion through Lab and QA environments and migration between disconnected hierarchies. Configuration Manager allows you to export task sequences into XML files as an out...

When debugging a MDT based Configuration Manager Task Sequence, it is often helpful to know what certain built-in Configuration Manager variables are set to during a step in the task sequence. For instance, you may want to see if _SMSTSLastActionRetCode was equal to a certain value or perhaps which management...

Often times, after creating an MDT or SCCM task sequence, you need to document it for yourself or your customers. Usually, this involves creating a table with the groups and steps, extracting their descriptions, identifying conditions and denoting the step actions and variables and then having format...

Installing ConfigMgr 2007 onto a Windows Server 2008 based server can be a challenge. Having recently been through the process for my own lab environment I thought I’d share the process in the hope that it will save you some time when you need to create this configuration. Before you begin you...

I am often asked what the best way is to manage drivers with both BDD/MDT and ConfigMgr. With this in mind I thought I would create two blog posts dealing with this topic. The first post (this one) will cover ConfigMgr and the second BDD/MDT driver management. Please note this is not the only way...