Deploy to VHD Task Sequence (New in MDT 2012)

We will now create a Task Sequence to Deploy Windows 7 Enterprise x64 to a VHD and then boot of the VHD.

The screenshots below are self explanatory.

Let’s take a look at the steps configured in the Deploy to VHD Task Sequence by right clicking the task sequence, selecting properties and then selecting the Task Sequence Tab.

Note that the Deploy to VHD tab details that a Random Path and Name would be assigned to the VHD. You can configure this to the Path and name you prefer.

Let’s test the Deploy to VHD Deployment. We will boot a Bare Metal VM with a 60 GB Hard Drive and 1 GB RAM into PXE.

Select the “Deploy Windows 7 Ent x64 to VHD” task sequence (based on Deploy to VHD boot sequence) and follow the wizards as shown in the screenshot below.

Notice the step below, it is formatting and partitioning the VHD.

The Operating System was deployed successfully as shown below.

Also note that Microsoft Office 2010 was automatically installed and we were never prompted to run the Office 2010 installation wizard.

The Disk Management Tool on the Client verifies that we are indeed booting from a VHD File.

In the next part of the series, we will cover the integration of MDOP’s DaRT and MDT 2012 Beta 2.

Happy Reading!