Windows 7 : Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 - Deploying Your First Image

Boot the target machine with the custom MDT WinPE (LiteTouch_x86.iso or LiteTouch_x86.wim) created by updating your deployment share. The MDT client wizard launches automatically and walks you through the deployment process. In this section we'll explore the default client wizard settings.

The MDT client wizard opens to the Welcome Windows Deployment page (Figure 1). There are three options to choose from: Run The Deployment Wizard To Install A New Operating System, Run The Windows Recovery Wizard, and Exit To Command Prompt. There is also a Configure With Static IP Address button. Before you make your selection, let's talk about how this target machine gets an IP address and related information (subnet mask, default gateway, and so forth).

Figure 1. The Welcome Windows Deployment page

The target machine by default is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client, which works fine if you have a DHCP server configured with a valid scope and proper network connectivity to this machine. If DHCP is not an option for you and you need to set a static IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS server, DNS suffixes, or WINS server, click the Configure With Static IP Address button. The Configure Static IP Network Settings dialog box is shown in Figure 2. Click Finish when you are done configuring your static IP information and you'll be back at the Welcome Windows Deployment screen (if you click the Configure With Static IP Address button again after configuring it once, all fields will be blank and you will have to reconfigure your static information again—so no peeking after you're done).

Figure 2. The Configure Static IP Network Settings page

Now back to the three options. Running the Windows Recovery Wizard launches a custom WinPE that contains tools that search for all files needed to boot the target machine after an operating system has been deployed. If any files are missing or corrupted, the Windows Recovery Wizard will replace the files. The option Exit To Command Prompt will do exactly that—it will end the MDT client wizard and dump you to a command prompt. The Run The Deployment Wizard To Install A New Operating System option begins the deployment process (this is the one you should choose to deploy an image to a target machine). Take the following steps:

1. Enter user credentials to connect to MDT's deployment share in the Specify Credentials For Connecting To Network Shares screen shown in Figure 3 and click OK.

   Figure 3. The User Credentials page

   

2. Select your task sequence, as shown in Figure 4. If your task sequence does not appear, check which MDT WinPE you booted the target machine with. A 32-bit (x86) WinPE will only display 32-bit task sequences and a 64-bit (x64) WinPE will only show 64-bit task sequences. Select your task sequence and click Next.

   Figure 4. Task sequence selection

   

3. Accept the default computer name or enter one in the Configure The Computer Name screen shown in Figure 5. Then click Next. The Join The Computer To A Domain Or Workgroup screen lets you choose whether you would like the target machine to join a workgroup or domain environment, as shown in Figure 6. Accept the option you want (in this example, we've chosen the default setting of joining a workgroup) and click Next.

   Figure 5. Configuring the computer name

   

   Figure 6. Joining a domain or workgroup

   

4. The Specify Whether To Restore User Data page (Figure 7) can be used when performing a refresh or replace scenario. This page allows you to restore the user's data and settings (IE favorites, My Documents, and Outlook settings, to name a few) from an existing machine that you previously gathered the user's data and settings from and stored on a server. To restore the user's data and settings, specify the UNC path (\\ServerName\SharedFolderName) in which you stored it. When the deployment of Windows 7 is complete, the user's settings and data will be placed on the new Windows 7 machine. For purposes of this walkthrough, choose the default option, Do Not Restore User Data And Settings, because you are deploying to a new computer and you have no data to restore. Click Next to continue.

   Figure 7. Specifying whether to restore user settings and data

   

5. Choose the language in which to perform the installation, the time and currency format, and the keyboard layout on the Language And Other Preferences page shown in Figure 8 and click Next.

   Figure 8. Setting the language and other preferences

   

6. The time zones are displayed on the Set The Time Zone page shown in Figure 9; select your time zone and click Next.

7. Choose which applications you would like to install from the Select One Or More Applications To Install page (Figure 10). You have added only one application so far, which is why that's the only one you see. Put a check mark in the box next to Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010 and then click Next.

   Figure 9. Setting the time zone

   

   Figure 10. Selecting applications to deploy

   

8. The first option on the Specify Whether To Capture An Image page (Figure 11) allows you to capture an image of this reference computer for creating a reference image of the installation once it's completed. This option will first install Windows with its application and then prepare the machine with Sysprep. When it's done, it will copy the WIM file back to the deployment server. The Prepare To Capture The Machine option copies the files needed to prepare the machine with Sysprep but does not actually run Sysprep or capture an image of the machine. The last option, Do Not Capture An Image Of This Computer," is used if you want to do a normal deployment. Select Do Not Capture An Image Of This Computer and click Next.

   Figure 11. Specifying whether to capture an image

   

9. The Specify The BitLocker Configuration page (Figure 12) lets you choose whether or not you would like to enable BitLocker on the target machine. If you choose to enable BitLocker, you can also specify where to store the BitLocker encryption key. Choose the option you prefer (for this example, choose the default setting, Do Not Enable BitLocker For This Computer) and click Next.

   Figure 12. Specifying the BitLocker settings

   

10. The Ready To Begin page shown in Figure 13 is the last page in the client wizard. Clicking Details will display your selections. After reviewing your settings, if you need to change any setting click the blue circle with the back arrow in the bottom-left corner. If everything looks good, click Begin and let it rip. The deployment begins and displays the Installation Progress bar that shows each stage of the installation, as shown in Figure 14.

    Figure 13. Details of the deployment

    

    Figure 14. Progress bar

    

    If the Installation Progress bar seems to freeze, you may need to move it and look underneath for error messages. When an error in the deployment occurs, the message is sometimes hidden under the Installation Progress bar. Next you'll see the Installing Windows page appear (behind the Installation Progress bar), as shown in Figure 15.

    Figure 15. Installing Windows

    

11. The target machine will reboot and prompt for a product key if you have not given it one up to this point (unless you are an Enterprise client who doesn't require a product key). Enter your product key and choose whether you would like to activate the OS automatically when the target machine has completed the installation. Click Next to complete the installation.