When I’m working from home and my laptop is docked (as shown). I wanted to use my main keyboard, (Logitech G15) and mouse (Cyborg R.A.T. 9), to control both the main PC and my work laptop.
As it turned out when I finished I could also use the laptop keyboard and touch pad to control the main PC as well, and I could drag and drop files between desktops.
Solution
1. Download Microsoft Mouse Without Borders, it does not really matter which machine you install it on first, I chose the main PC. Run the setup file and accept all the defaults.
2. I hadn’t, so I clicked no.
3. Fair enough, I left this on the main screen and installed the software on my laptop.
4. Post laptop install, select yes.
5. Supply the code and computer name from the main PC, Click Link. (Note: mine failed for a while because XPS-630i responds from the internet! so I had to put it in my hosts file you should NOT have this problem).
6. Next.
7. Done.
8. After a few seconds the settings panel will launch, you can DRAG your machines into the right order > Apply.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
In part one we built and configured the WDS Server. Now you need to prepare the reference Windows 8 machine so that you can ‘capture’ its image.
Solution
Before you start, make sure that the machine you are imaging has PLENTY of room on one of its local drive(s), because it copies the image locally, before it sends it to WDS.
Place Your Reference Windows 8 Machine in Audit Mode
To put all the software on your reference machine and configure it how you like, the machine needs to be in ‘Audit Mode’ before you start. There are TWO ways to put the machine into audit mode.
Note: While a machine is in audit mode, it will log on automatically as the Administrator, and every time the machine boots sysprep will launch (in anticipation of you needing it).
Option 1: A Newly Built Machine
1. When you have first built the Windows 8 machine, you will see the screen below, Press CTRL+SHIFT+F3, the machine will automatically reboot and enter audit mode.
Option 2: You Are Already in Windows
2. You can also put a Windows 8 machine into audit mode by running the sysprep executable with the /audit switch.
3. Once in Audit mode, install all the program and configure all the settings you want in your master image. When you are happy run the sysprep program, (Or simply reboot, as sysprep launches at every boot when you are in audit mode).
4. Tick the ‘Generalize’ option, select either shutdown or reboot, (If you choose reboot make sure the machine is ready to pXe boot from the network, and the boot order has the NICBEFORE the hard drive, or sysprep will start and rebuild the machine before it’s imaged).
5. Sysprep will run, and shutdown or reboot as requested.
6. When the machine boots press F12 to boot from the WDS server.
7. Note: Now you can see why (in part one) we called the boot image ‘Capture an Image’ and the capture ‘Capture an Image’. Select the capture option.
8. WindowsPE will run at the welcome screen > Next,
Note: If the process fails at this point, usually it’s because the network card driver for this machine IS NOT in the boot image.
9. Select the volume that you want to image, (Note: It will NOT be C: that’s reserved, usually it’s D:) > Give the image a name, this is the name you will see in the WDS console, and when you are imaging the target machines > Enter a comment/description > Next.
10. Browse.
11. Navigate to a local drive, and give the image a name with a .wim extension > Save.
12. Tick the box to upload the image > Supply IP/Name of the WDS server > Connect.
13. Supply credentials to log onto the WDS server > OK.
14. Once authenticated you can select the image group we setup in part one > Next.
15. The image will be created on the reference machine.