I’ve been doing some prep work with WDS this week for a client, (I’ve covered Deploying Windows 7 with WDS before). So I went to check if there was a new WAIK as Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 have had a Service Pack 1 released since last time I deployed windows 7 in bulk.
And sure enough, there is an update. (Though the update is for WindowsPE Not the SIM tools I would be using).
2. Download the supplement to your machine (Note: is comes down in .iso format).
3. As the files are in .iso format you can burn them to a DVD, though I prefer to use 7Zip and just extract the files as if they were a zip folder/archive. By default WAIK will install to “C:Program FilesWindows AIK” (Note: your location may be different, check). In this example I’ve extracted the update to E:WAIK_SP1, change your path accordingly.
I’ve had my trusty Reatogo Boot CD in the back of my CD wallet for a few years now, I thought it was about time I put that sort of functionality on a flash drive, and as we have Windows PE 3.0 now I though that was the best option.
Solution
Before you start you are going to need…
1. A flash drive (obviously), I’m using a 16GB flash drive, but you can get away with 4GB, though to be honest I’d recommend you start at about 8GB.
1. On your PC, while logged on as an administrator, Start > cmd {enter}
2. Enter the following commands,
[box]
diskpart
list disk
select disk *
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
active
format quick fs=fat32
assign
exit
[/box]
Note REPLACE the asterisk above with the disk number for your USB drive (see example below), in that case it is “disk 5”.
Step 2 Install Windows PE on your USB Drive.
1. Download and install the Windows Automated Install Kit for Windows 7 (link).
2. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Windows AIK > “Deployment Tools Command Prompt.”
3. Decision time: Do you want x32 or x64 Bit Windows PE? You can install either, but as I work on some OLD PC’s sometimes, so I’m going to stick with x32, here’s the commands to set up either,
4. Finally copy the contents or either c:winpe_amd64iso or c:winpe_x86iso to your flash drive.
Step 3 Test it!
Make sure you have a machine that can boot to USB and make sure the drive works.
OK, so it’s not very exiting, to start making it a bit more useful i’m going to use Nu2Menu.
Step 4 – Working with your Windows PE Drive.
The way your drive works is, it mounts a Windows image (called boot.wim) when it loads, so to make changes you need to alter that image. You do that in a 3 STEP process, you Mount the image (which puts a copy in a folder on your computer), then you edit the COPY of the image that’s in that folder, and finally you UNMOUNT the image and COMMIT your changes.
1. I’m assuming your USB drive has the drive letter G: (yours will probably be something else). Mount your windows image by doing the following > Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Windows AIK > Deployment Tools Command Prompt.
5. Navigate to c:TEMP_IMG and create a folder called Programs > In that folder create a folders called nu2menu > Download your Nu2Menu files to this folder.
6. In that folder you will notice there is a file called nu2menu.xml > Open it with notepad > Replace the text in that file with this text,
7. Save the file and close ALL your windows except the Deployment Tools Command Prompt window. execute the following command,
[box]imagex /unmount /commit c:TEMP_IMG[/box]
8. Now when you boot you should see,
Again, not very thrilling, all it can do is launch notepad and open a command window.
Step 5 Adding useful stuff.
For this example I’m going to use a small standalone application called securable, it tells you if your processor is x64 bit capable (and some other stuff).
3. Navigate to C:TEMP_IMGWindowsSystem32 > Create a folder called “WinPEProgs” > In that folder create a folder called “Securable” > Drop securable.exe in there.
Note: I know it would be more elegant for it for go in Programs or Program files, but I can’t get the nu2m2nu.xml to run stuff from there – feel free to email me if you have some working code.
4 Open C:TEMP_IMGProgramsnu2menu using notepad edit the nu2menu.xml file and add the following line (see diagram for where it goes.
5. Save and close the xml file, then close ALL your windows except the Deployment Tools Command Prompt window. execute the following command, [box]imagex /unmount /commit c:TEMP_IMG[/box]
6. Now you can launch that application from your “Admin” menu.
You now should have enough information to put any further applications you require, if you find any particularly cool ones, email me and let me know.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
There’s very little about this that seems to be stored in one place out there on the Internet, Why would you want to use Ghost and WDS together anyway? Well once upon a time we used the PXE element is RIS, (WDS’s Predecessor) to use the Symantec GhostCast server. So yes I understand why people raise an eyebrow because you can achieve all your imaging needs with WDS alone. however people have invested heavily in Ghost over the years and rely on ghost images – also if you are using ghost to back up machines, then you may want to image them WITHOUT sysprep-ing then first (Which WDS does not seem to want to let you do.)
Doing this in a virtual environment tends to be fraught with problems, with both with Microsoft and
VMware, I’ve had trouble testing this. But when using real machines it works fine – remember any drivers you need must be Windows Vista ones. And Windows PE wont run in a Guest VM in VMware ESX, unless you set the client type to Vista (Even if it is another OS).
Pre Requisites
1. The Server needs an installed and working DHCP Scope, WDS adds a PXE option to it.
2. You need a reference PC set up.
3. You need to download the WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit).
Solution
Phase 1: Install WDS
1. To start with, you need to add WDS as a Windows component, Start > Run > appwiz.cpl {enter}.
2. Scroll down to Windows Deployment Services and tick the box > Next. Note: This in an R2SP2 Version of Windows Server 2003, if you cannot see WDS then install SP2.
3. WDS is added (The server may ask for the install CD).
4. Click Finish.
5. Click “Yes” to Reboot.
6. Start > Administrative Tools > Windows Deployment Services.
7. Expand Servers.
8. Select your server > Actions > Configure Server.
9. Next.
10. Provide a path to the location you want to store your images in.
11. If the location is on the system drive you may see this warning > Click Yes.
12. Tick Both > Next.
13. Bottom Option > DONT tick the box > Finish.
14. WDS Copies over some files and configures itself.
15. Untick the box, we are going to do this manually and just add what we want. > Finish.
6. Click Start > Run > notepad {enter} File > Open > Navigate to c:winpe_x86mountwindowssystem32startnet.cmd (Note: change files of type to “all files” or you wont see it).
7. Add ghost32.exe (as shown) then save the file and exit.
8. Switch back to the Windows PE Tools Command Prompt, Execute the following command,
peimg /prep c:winpe_x86mountwindows {enter}
9. Type “Yes” {enter}.
10. When done it should say “PEIMG completed the operation successfully.”
1. Start > Administrative Tools > Windows Deployment Services. > Expand Windows Deployment Services > Servers > Your Server > Right Click Boot Images > Select “Add Boot Image”.
2. Browse to the Boot.wim file you created above.
3. Give the image a sensible name and description > Next.
4. Next
5. The image will be coped into WDS.
6. When done you should see it on the right.
Phase 5: Set GhostCast Server to Accept an Image
1. Start > All Programs >Symantec Ghost > Ghostcast Server.
2. Give it a Session Name > Select Create Image (Assuming you have a reference machine ready to image TO the server) > Click Browse to Find a location that has enough space to hold the image file. > Note you will need to create the filename.gho to continue. > Click “Accept Clients”.
Phase 6: PXE Boot your client to the network, and image it
1. Remember to boot from the network the client must have a PXE capable network card and it must be set in the BIOS to be higher in the Boot order that the system drive, most machines now give you a key to press on boot, to boot from the network (Usually F12).
2. Cast you mind back to phase 3 step 7, those are the commands getting executed, winpeinit is the plug and play loader for windows PE.
Note: If you are using VMware and you have not set “Vista” as the machine type it may hang here and never launch ghost.
3. Like an old friend, Ghost appears > OK.
4. GhostCast > Unicast.
5. Give it the session name you set up in phase 5, > Either let ghost find the ghost cast server or enter its IP address. > OK > Select the Disk you wish to Image > OK > When asked about compression Select High > Click OK > Imaging will start.
Note: Make sure it displays a valid IP address at the bottom or it will fail, (If it says 127.0.0.1 then you need to add the drivers for his machine to the image).
6. Back at the GhostCast Server > You will see the session imaging across.
Note: To Deploy an Image TO the client, the operation is the same exept in the ghostcast server tick “Restore Image” and point it to the image-name.gho file to deploy, and on the client select “Multicast” when PXE Booted.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
This is aimed at people who want to capture a pre built machine and roll that image out to many PC’s. The client machine can either be vista or XP, at the time of writing most corporate’s are still using XP so I’ll use XP for this example.
The whole procedure was done on the workbench in Virtual Server, which is how I recommend you try doing this before trying it live. I wrote this because I struggled to find a good walk through on the internet, that was shorter than a squillion pages, I’d rather spend two weeks working out how to do it myself rather than RTFM, so I’ll save you good folks the trouble.
To do the whole thing you need to do three things, 1) Set up and configure WDS. 2) Image a reference PC and 3) Deploy that image to other PC’s.
Pre Requisites
1. The Server needs an installed and working DHCP Scope, WDS adds a PXE option to it.
2. You need a reference PC set up and “Sysprepped” with enough room on its drive to store the image.
3. You need the install DVD for either Windows Vista or Server 2008.
Note If you still want to use Ghost with WDS CLICK HERE
Solution
Phase 1 Setup up And Configure WDS
1. To start with, you need to add in WDS as a Windows component, Start > Run > appwiz.cpl {enter}
2. Scroll down to Windows Deployment Services. and tick the box > Next.
Note: This in an R2SP2 Version od Windows Server 2003, if you cannot see WDS then install RIS and install WDS from the WAIK available to download from Microsoft.
3. WDS is added (The server may ask for the install CD)
4. Click Finish
5. Click Yes to Reboot.
6. Start > Administrative Tools > Windows Deployment Services.
7. Expand Servers.
8. Select your server > Actions > Configure Server.
9. Next.
10. Provide a path to the location you want to store your images in.
11. If the location is on the system drive you will see this warning > Click Yes.
12. Tick Both > Next.
13. Bottom Option > DONT tick the box > Finish.
14. WDS Copies over some files and configures itself.
15. Untick the box, we are going to do this manually and just add what we want. > Finish.
16. Right Click Boot Images > Add Boot Image.
17. Browse your Vista/2008 DVD to the sources directory and we are looking for “boot.wim” > Next.
18. Now change the name to something sensible like “Install an Image” > Next.
19. Next.
20. The Image is installed.
21. Finish.
22. Select the image you have just installed > right click it > Select “Create Capture Boot Image. “
23. Call it something sensible like “Capture an Image” > choose a location to save it (you need to save it with a .wim extension) > I call it capture.wim so I know what it is > Next.
24. The Image is created.
25. Finish.
26. Now we need to create a group to put out machine images in > Right click Install Images > Add Image Group.
27. Give it a name > OK.
28. Make sure it’s there.
29. Now we need to add the “Capture Image” we created in step 23 > Right click Boot Images > Add Boot Image.
30. Point it to the capture.wim file you created earlier.
31. Make sure its “Capture an Image” > Next.
32. Next.
33. The image will be imported.
34. Finish.
35. If you’ve done everything correctly you should see two entries under Install Images called “Capture an Image” and “Install an Image” When you see the boot menu later you will see why I named them this way.
Phase 2 Capture the Image from a Reference PC
36. Once you have build the reference PC, configured all the applications and settings, and ran sysprep. Boot it from the network (note you may need to alter the BIOS boot order to do this). Though most machines have a key sequence to press (F12 usually) to do a network boot (Note: in virtual server DEL enters the BIOS).
37. Now you can see why we named the images accordingly > Select Capture an image > Enter.
38. The files are loaded into memory.
39. Next.
40. Select the volume to image (if there’s nothing there then you either did not sysprep properly of the PE environment you are in has no drivers for the volume you want to image – Press shift and F10 if you can change to the C: drive then the drivers are there and sysprep is the problem. Give the image a name and description. > Next.
41. Enter a location on the PC to store the image > Put in the IP address or name of the WDS server > Connect.
42. Give it a username and password in the DOMIANusername format > OK.
43. Select the image group you created in step 27 > Finish.
44. First the image is copied locally.
45. Then its uploaded to the WDS Server.
46. When it hits 100% the button changes to Close > Click it > the Reference PC will reboot.
47. Back a the WDS Server right click Client Images > Select “Add Install Image”.
48. Navigate to the image that’s just been uploaded, it will be in the folder you set up in step 10 in a sub folder with the same name as your image group (if you can’t find it remember there’s still a copy on the Reference PC) > Next.
49. Next.
50. Next.
51. Finish.
52. There’s your image ready to go.
Phase 3 Image the Target PC’s
53. As above boot your target PC from the Network.
54. This time select “Install and Image” > Enter.
55. The files are loaded into memory.
56. It looks very Vista-ish but trust me it will install XP > Select the correct locale > Next.
57. Enter a username and password using the DOMAINusername format > OK.
58. Select the image you created earlier. > Next.
59. Select the drive to install in on > Next.
60. The image will install.
61. As soon as its finished it will reboot.
62. Depending on how you sysprepped XP you will either see this……………
63 ……….. or this. Job done.
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
When Microsoft released Windows Vista and Server 2008 they had the brilliant Idea of putting all the versions you would require in the same install media. With Windows 7 they have changed their approach, and the install media is specific to the version that is going to be installed. Well actually that’s not true the version is decided by a file in the installation media called ei.cfg and all versions are STILL in there.
What they still do, is have their x32 bit and their x64 bit Operating Systems on different media. If you do a lot of installs you might want them all on one DVD. Below are two walkthroughs, the first shows you how to make an x32 and x64 bit install DVD with all the versions* on it, the second shows you how to unlock your exiting install media so that all the versions on it are accessible.
*When I say “all versions” I’m NOT including Windows 7 Enterprise, that comes on separate media, and is just for open value subscription customers, or customers with software assurance.
Solution
Create an x32 AND x64 bit Windows 7 Multi Install Media DVD
1. Download your Windows 7 ISO Images (x32 and x64), from VLSC, Technet, or MSDN etc.
2. Make two Directories on your Machine’s C: Drive called Master and Images.
3. Using 7Zip open the x32 bit ISO file you have downloaded, and extract the sourcesinstall.wim file to the C:Images folder.
4. Then rename the file you just extracted to x32.wim.
4. Using 7Zip open the x64 bit ISO file you have downloaded, and extract the sourcesinstall.wim file to the C:Images folder.
5. Then rename the file you just extracted to x64.wim.
6. Check the x32 image for the “Image Index” (these are the numbers of all the Windows versions in this image), Yours will probably be identical, but you may have different media so check! Launch the “Deployment Tools Command Prompt”
To check the image index, execute the following command;
[box]
imagex /info C:Imagesx32.wim
[/box]
You can see (above) this image has five images within it, scroll down and you can see them.
Mine is structured as follows;
Image 1 – Starter Edition Image 2 – Home Basic Image 3 – Home Premium Image 4 – Professional Image 5 – Ultimate
7. Create a new image from all these Windows 7 x32 images, by executing the following commands;
14. Test your new install media (Note: if you want to Burn a DVD from this ISO use ImgBurn (it’s free).
Create an x32 OR x64 bit Windows 7 Multi Install DVD.
So if you have the installation media in .iso format you can change it so you can see the other install versions. On THIS site there are some utilities to help you – the “eicfg removal utility” removes the pointer to the file (which means you can install any version by picking it from the install menu (like you did with Windows Vista). Or you can swap your version with the second tool “Windows 7 iso image edition switcher”. I deploy a lot of machines so the former is a much better option for me.
1. Drop the windows 7 .iso file somewhere you can get at it (i.e. on your desktop).
It’s been a while since I posted run through’s on WDS – they were on Server 2003, and were for deploying Windows XP.
I’ve completely re-written this page and shot a series of videos to make the process a little easier to understand.
Solution
Step 1 Notes
1. If the WDS Server is NOT the DHCP server then do NOT tick both the DHCP options, (as stated in the video), on your DHCP scope configure “DHCP Options” 66 and 67, like so;
2. If you are going to capture and deploy x64 Bit images you want to import the x64 bit boot.wim file from either the Windows 7 OR Windows Server 2008 R2 DVD (In the sources Directory).
Step 2 (Capture the Windows 7 Reference Machine).
Step 2 Notes
1. If your having trouble with talking to the WDS server over the network you may need to import the network drivers into the boot images on the WDS server, see here and here.
Computername > * (Note: Generates a random name). CopyProfile> true Registered Organization> Your Organisation Registered Owner> Your Owner ShowWindowsLive> false TimeZone> GMT Standard Time
Anyone who has tried the version of Hyper-V that came in the first release of Server2008 may well have written it off as a bad lot, In Microsoft’s defence it was still a Beta product in that initial release, but for many the damage has now already been done. (It seems the mistakes made by releasing “Longhorn Beta 1.00001 to the public have still not been learned).
I’ve been meaning to spend more time with this product, as I spend a lot of time with VMWare ESX and Virtual Centers, I know the questions people are going to ask, and unlike many I’m happy to to give Hyper-V a fair chance
So If the initial release is the one you have, either in your DVD’s, Technet/MSDN folders or downloads then they are buggy and problematic. You can patch the server when its built, but I Intend to a do a lot of work with the product so I want the DVD/ISO fixed before I start. Yeah I could use nLiteto include the update but, I’ll stick with the Windows Automated Install Kit.
1. Install the WAIK, select “Windows AIK Setup” > Next > I Agree > Next > Next > WAIK will install > Close. Then close down the window.
2. Copy the contents of the Server 2008 DVD to a folder on your C: Drive called C:2008×64, Create another folder called C:WIM, then locate the install.wim file and copy it from C:2008x64sources to C:WIM.
3. Create a further 2 directories on the C: Drive one called C:hyperv_update the other folder called C:hyperv_extracted, Place the update into the C:hyperv_update folder. Then drop to command line and issue the following command,
4. This is what you should see (4 files extracted).
5. From within the Windows Automated Installation Kit Program group, launch the “Windows PE Tools Command Prompt”
6. We now need to create yet another folder on the C: Drive to work in, we will call it C:MOUNT. Then issue the following command.
Imagex /mountrw C:WIMINSTALL.WIM 1 C:MOUNT
Note: There are FIVE install images inside the install.wim file you have to do each one at a time, In step 5 above you see there is a number 1, this command updates image number 1, you will need to repeat this process for images 2 to 5.
This will take a while and when finished gives no clue how it got on, Issue an “echo %errorlevel%” command, and it should return a Zero to let you know it ran OK.
8. Now we will commit the changes made to the mounted image and aply then to our install.wim file, issue the following command,
imagex /unmount /commit c:MOUNT
Note: Now repeat the process from step 5 for the other 4 images
9. You will now have an updated install.wim file (In C:WIM) copy that back to the C:2008x64sources folder (Overwrite the original when prompted).
10. Now we need to create a bootable .iso image again, there is a tool already at your fingertips to do this, (assuming you still have the Windows PE Tools Command Prompt window open), issue the following command,
Note: DO NOT use copy and paste, type the command in manually – there is a bug in some versions of oscdimg that will only work if you manually type in the command. It gives you Error number 3 if you try and use copy /paste.
11. All done 🙂 Your DVD image is at C:2008×64.iso you can burn it with your CD burning program (Or mount it in a Virtual Machine). Dont forget to delete the following folders,
