deploying win7 with WDS

[Jackoregan]

Hi Guys,

I want a pretty much zero touch installation of windows 7 using WDS. I have created my image and installed the usual software. Sysprep'd and captured a .wim with a winPE cd & imagex. I imported the .wim into my WDS server. I managed to get an answerfile working so WDS setup is automated. When I network boot a computer and pick windows setup (x86) it just knows what image I want and installs it etc. My problem is after the image has been deployed I'm still being prompted for language/timezone enter a user name etc. I tried to associate an answerfile with my image on the WDS server but I guess its not working. Should I include the answerfile on my image, then capture it to the WDS server instead ? Or can I get it working the way I want ? I'm not sure what needs to be in this second answerfile for the windows welcome.

What I want to happen is:

1 - boot a PC and choose boot from network

2 - select windows setup x86

Answerfile should automate WDS setup (format the disk make 2 partitions, install onto the second one)

Answerfile should automate windows welcome(?) (select the language, timezone, etc)

When its finished I will have a win7 PC at the logon screen

It should be joined to my domain and I should be able to login with my domain details

I would also like WDS to name the computers for me, eg workstation0001, workstation0002 etc

I'm not sure if everything I want is possible, or if I'm going about it the right way. Anyway let me know what you guys think.

[Tripredacus]

If this is for enterprise deployment, you may want to look into MDT 2010. I hear its a lot easier to work with than trying to manually do it with WDS.

The second answer file for the install image needs the Servicing and oobeSystem passes.

[arwidmark]

When using plain vanilla WDS for deployments you need two different unattend.xml files. One for the WDS client (with for example partioning info), and then one for the image you are deploying.

/ Johan

Ps. I would agree that integrate with MDT is a better option. But if you just want to dump an image to a client, without any settings, any intelligent driver injection, without updates or without applications, then WDS is quite useful... Ds.

[cluberti]

Ps. I would agree that integrate with MDT is a better option. But if you just want to dump an image to a client, without any settings, any intelligent driver injection, without updates or without applications, then WDS is quite useful... Ds.

Hahahahaha - I see what you did there .