Best choice of custom install tools and process

[Stilez]

I'm creating a custom installer for Windows 7 x64. The tools look fairly straightforward so far (WAIK, MDT, DISM, SIM) but there seem to be quite a few tools and choices of approach. I'm a regular VMware user so I'm confident about installing a reference version of Windows onto either VMware or a spare hard drive, and I'm fine with cloning a VMware install to create a version for sealing.

The machines I'm installing will mainly be "one user account + admin" systems (family, friends, test systems, etc). Any customisations or settings should be applied to all users. The official Microsoft tools seem to allow more customisation than packagers like rt7lite so I'm fine with those.

What I want in my custom install is -

• Win 7 SP1 and other updates
• Installer customisations using System Image Manager or similar
• Other settings changes - registry tweaks, a few ACL permission changes, group policy settings, IE9 settings and security zones, etc
• A bunch of default user interface settings - default theme, desktop, display, icon sizes, taskbar, etc
• Various software, utilities and applications (ms office, classic shell, treesize, firefox, etc) and their settings once installed
• The final installer needs to run WPI automatically. I use WPI to handle a few customizations which vary, and also for silent install of the latest drivers for various platforms.

My questions:

1. I don't fully understand the difference between WAIK, MDT, DISM, and SIM having never used any of them (though they all seem straightforward). A short recap of their different roles and the differences between them would help, so I'm not confused.
2. Which of these tools would be recommended to use? What should my process look like in summary?
3. If the reference system is on VMware 7.x, I'm guessing I copy the VM, boot the copy to the chosen snapshot, and then generalize it, creating an installer based on that snapshot? Is that correct?
4. Does generalizing removes the current choice of driver so that when Windows installs, it chooses "the most suitable drivers" like the usual DVD would?
5. How do I ensure that customisations like user interface stuff, installed software, regedits, group policies, etc aren't lost during the generalizing process?
6. Is this the way to make customisations on the reference system be applied as the default for new accounts, so that all users created on the new system will inherit them?
7. How do I get WPI to run after installing?
8. As I understand it, the process creates a Windows installer ISO which I use to create a bootable USB drive. What's the right tool for that step? (I would need both ISO and bootable USB versions)
9. Anything else I need to be aware of?

I should be able to work most of the rest out from the excellent tutorials online, but I would like to make sure I'm using these powerful tools the right way. Thanks

Edited July 13, 2011 by Stilez

[Tripredacus]

The amount of info you are requesting is difficult to fully answer. A lot of the answers are already on the forum.

I don't fully understand the difference between WAIK, MDT, DISM, and SIM having never used any of them (though they all seem straightforward). A short recap of their different roles and the differences between them would help, so I'm not confused.

WAIK is your base toolkit. You'll need this either way. It includes DISM and WSIM, and also gives you the ability to create a WinPE as well as contains the documentation on the WAIK, WinPE and Unattended settings. Get this and read through the WAIK guide to get started.

DISM is the tool you use to service Win7 and WinPE images. You can mount volumes, add drivers and updates/packages to an image offline.

WSIM is the tool you use to create answer files for installation or sysprep.

MDT is an enterprise level tool that you can create lite and zero touch deployments from either a deployment server or from bootable media. MDT is not licensed for use by a System Builder or an OEM to assist in deployment of systems destined for resale.

Which of these tools would be recommended to use? What should my process look like in summary?

If the reference system is on VMware 7.x, I'm guessing I copy the VM, boot the copy to the chosen snapshot, and then generalize it, creating an installer based on that snapshot? Is that correct?

Everyone does their base image creation differently. I don't use VMs but I use actual test systems. My workflow is:

1. Create answer file to deploy to Audit Mode.

2. Use answer file with install media to install OS to system.

3. In Audit Mode, make changes as necessary, then sysprep /generalize /audit

4. Capture image to server using Imagex

Then I can add drivers to the image for whatever hardware its going on, or add programs to it or put an answer file that covers the OOBE pass.

Does generalizing removes the current choice of driver so that when Windows installs, it chooses "the most suitable drivers" like the usual DVD would?

Yes Generalize will remove system specific infos such as what hardware is installed. When you boot an image that has been generalized, Sysprep will redetect all hardware and look for drivers in the driver store to install. I keep track of what drivers go into what image, so that there isn't multiple drivers included for the same HwIDs.

How do I ensure that customisations like user interface stuff, installed software, regedits, group policies, etc aren't lost during the generalizing process?

These things are not touched during Generalize.

I don't know about your other questions. Look at our topic of help guides here:

[Stilez]

That's about the level of detail I needed to fill in the gaps after reading up on it. Thank you. My main remaining questions are:

MDT is an enterprise level tool that you can create lite and zero touch deployments from either a deployment server or from bootable media. MDT is not licensed for use by a System Builder or an OEM to assist in deployment of systems destined for resale.

Sounds like I don't need to worry about MDT. Does it have any real use for me?

How do I ensure that customisations like user interface stuff, installed software, regedits, group policies, etc aren't lost during the generalizing process?

These things are not touched during Generalize.

I found this:

"On reboot, you'll automatically be logged in under the built-in Administrator account. A sysprep GUI box will appear, but you can close it and NOW begin to customize your profile. Install any software/drivers, make any profile customizations, etc.

If you need to reboot, the computer will boot you back into the Administrator account. You will be stuck in this audit mode until you run sysprep with the /oobe parameter. After doing so, sysprep will delete/clean up the Administrator account, but if you have copyprofile=true in your unattended answer file, it will copy the customized Admin account to the default profile before deleting it."

I hadn't realised that the admin account would be generalised and set up as the default profile. That helps a lot.

I've probably got enough of the gaps filled now to check my other questions for myself when I try i Thanks!

[cluberti]

MDT is recommended by Microsoft for use instead of doing things manually with the WAIK and other tools, unless you're an OEM with licensing that prohibits you from doing so. MDT *is* what you should be looking at if you're *NOT* an enterprise . SCCM is designed for the enterprise.

[Tripredacus]

Thanks I forgot about SCCM. MDT is pretty straight forward to learn and there is a lot of documentation and tutorials for it.

[Stilez]

MDT is recommended by Microsoft for use instead of doing things manually with the WAIK and other tools, unless you're an OEM with licensing that prohibits you from doing so. MDT *is* what you should be looking at if you're *NOT* an enterprise .

That's really what started this thread - the presence of two deployment systems, both recommended but no clear explanation when you might choose one rather than the other or the differences which might inform a decision.

I tend to choose tweak tools that are fully featured rather than "idi ot-proof", so long as I can figure out what I'm doing.

I'm happy to use MDT or not (ie manually/WAIK), and I'm fine with creating and maintaining a reference system and all that ............. so looking at the kind of things I want to do in my Win 7 image (1st post), what are the differences I'd notice between using MDT vs. manual/WAIK methods to create the .iso?

Update - Apparently "id***-proof" is caught by the forum filter!

Edited July 15, 2011 by Stilez

[cluberti]

Doing things manually will take time and introduce potential for error. It's worth noting that MDT uses all of the same tools, but puts it all inside an easier-to-use (not easy, but much easier) package for both creating and deploying images. There's nothing you've mentioned above that MDT can't handle, and the use of WPI technically wouldn't be necessary as MDT already handles those things (very well, in fact), but if you wanted to spawn WPI you could always do so. If you're looking for a purely deployment solution, use MDT. If you're looking for PC lifecycle management (from purchase to replacement), use SCCM.