Automating Windows 7 Installation for Desktop and VDI Environments

Greg Shields

AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Chapter2:CreatingaUniversalImagethatInstallsEverywhere....................................................18 StepFour:DealingwithDrivers.................................................................................................................19 UnpackingDrivers.......................................................................................................................................19 AddingDriverstoBootImages..............................................................................................................23 StepFive:AutomatingtheWinPEBootImage.....................................................................................24 PreparingWSIM...........................................................................................................................................25 LocatingtheRightQuestionsandInsertingAnswers..................................................................27 TheRemainingQuestionsandAnswers............................................................................................29 Validating,Saving,andAddingtheAnswerFiletoWDS............................................................30 StepSix:AutomatingtheSetUpWindowsPhase..............................................................................31 . TimeforApplications.....................................................................................................................................34 DownloadAdditionaleBooksfromRealtimeNexus!........................................................................35

AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

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Chapter2:CreatingaUniversalImagethat InstallsEverywhere
Asyoucompletethestepsfromthepreviouschapter,youreabsolutelyreadytostart deployingWindows7images.Theyrenotterriblycustomizedimagesyet,buttheyllwork. Oncedeployedtodesktops,theseimageswilllookalmostexactlylikethegenericWindows 7installationyouwouldinstalldirectlyfromtheDVDmedia. Theresnothingwrongwithagenericimage,especiallyconsideringthatmanyofushave usedthewalkaroundtheofficeDVDinhandapproachforyears.Buttheresalsonothing particularlyautomatedaboutthem.Worseyet,theseimagesarenttrulyuniversal.Ifthe computerstowhichyouretargetingtheimagesneedasetofdriversthatarentontheDVD media,theymightnotworkproperly.Letsthinkforaminuteaboutwhatthissolution lacks: Driverinjection.Windows7comeswithamassivestackofdriversrightinsideits DVDmediaandthroughWindowsUpdate.Butcomputerstodayoftenneedtheir owncustomdriversoverandabovethedefaults.Oursolutiondoesntyethavea waytoinjectthosecustomdriversintoourimages. AutomatingtheWinPEphase.Rememberthatdeployinganimagerequiresaboot imageaswellasaninstallimage.Currently,ourbootimageasksusasetof questionswedprefernottoanswer,thingslikelocale,keyboard,usernameand passwordtodeploymentserver,operatingsystem(OS)toinstall,anddisk partitions.Realautomationmeansansweringthesequestionsbeforehandand lettingoursolutiondothework. AutomatingthesetupWindowsphase.EvenafteransweringallofWinPEs questions,theresstillafullsecondsetofquestionsrequiredbytheWindows installationitself.TheSetUpWindowswizardasksforausernameandpassword, acceptthelicenseagreement,configurationsettingsforWindowsUpdate,identify networksettings,andsetthetimeandtimezonesettings.Wealsowantthese questionsansweredbeforehand,sowecanzippastthismanualstep.

Thus,oursolutionisindeedstillincomplete.Ithasntevolvedyettousingauniversal image,onethatcaninstalleverywhere.Norisitfullyautomatedsothatittakescareofthe heavyliftingonourbehalf.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Theresgoodnews:ItispossiblewithtodaysWindows7deploymenttechnologiestoadd thesethreecapabilitieswithnotmuchextraeffort.Illshowyouhowtodojustthatinthis chapter.Aswiththepreviouschapter,Illbesupplyingyouwithareceipttogetstarted.Ill thenpointoutafewplaceswhereyoucanexploreonyourownforevengreater automation.Letsbeginwiththedrivers.

StepFour:DealingwithDrivers
WindowsDeploymentServer(WDS)gotaverynicenewfeatureinWindowsServer2008 R2.Thatnewfeaturetakesmostofthepainoutofautomaticallyinjectingdriversintoa deployment.NavigateovertotheWDSconsoleinServerManager,andscrolldowntoits Driversnode.Hereyoucanaddsetsofdrivers,calledDriverPackages,toyourWDSserver. ThoseDriverPackagescontainthedriversthatacomputermightwant.RememberPlug andPlay?WindowsPlugandPlaysuppliestheautomationframeworkforinstallingthese driversinsideaWindowsdeployment. PlugandPlay:AwesomeforWindowsInstallations DuringWindowsinstallation,therealpowerofMicrosoftsPlugandPlay shines.YoualreadyknowthatPlugandPlayistheservicethatwatchesfor newhardwaretobeconnected.Whenitdetectsnewhardware,itmatches thehardwarecomponentscharacteristicstothedriversavailable.Whenit findsamatch,thecorrectdriverisautomaticallyinstalled,makingthe hardwarereadyforuse. Althoughyoureusedtoseeingitsactionswhenyoupluginanewdevice, PlugandPlayisalsoinactionduringtheinstallprocess.Duringinstall, WindowsinvokesPlugandPlaytodetecttheinstallationhardware.The correctdriversaretheninstallediftheyreavailable.Iftheyrenot,Windows usesagenericdriverwhenoneisavailable. Intheend,whatyouneedisamechanismtomakecustomdriversavailable duringtheinstall.Iftheyreavailable,Windowswilltakecareoftherest. DrivePackagesenableyoutomakecustomdriversavailableduringinstall.Oncecreated andaddedtoWDS,PlugandPlaywillfindandinstallthecustomdriversastheOS deploymentbegins.

UnpackingDrivers
ThehardparthereisgettingdriversintoaformatthatWDScanuse.WDScannotwork withdriversthatarepackagedinto.EXEor.MSIfiles.Driversneedtobeextractedfrom their.EXEor.MSIfilesothatWDScanfindeachdrivers.INFfile.

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Rememberhowmostdrivers,whentheyrefullyunpacked,arrivewithsomecombination of.SYS,.CATand.INFfiles?Youcanconsiderthe.INFfiletobeakindofinstructionmanual forinstallingthedriver.Itisthe.INFfile,usuallyoneforeachdriver,thatWDSneedsto find.Itneedstheotherfilesaswell,butconsiderthe.INFasyourstartingplace.Everything elseWDSneedsisusuallyfoundinthesamelocation. Asyoucanimagine,locatingthe.INFcanbedifficult.Findingitissometimesagameof educatedguessing.Sometimesdriversarrivewiththeir.INFfilesalreadyextracted.Other times,theyarepackagedintoa.CABor.ZIPfile.Yourmileagewillvary,witheachdriver beingalittledifferent. UnpackingtheVMwareToolsDrivers Dontworryifthisunpackingprocessisabitconfusingthefirsttimearound. Mostofusareusedtousinginstallfilestoautomateeverythingafterwe doubleclick.Unfortunately,thatdoubleclickdoesntworkforthisspecific need.Letmestepyouthroughaquickexamplethatcanillustrateone mechanismtolocatethefilesyouneed. IfyourefollowingalongusingVMwareWorkstationasyourlab environment,youknowthatVMwarescustomdriversarefoundinthe VMwareTools.EveryOSthatrunsinsideVMwareWorkstationneedsits VMwareToolsinstalledifitstoworkproperly.ForWindows,thosetoolsare foundinthefileC:\ProgramFiles(x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\windows.iso. MountthatISOusingatoolsuchasVirtualCloneDrive,andtakealookatits contents.Insidearetwo.MSIfilesthatcontaintheVMwareToolsdrivers: VMwareTools.msiandVMwareTools64.msi.Youwantthecontentsofthese files.Youcanextractthemtoafolderbyrunninganadministrativeinstall usingthecommand:
msiexec/aVMwareTools64.msi

Doingsowilllaunchaminisetupthatasksforalocationtostorethe unpackeddrivers.StorethemsomewheretheycanbelateraccessedbyWDS. Youllusethesedriversinthenextstep. Caution:Althoughthisprocessmakesforagreatexample,dontusethis processtoinstalltheVMwareToolsonproductioncomputers.VMware stronglyrecommendsinstallingthetoolsthroughtheirusualmechanisms insideVMwareWorkstation. Onceyouveunpackeddrivers,youcanaddtheentirefoldersworthoftheminonefell swoopbyrightclickingDriversintheWDSconsole,andchoosingAddDriverPackage. Figure2.1showsthescreenthatappears.Youcanselecteitherasingle.INFfileortellWDS tosearchafolderforeverydriverpackageitfinds.Ivechosenthesecondoptionbecause itseasierandaddseverythingatonce.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Figure2.1:Driverpackagelocation. ThewizardssecondpageprovidesaplacetoselectthedriverstoaddfromthesetWDS hasfound(seeFigure2.2).Someoftheseyouwontwant.Forthose,youhavetwooptions: clearthecheckboxtopreventadriverspackagefrombeingloadedtoWDS,ordoubleclick thedriverandchangeitsstatustoDisabledifyouwantitloadedbutnotenabledfor deployment.Doubleclickingindividualdriversalsogivesyoumoredetailsaboutthat driver,itsfiles,andothercharacteristics.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Figure2.2:Availabledriverpackages. ClickthroughtheremainingwizardpagesandaddthedriverstothedefaultDriverGroup1 tocompletethewizard.DriverGroup1isthedefaultgroupthatcanbeusedbyall computersasaninstallationisdeployed.Thus,rightoutoftheboxanydriverthatis containedinDriverGroup1willautomaticallybeavailableforanydeploymenttoany computer. YoumightatthispointwanttoaddtoDriverGroup1thesetofdriversyouknowyour desktopswillneed.Onceadded,tryatestinstallationtoseewhetherthosedriversare successfullyinstalledduringadeployment.Youllbeabletotellbyloggingintoadesktopas AdministratorafterdeployinganOS.Oncethere,checkthelistofdriversinDevice Manager.Youvedoneeverythingcorrectlyiftherightdriversappear.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Note Althoughthistoolisgreatwhendriversareperfectlymatchedtocomputers, youmightexperiencethesituationwheredriversconflictwitheachother. Forexample,driversfromonehardwaretypemightbeveryclosetothoseof another.Asaresult,thewrongsetofdriverscanbeinstalledbyWDS. Inthiscase,youllneedtoconfigureWDSdrivergroupsincombinationwith filters.WDSfiltersrestrictdriverinstallationstocertainhardware characteristicssuchasmanufacturer,BIOSvendor,UUIS,OSversion,andso on.Theyprovideawaytotargetspecificsetsofdriverstospecificsetsof hardware. Configuringthesefiltersisoutofscopeforthisbook;youcangetmore informationaboutthemathttp://technet.microsoft.com/en us/library/dd348456(WS.10).aspx.

AddingDriverstoBootImages
Uptonow,Iveshowedyouonlythestepstoadddriverstoinstallimages.Ifyourhardware willnotfunctionwiththegenericdriversincludedinWinPE,youllneedtoaddcustom driverstoyourbootimageaswell.Thisprocessisslightlydifferentthanwithinstall images.Thebootimageprocessrequiresspecificallyaddingdriversintothebootimage ratherthanjustmakingthemavailable. Beforeyoustart,driverpackagesforbootimagesmustfirstbeaddedintotheDriversnode usingthemethodIvealreadyexplained.Onceadded,injectthemintoabootimageby rightclickingthebootimage,andchoosingAddDriverPackagestoImage.Thisselection bringsupamultiscreenwizardforselectingtheappropriatedriverpackages.Figure2.3 showsthemostimportantpageinthatwizard. ThispagelocatesdriverpackagesbasedonthesearchtermsyousetintheSearchbox.The settingsinFigure2.3arethedefaultsformystandardx64bootimage.Adjustyoursearch terms,thenclickSearchforPackagestorevealtheresultsatthebottom.Selectthecheck boxesfortheappropriatedrivers,andcompletethewizardtoaddthemtothebootimage.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Figure2.3:AddDriverPackagestoBootImageWizard. Note Althoughaddingdriverpackagestobootimagesiseasy,removingthemis lessso.Thus,itisrecommendedthatyoumakeabackupcopyoftheimage beforemakinganychanges.Otherwise,awronglyplaceddrivercancorrupt thebootimage.

StepFive:AutomatingtheWinPEBootImage
Withtherightsetofcustomdrivers,yourimagescannowbemadeuniversal.Thatmakes youreadyforthenextstepinconstructingyourdeploymentsolution:automating responsestothesetofquestionsaskedbyWinPEpriortostartinganOSdeployment. Thesequestionsrelatetolocale,keyboard,theusernameandpasswordWinPEneedsto downloadaninstallimage,OSandedition,anddiskpartitions.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Thingsgetalittlemorechallenginginthisstep.First,youllneedtolearntwomoreofthe acronymsintheMicrosoftdeploymentalphabetsoup:WAIKandWSIM.TheWAIKisthe WindowsAutomatedInstallationtoolKit.Amongmanyotherdeploymentrelatedtools,the WAIKisthehomeoftheWindowsSystemImageManager(WSIM).Yourfirstjobistolocate theWindows7versionoftheWAIK(theyareversionedbyOS).Forthisbook,download andinstalltheWAIKtoyourWDSserver. Onceinstalled,launchWSIM.WSIMprovidesaworkbenchforcreatingunattended installationfiles.Figure2.4showswhatWSIMlookslikeaftercompletingsomeofthe preparationsIllexplainnext.Asyoullimmediatelynote,itsaprettybusyinterface.Ill walkthrougheachofitspanesinthenextsection.

Figure2.4:AnexampleWSIMinterface. Firstalittlebackgroundonwhatyoureabouttocreate.ThefilesWSIMgeneratesprovide theanswerstothequestionsyoullwanttoeliminatefromyourautomatedinstallation. YoullinfactuseWSIMtwicetodothis.Foritsfirstrunthrough,youllbeansweringthe questionsWinPEasksduringitsportionoftheinstallation.ForthesecondwhichIll explaininStepSixyoullfollowupwithanadditionalsetofanswersthatwillbeusedby theWindowsinstallationitself.

PreparingWSIM
TogetstartedwithWSIM,createaDistributionShare.Forourpurposes,createafolder calledC:\DistroShareonyourWDSserver.Then,inWSIM,rightclickSelectaDistribution Share|CreateDistributionShare.NavigatetoC:\DistroShare,andclickOpentosetthisas yourshare.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

YournextactionwillbetoexportaninstallimagefromWDStotheshare.Thisimageis neededsothatWSIMcananalyzeittodiscoverthequestionsthatmightneedanswering. Rightclickaninstallimagethatyouplantoeventuallydeploy(yes,thatsaninstallimage andnotabootimage),andchooseExportImage.Thiswillbetheimagethatyoulaterplan todeploytoyourdesktops.IllbechoosingtheWindows7ENTERPRISEeditionimagefor mine.ExportthatimagetoC:\DistroShareandgiveitaname.Then,backinWSIM,right clickSelectaWindowsimageorcatalogfile|SelectWindowsImage,thenchoosethe.WIM imageyoujustexported. YoullbeimmediatelypromptedwiththeerrormessageyouseeinFigure2.5.ThisisOK becauseyouhaventyetcreatedacatalogfilethatisassociatedwiththisimage.Createthat catalogbyclickingYes.ThiscatalogfiletakesafewminutestogenerateasWSIManalyzes theimageforallthepossiblequestionsthatcouldbeasked.Onceitiscomplete,youllbe abletopickandchoosefromthequestionsitdiscoversandanswerthoseofinterest.

Figure2.5:Cannotfindavalidcatalogfile. Figure2.6showswhattheWindowsImagepanewillresembleoncethisprocesshas completed.Youllseethataverylargenumberofquestionsareavailabletobeanswered, manyofwhicharedifficulttounderstandandallofwhichhavecrypticnames.Many questionshavesubcategoriesoffurtherquestions.

Figure2.6:WSIMsWindowsImagepane. 26

AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Youmightspendquiteabitoftimeheresimplyfindingthequestionsofinterest.Manyof theseareintendedonlyfortheactivitiesinStepSix.Othersareintendedforwhatwere doingherewithWinPEinStepFive.Tobehonest,thisprocessismostlyaguessandtest activity.Illhelpgetyoustartedwiththeminimumyoullneedtofullyautomatethisstep. Later,youcanaddmoreanswersasyouseefitanddesiremorecustomization. Beforeyoucanbeginworkingwithquestions,youllneedtocreateananswerfile.Youll eventuallyaddthis.XMLfileintoWDS.CreateitbyrightclickingCreateoropenananswer file|NewAnswerFileintheAnswerFilepane(seeFigure2.7).

Figure2.7:Ananswerfile. Note Everyanswerfilehassevennumberedsections.Thesesevensections correspondtothesevenpassesoftheWindowsinstallation,startingwith windowsPEandfinishingwithoobeSystem(OOBEstandsforOutOfBox Experience).ForStepFiveinourprocess,wellbeworkingonlywith questionsthatrelatetoPass1.

LocatingtheRightQuestionsandInsertingAnswers
Atthispoint,youllneedtolocatethequestionsyouwantandinsertwhateveranswers makesenseforyourWindows7deployment.Illkickoffthisprocessbyexplaininghowto answeronequestionindetail.Then,inthenextsectionIllfollowupwithatableofthe remainingquestionsandtheiranswers.RememberthatIamusingthex64installationof Windows7.Questionsforx64installationsbegininWSIMwithamd64.Ifyouwillbe installingthex86version,lookforthosethatstartwithx86. Thefirstquestionyouwanttoanswerrelatestotheregionallanguagetobeusedbythe installation.IntheWindowsImagepane,navigatetoamd64_MicrosoftWindows InternationalCoreWinPE_{version}_neutralwhere{version}iswhateverversionnumber yousee.Rightclickthiselement,andselectAddSettingtoPass1windowsPE(seeFigure 2.8).

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Figure2.8:AddingasettingtoPass1windowsPE. Doingsoaddsthequestiontoyouranswerfile.Onceadded,youllthenansweritinWSIMs upperrightpane.Thatpanestitlewillalwaysbethenameofthequestionyouvecurrently selectedintheAnswerFilepane.Figure2.9showsbothpaneswiththequestion highlightedthatIvejustselected.

Figure2.9:Answeringaquestion. IfyourlanguagechoiceisUnitedStatesEnglish,thecorrectanswerforthisquestionisen us.EnterthisvalueintoeachoftheboxesexceptforLayeredDriverundersettingsinthe upperrightpane. Note Youwouldntnecessarilyknowthisbylooking,butLayeredDriverisonly usedbyJapaneseandKoreankeyboards.Ibringupthispointtohighlight howmuchresearch,guessing,andtestingyoullbedoingwhenyouattempt tocustomize.So,yes,whatyourethinkingiscorrect:Thisisnteasy.Keep followingalong,andIllatleastgetyoustarted. AlsonoticeinFigure2.9thatamd64_MicrosoftWindowsInternationalCore WinPE_{version}_neutralhasanotherquestionbelowitinthesubfoldermarked SetupUILanguage.Youllwanttoanswerthatquestionaswell.Clicktoview SetupUILanguage,andenterenusagainnexttoUILanguageintheupperrightpane.

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AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

TheRemainingQuestionsandAnswers
Youhavenowcompletedansweringthefirstquestion.Table2.1providesallthequestions andanswers.Foreach,Illexplainthequestionaswellaspossiblecorrespondinganswers. RememberthattheseanswersareformyenvironmentasIvebeenbuildingitinthisbook. Thus,yoursmightbeslightlydifferent.Locateandanswereachofthesebeforemovingon.
WindowsImagePane(Question) amd64_MicrosoftWindows InternationalCore WinPE_{version}_neutral UpperRightPane (Answer) InputLocale=enus SystemLocale=enus UILanguage=enus UILanguageFallback=enus UserLocale=enus UILanguage=enus Explanation Thisitemconfiguresthe WinPElanguagetoUSEnglish.

amd64_MicrosoftWindows InternationalCore WinPE_{version}_neutral\ SetupUILanguage amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\ WindowsDeploymentServices\ Login\Credentials amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\Disk Configuration\Disk amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\Disk Configuration\Disk\Create Partitions\CreatePartition amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\Disk Configuration\Disk\Modify Partitions\ModifyPartition

Domain Username Password

Enterthedomain,username, andpasswordoftheuserwho connectstoyourWDSshare (thesameuserasinChapter1, Figure1.10). Thisitembeginsworkingwith thefirstdiskinthecomputer. Thisitemcreatesasingle primarydisktoinstall Windows. Thisitemmodifiesthat partitiontocreatetheC:drive asthefirstNTFSdriveand partition. ThisiteminstallsWindowsto thediskandvolumecreatedin therowsabove. Seethenotebelow.

DiskID=0

Extend=true Order=1 Type=Primary Active=true Format=NTFS Label=Windows Letter=C Order=1 PartitionID=1 DiskID=0 PartitionID=1 Filename ImageGroup ImageName

amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\ WindowsDeploymentServices\ ImageSelection\InstallTo amd64_MicrosoftWindows Setup_{version}_neutral\ WindowsDeploymentServices\ ImageSelection\InstallImage

Table2.1:StepFivesremainingquestionsandanswers. 29

AutomatingWindows7InstallationforDesktopandVDIEnvironments

Note TheInstallImagequestionisaspecialcase.Ifyouwantcompleteautomation, enterthefilename,ImageGroup,andImageNameoftheimageyouwantto deployfromWDS.Youcangetthisinformationbyreviewingtheproperties oftheimageinWDS.Inmycase,thefilenamewillbeinstall.wim,the ImageGroupwillbeWindows7Default,andtheImageNamewillbeWindows 7ENTERPRISE. Ifyoudonotentervalues,youwillbegiventheoptiontoselectanimageat thetimeofinstallation.Thus,theresatradeoffbetweenfullautomationand beingabletochooseanimageateveryOSdeployment.Removethequestion entirelyfromtheanswerfileifyouwontbesupplyinganswers.

Validating,Saving,andAddingtheAnswerFiletoWDS
Thehardpartisdone!Threeeasystepsarenext:validatingtheanswerfile,savingit,and finallyenteringitintoWDS.Thefirststepisvalidation.RunavalidationbyselectingTools| ValidateAnswerFile. Youranswerfileshouldvalidatewithnowarningsorerrors.Ifoneexists,WSIMwilltell youwhatneedstobefixed.Forexample,Figure2.10showstheerrormessageyouwould seeifyourDiskIDitemunderDiskwasmissingavalue.Fixanyerrorsandrerunthe validationagainuntilitreportsNowarningsorerrors.

Figure2.10:Avalidationerror. SavetheanswerfiletotheC:\RemoteInstallfolderontheWDSserverbyselectingFile| SaveAnswerFile.BecausethisanswerfilewillbelocatedundertheClienttabinWDS,lets namethisfileunattend_x64_client.xml. AnswerfilesforWinPEareconfiguredonaperWDSserverbasisandnotaperbootimage basis.Thus,asingleanswerfilewillbeusedforalldeploymentsofaparticulararchitecture (x86,ia64,orx64)fortheentireWDSserver.Youcanattachanswerfilesyoujustcreated bynavigatingbacktotheWDSconsole,andrightclickingtheservername|Properties. Undertheclienttab(seeFigure2.11),selecttheEnableunattendedinstallationcheckbox, andclickBrowsenexttothecorrectarchitecture(x64inmycase).Providethepathtothe unattend_x64_client.xmlfile,andclickOK.

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Figure2.11:AddingtheunattendedinstallationfiletoWDS. Atthispoint,youmightwanttorerunanotherOSdeployment,justtoseehowthe installationhasnowautomateditsfirststeps.Asyoulldiscover,youwontbeaskedany questionsuntilyougettotheSetUpWindowswizardaftertheinstallationcompletes. FixingthatisajobforStepSix.

StepSix:AutomatingtheSetUpWindowsPhase
GettingridofthatpeskySetUpWindowswizardrequiresonemorestepinfully automatingtheinstallation.Bycombiningthisstep,whatweaccomplishedinStepFive, andthedriverworkinStepFour,youvefulfilledthischaptersgoalofcreatingauniversal Windowsimagethatinstallsanywhere.

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YoualreadyknowthatWSIMprovidesyouanalmosttoomuchtohandlelistofpossible questionsandanswersthatcustomizeyourWindowsinstallation.Atthispoint,however, whatyouwantisthatuniversalimagethatinstallseverywherewithnoaddedeffort.This stepwillshowyouthefewadditionalquestionsandanswersWSIMcanmanageinorderto eliminatetheSetUpWindowswizard.AnyfurthercustomizationIllleavetoyourown curiosity.YoucanspendliterallydaystweakingunattendfilesinWSIMtogettheprocess justright. GettingthroughSetUpWindowsmeansaddressingfourareas:Settingthetimezone, acceptingtheEULA,settingupthenetworklocation,andcreatingalocaladministratorand password.EachofthesestepscanbepreansweredthroughthesameWSIMtoolyouve alreadyexperiencedinStepFive.Differenthereiswhereyoullattachthatfileoncecreated. RatherthanattachingittotheClientstabfortheWDSserver,yougettoapplyyour unattendfiledirectlytotheimageyouplantodeploy. RatherthangothroughtheprocessagainforusingWSIM,letmegiveyouasecondtableof questionsandanswersthatyoullneed.AsinStepFive,useWSIMtocreateanunattendfile withthesequestionsandwhateveranswersmakesenseforyourenvironment.However, thereisoneimportantdifference.ForStepSix,youllbeaddingyourquestionsandanswers todifferentpassesintheinstallationprocess,specificallyPass4andPass7,ratherthan Pass1.Table2.2includesthecorrectpassestogetyougoing.Rememberthat,asbefore, theseanswersareformyenvironmentasIvebeenbuildingit.Yoursmightbeslightly different.
WindowsImagePane (Question) amd64_MicrosoftWindowsShell Setup_{version}_neutral(Pass4) UpperRightPane (Answer) ComputerName= %MACHINENAME% TimeZone Explanation SettingComputerNameto %MACHINENAME%will passthroughthenameyou setinWDSsNameand Approve.SetTimeZoneto yourcorrecttimezone,such asMountainStandard Time. 1 Thisitemconfiguresthe WindowslanguagetoUS English.

amd64_MicrosoftWindows International Core_{version}_neutral (Pass7)

InputLocale=enus SystemLocale=enus UILanguage=enus UserLocale=enus

Seetechnet.microsoft.com/enus/library/cc749073(WS.10).aspxforalistofapplicabletimezonestrings.

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WindowsImagePane (Question) amd64_MicrosoftWindowsShell Setup_{version}_neutral\oobe (Pass4)

UpperRightPane (Answer) HideEULAPage=true HideWirelessSetupInOOBE =true NetworkLocation=work ProtectYourPC=1 DisplayName=LocalAdmin Group=Administrators Name=LocalAdmin

Explanation HidestheEULAand wirelesssetupscreens,sets thenetworklocationto work,andenables AutomaticUpdates. Thisitemaddsalocal administratoraccount namedLocalAdmin.

amd64_MicrosoftWindowsShell Setup_{version}_neutral\ UserAccounts\LocalAccounts\ LocalAccount (Pass7) amd64_MicrosoftWindowsShell Setup_{version}_neutral\ UserAccounts\LocalAccounts\ LocalAccount\Password (Pass7)

Value={Password}

Thisitemconfiguresthe passwordforthe administratoraccount createdearlier.

Table2.2:WSIMquestionsandanswersforStepSix. Asbefore,validatethisfileandsaveittocompletethisstep.Illnamemyfile C:\RemoteInstall\unattend_w7_enterprise.xmlasthisfilecorrespondsspecificallytothe Windows7ENTERPRISEdeploymentinWDS. Note Imentionedthatyoucouldaddcustomization.Oneplacetodosoisinthe subfoldersofamd64_MicrosoftWindowsShellSetup_{version}_neutral.You caneitherfurtherpersonalizeyourinstallationbyansweringtheirquestions, orremovethemfromthefilebyrightclickingeach,andchoosingDelete. Beawarethatyourvalidationmaydisplayasetofyellowwarningsifthese subfolderitemsarenotpopulatedwithinformationornotremovedfromthe unattendfile.Soplanoneitheransweringthemordeletingthemsothat validationcompletessuccessfully. AsinStepFive,thefinalpartofStepSixistoattachthisfiletoitscorrectlocationinside WDS.Todoso,navigatetotheWDSconsoleinServerManager,thengotoInstallImages andfindtheinstallimagefortheunattendfileyoujustcreated.Rightclickthatinstall image,andviewitsproperties. Youllseeacheckboxatthebottomofthepropertieswindow(seeFigure2.12).Selectthis checkbox,andclickSelectFile.Providethepathtotheunattend_w7_enterprise.xmlfile, andclickOK.

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Figure2.12:Animagesproperties. Youredone!Atthispoint,rerunyourinstallationonemoretimeandamazeyourselfwith aWindows7OSthatfullydeployswithoutadditionalinput.

TimeforApplications
Intwochapters,wevestartedwithlittlemorethanthemanualinstallationofWindows andaddedsixstepsofautomation.Younowknowhowtoextendthebasicimageto virtuallyanykindofhardwarethroughdriversandPlugandPlay.Youalsoknowhowto automatetheWinPEandSetUpWindowsportionsoftheinstallationsothatyoucankick offadeploymentandcomebacktoaCONTROL+ALT+DELETEscreen. Yettherearestillafewthingsthatremainominouslymissingatthispoint.Thefirstand mostobviousofthesearethosepeskyapplications.AWindowscomputerisntterribly usefulforusersiftheyvegotnoapplicationstorunonthatcomputer.Thatwillbethetopic forthenextchapter.Init,Illshowyoudifferentapproachesforgettingapplicationsonto computers,someofwhichmightsurpriseyou. 34

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