[Deploy_Windows (TRUE)] » Tips and Tricks SCCM

MDT 2010: Trace32 replacement?

Lars Krogh — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:37:36 +0000

Looks like Specops is working on a Logviewer for use with MDT and SCCM.
Could this be a replacement for Trace32 (SMS Trace)?

Get the Beta here (Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 is required to install and run the Specops Logviewer)

SCCM: OSD App Tree updated to vers. 2.6

Lars Krogh — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:05:28 +0000

I like OSD App Tree. It is a easy way to allow user interaction during a Task Sequence (TS). The app has been upgraded to vers. 2.6 and can be downloaded here and the documentation can be found here

The newest version have the ability of creating the TS variables isLaptop, isDesktop, isServer like we know them from MDT.

Configuration is done within an singel .xml file, so fire up Notepad++, create your custom .xml and test it in you pre-live TS.

ConfigMgr: CD boot media with fixed IP

Lars Krogh — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:49:17 +0000

Today I had to create a CD boot media with an fixed IP – why? - cause I had to do a OSD at a branch office without a DHCP server and had no Super User on location.

I created a CD boot media within SCCM and extracted the ISO using WINRAR.
I mounted the BOOT.WIM from \\SOURCES\

Then I created an .ini file with the name TSconfig.ini in the root of the media and a VBScript named PreTS.vbs. The VBScript run Netsh to set the fixed IP and the DNS server.

The script will execute before pulling the policies from the SCCM server.

After that I created a new CD boot media using CDIMAGE GUI. I used etfsboot.com as CD boot sector. On my 32-bit XP Pro the file is located in C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86\boot\etfsboot.com (You need a local install of WAIK 2.0 (I run ConfigMgr 2007R2 SP1)).

MDT/SCCM: WMIC CSProduct Get Name results

Lars Krogh — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:57:04 +0000

I use a lot of WMI queries during OSD. I use the command ‘WMIC CSProduct Get Name’ to get the correct Vendor and Model number, but I also use this list whenever I do not have the machine to install in front of me.

MDT/SCCM: Setting Display Resolution (Automatically)

Lars Krogh — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:43:41 +0000

I set the display resolution from a command line using SetRes.exe during operating system deployments (dirty – I know!). Today I think I stumbled onto something. Check out this solution at Systemcenterideas.com. Read the PNPDeviceID value within the root\cimv2\Win32_DesktopMonitor class and add the Monitor to the file ResSwitch.ini. Now create a package with the files ResSwitch.exe, ResSwitch.ini and ResSwitch.vbs and use it in your Task Sequence to set a correct display resolution. Download ‘Video Resolution Changer’ at myITforum.com

MDT/SCCM: Another change background tip

Lars Krogh — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:33:51 +0000

During boot into Windows PE I display a custom background.

The background has the phone number of our IT Helpdesk (in case of the deployment process stops).

It looks like this at boot time:

and then like this (for a bare metal deployment):

Once again I use BGinfo.

In my Distribution$ share I’ve created a folder called ‘Extra Files’

In this folder I include a custom Unattend.xml file (Extra Files\), BGinfo.exe (Extra Files\Windows\system32\), a BGinfo configuration file (Extra Files\Windows\system32\) and the custom background (Extra Files\Windows\system32\).

The custom Unattend.xml executes:

Bginfo.exe ‘name-of-config-file.bgi’ /nolicprompt /silent /timer:0

before executing

wscript.exe X:\Deploy\Scripts\LiteTouch.wsf

The folder ‘Extra Files’ is included when creating the LiteTouch boot media.

MDT/SCCM: Backgrounds during an installation

Lars Krogh — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:28:12 +0000

This is a great trick I got from a Windows 7 deployment webcast done by Microsoft IT.

Microsoft IT use BGinfo to set the background during a Task Sequence.

I place BGinfo.exe, BGinfo configuration files and the backgrounds in %SCRIPTROOT%

Then I call STEP.bat + a number during the Task Sequence

STEP.bat

—code—

rem Lars Krogh ’09
“%~dp0bginfo.exe” “%~dp0step_0%1.bgi” /nolicprompt /silent /timer:0

—code—

Every BGinfo configuration file looks like this:

This is the result: