Setting OSDComputerName using CustomSettings.ini

Last week I got a call from a customer, that wanted to automate the naming of new computers, that was beeing deployed using System Center Configuration Manager. They were using the build-in UDI Wizard, that comes with the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). But the default computer name for new computers are “MININT-%SomeRandomNumber%”. They want to …

SCCM 2012: Failed to Get Client Identity (80004005)

This morning, one of my customers called me and told me that they bought some new Lenovo laptops (Lenovo ThinkPad S540), but they was unable start OS Deployment using SCCM/PXE. Normally when I see this behaivor, it’s caused by a missing driver in the boot image, so I told them to verify that the driver …

SCCM 2012 – Offline Service for OS Images

OS Deployment and patch management has always been big challenge for many admins around the world. Not just the testing, but also to get the customer image patched made many ConfigMgr admins a lot older . One of the new features in ConfigMgr 2012 allows you to apply updates to an OS image that’s been …

Monitoring ConfigMgr 2012 OS Deployment using State Messages

When troubleshooting OS Deployment in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, I really miss the state messages from the advertisement status in ConfigMgr 2007. You can find the same information in reports, but for this scenario, I really prefer the Status Messages. This guide will help you create a Status Message Query for a Specific Deployment …

Coming soon: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2012 Beta 1!

New features include support for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012, an improved Lite Touch user experience, and more! Visit the MDT home page and subscribe to the news feed to be notified when he beta is available for download (releasing in early June). Source: Microsoft Solution Accelerators May Newsletter!

Run Command Line in Task Sequence for a 64-bit OS

When running certain applications and commands through the “Run Command Line” task sequence in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for a 64-bit Operating System you might find that the task will fail. This is true for applications that don’t fully support 64-bit mode. Some commands are not available by default when running in 32-bit mode, …

Enable AERO on Windows 7 64-bit systems during OS Deployment using Configuration Manager

If you wish to deploy Windows 7 32-bit using Configuration Manager, and you need to enable AERO during deployment, you needs to add a “Run Command Line” step to the Task Sequence with the following command: WinSAT.exe formal If you do the same while deploying Windows 7 64-bit, the step will fail. The is due …

How to change the default BitLocker encryption method and cipher strength when using the Enable BitLocker task in ConfigMgr 2007

By default, the "Enable BitLocker" task of a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Task Sequence defaults to an encryption method and cipher strength of "AES 128-bit with Diffuser". However, the "Enable BitLocker" task does not have any way of changing from the default encryption method and cipher strength to any of the other options: AES …

P2V Migration adds documentation and support of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Zero Touch Installation!

What is better than spending a moment to kick off a completely automated process to redeliver an existing operating system as a virtual machine within a new build of Windows 7? Answer: Making the entire process "zero touch" without necessitating a visit to the target computer or manually initiating the migration! P2V Migration for Software …

TechNet Webcast: Automating Windows 7 Deployments Using System Center Configuration Manager (Level 300)

Event Overview We focus on automating Windows 7 operating system deployments using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager in this webcast. First, we cover how to automate hardware and software inventory using Asset Intelligence to determine what applications and hardware are needed for deploying Windows 7. Next, we examine deploying Windows 7 packages, and we discuss …