Unattended install Windows 10 using Windows Deployement Service on Win Server 2012 R2

I installed WDS using PowerShell:

get-windowsfeature wds* | install-windowsfeature

In this post i configured DHCP scope.New client machines will use addresses from this scope.

To configure WDS,from server manager click WDS on the left and right click on server name on the left

In WDS console,rught click on server name and choose configure server

Check intergated with Active Directory

Select location for boot and image files

Because WDS and DHCP are on the same machine,i checked both check-boxes

Decide if you want to respond to computers objects first created in AD (prestaged) or to any computers on which F12 is pressed (unknown)

After you click Next,WDS service will start.Right click again on server name in WDS console,click AD DS tab to choose naming convention and where to store domain joined clients.Because for me domain join didn’t work,these settings weren’t neccessary.

On boot tab,we can set if clients can download boot image from WDS without need to press F12 button

Sysprepping referenced computer

Although i specified domain username/password in xml file,i couldn’t get win 10 to be domain member,i tried many,many times,with no success

Error [0x0b003a] WDS <GetNameInfo failed; status 0x8007276d>[gle=0x0000276d]</>

To overcome this issue i had to add PowerShell script to  c:\windows\setup\scripts folder

After last restart in installation process,Windows will serach for any script in Scripts folder and if find any,it will be executed

SetupComplete.cmd calls jd.ps1 powershell script

powershell.exe -nologo -executionpolicy bypass -noprofile -file "C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\jd.ps1"

By default,powershell doesn’t allows running custom PS scripts,that’s why we need to bypass it

ps1.ps joins computer to domain

$domain = "test.com"
$password = "Mypass" | ConvertTo-SecureString -asPlainText -Force
$username = "$domain\administrator"
$credential = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential($username,$password)
$ouPath="OU=workstations,DC=test,DC=com"
add-computer -Credential $credential -DomainName $domain -OUPath $ouPath -restart -force

Now we need to capture image from this client computer (so that content of scripts folder can be available to all newly deployed computers)  and upload it to WDS server so it can be available for deployement.We also can install all neccesarry applications needed for users,and adjust system to comply to company policies.I didn’t join reference computer to domain.

SYSPREP is a tool that allows an admin to create a custom install OS image with all the necessary programs preinstalled.

Sysprep is located on %Windir%\System32\Sysprep

SYSPRER removes system-specific information from a Windows image, including the computer security identifier (SID) which allows you to transfer the image to other systems

After you click OK,SYSPRER will remove system-specific info from the system and shutdown it

Creating Capture image

Capture image is type of boot image that we boot a client computer into to capture the operating system as a .wim file.We create capture image from boot image (located in setup DVD in source folder)-the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) image.

Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE) is a minimal Win32 operating system with limited services, built on the Windows kernel. It is used to prepare a computer for Windows installation, to copy disk images from a network file server, and to initiate Windows Setup.

In WDS console,right click on Boot Image-Add Boot image

browse to install DVD-source folder-and click Next

Right click on just imported boot image and select create capture image

Browse to uploaded boot image (partition set during WDS initial configuration\Boot\X64\Images

Type image and file name

Right click anywhere on the right and choose Add Boot  image

Select image created in previous step

Give it name and click next

Now,power on referenced computer (on which we run Sysprep)  press F12 and choose captured image we’ve just created

In name and location,browse somewhere on C disk and give image descriptive name,check upload image to WDS,
by default ImageGroup1 is created and click next,image of referenced client computer,represented in wim file will be uploaded to WDS.

After upload completes (time depends on client disk size and network bandwith),in WDS console rigtr click
Install image and choose Add install image

Captured image is stored in Images\ImageGroup folder

Now,when we have imported image of client computer,we can create xml file which would ensure automatic Win10

installation.Download Windows Assesement and Deployement Kit to WDS http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/1/9/8197FEB9-FABE-48FD-A537-7D8709586715/adk/adksetup.exe

Select Deployement Tools

In C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assesement and Deployement Kit\Deployement Tools\Wsim folder,run imgmgr.exe file

Windows System Image Manager opens,using this tool,we’ll create unattended.xml files needed for automatic Windows 10 installation.

Windows System Image Manager (WSIM) uses Windows image (.wim) files and catalog (.clg) files to display the available components and packages that can be added to an unattended answer file. Windows images and catalog files contain configurable settings that you can modify once the component or package is added to an answer file.

I tried to create catalog file from captured image and WSIM thrown an “unspecified error”,so i used default wim file from Win 10 install media

I had to copy install.wim from DVD to local disk

In WSIM click file-Select windows image

Browse to install.wim (copied from DVD),you’ll be promted to create catalog file

A “catalog” file is a binary file that lists the state of all the settings and packages in a Windows image. When a catalog is created, it queries the Windows image for a list of all the settings in that image

After creating catalog file,click New Answer File

Expand Conponents right click amd64_Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE_10.0.10240.16384_neutral

and select Pass1 WindowsPE (used in Windows Preinstallation environment)

Here we set Input,System,Language and User locale

Now select Microsoft-Windows-Setup_10.0.10240.16384_neutral and again select Pass 1 WindowsPE

In this stage we configure HDD-partition,label and letter

Under Windows deployement service (part of Microsoft-Windows-Setup_10.0.10240.16384_neutral)we specify image name,image group and wim filename

On which disk and partition to install wim image

And WDS credentials

select amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_10.0.10240.16384_neutral and choose pass 4 specialize (varius system desktop related settings)

Save xml file to folder where images are stored.

In WDS console,right click on WDS server-Client properties and browse to xml file we just created

Win10.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<InputLocale>en-us</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-us</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
<UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback>
<UserLocale>en-us</UserLocale>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Extend>true</Extend>
<Order>1</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Active>true</Active>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>SYSTEM</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
</Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>
<WindowsDeploymentServices>
<Login>
<Credentials>
<Domain>test</Domain>
<Password>password</Password>
<Username>administrator</Username>
</Credentials>
</Login>
<ImageSelection>
<InstallImage>
<Filename>w10-(2).wim</Filename>
<ImageGroup>ImageGroup1</ImageGroup>
<ImageName>w10_custom_image</ImageName>
</InstallImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
</ImageSelection>
</WindowsDeploymentServices>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<TimeZone>Central Europe Standard Time</TimeZone>
<ProductKey>NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43</ProductKey>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/users/administrator/desktop/win10.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Create new XML file

Select amd64_Microsoft-Windows-International-Core_10.0.10240.16384_neutral and choose

pass 7 oobeSystem: In this configuration pass, settings are applied before the LogOn screen appears

Again,select amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup_10.0.10240.16384_neutral and choose

pass 7 oobeSystem

Here you can set Time Zone

Setting Local Admin Account

Save file and assign it to captured image

deploy.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<InputLocale>en-us</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-us</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
<UILanguageFallback>en-us</UILanguageFallback>
<UserLocale>en-us</UserLocale>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<UserAccounts>
<LocalAccounts>
<LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
<Password>
<Value>UABhAHMAcwB3ADAAcgBkADAANgBQAGEAcwBzAHcAbwByAGQA</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</Password>
<Description>machine admin</Description>
<DisplayName>admin</DisplayName>
<Group>administrators</Group>
<Name>admin</Name>
</LocalAccount>
</LocalAccounts>
</UserAccounts>
<OOBE>
<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
<HideLocalAccountScreen>true</HideLocalAccountScreen>
<HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
<HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
<ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
<HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
<NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
</OOBE>
<TimeZone>Central Europe Standard Time</TimeZone>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/users/administrator/desktop/win10.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Fire off workstation and installation should proceed without user intervention