Setup for one time install machines
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Hello all,
Thanks to your help here, (https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/12627/problems-with-dhcp-server) I succesfully installed the fog server with a home router and reroute all pxe traffic to my new server. So far so good.
As requested, I’m making a new topic with a different topic as suggested by the developer in the earlier topic. I’ve since made a image and saved it with sysprep following this guide: https://www.ceos3c.com/sysadmin/create-generalized-windows-10-image-deploy-fog-server/
However, I’m not sure I need to install the windows adk and/or the fog client. I only need to be able to have a clean install with all the latest windows updates, and office. Windows and office will be activated at a later date. We will never use those machines ever again until it’s sold or used internally.
What would be best if it booted right on to the windows desktop with all the right settings without going to the set-up. So far I have narrowed it down to these steps:
1: Install win 10 pro on a vm or physical machine
2: Enter audit mode, make all the changes you want and save with sysprep
3: Save image to the fog server and install on as many machines as i’d like with windows handling all the driver stuff.So a few questions about that:
1: Can I capture the image the same way I do now and then use the xml file from here to handle the rest?: http://www.windowsafg.com/win10x86_x64_uefi.html
2: I’m assuming windows 10 will use different drivers for every different machine? Like when you install it yourself via usb.
3: Do I need to install the windows adk and fog client for this?
4: What is the best folder to put the .xml file? I currently use C:/customize, hidden from view.Thanks all
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@iekozz said in Setup for one time install machines:
So a few questions about that:
1: Can I capture the image the same way I do now and then use the xml file from here to handle the rest?: http://www.windowsafg.com/win10x86_x64_uefi.htmlYes the xml file is used as an answer file to the windows OOBE during the first boot up of the target computer once imaged.
2: I’m assuming windows 10 will use different drivers for every different machine? Like when you install it yourself via usb.
Yes if you sysprep the machine it will search for new hardware when you boot during oobe. If you don’t sysprep then hardware detection will still happen but it will be messy results.
3: Do I need to install the windows adk and fog client for this?
Neither. The FOG client is only used IF you want to manage the target computer post imaging. If you will never see the target computer again then you don’t need to install the fog client on the reference/golden image. WAIK is only needed in this setup if you want to adjust the unattend.xml file by hand.
4: What is the best folder to put the .xml file? I currently use C:/customize, hidden from view.
Microsoft’s recommendation is c:\windows\panther. The older location is still supported but not recommended. c:\windows\setup\sysprep
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@george1421 said in Setup for one time install machines:
@iekozz said in Setup for one time install machines:
So a few questions about that:
1: Can I capture the image the same way I do now and then use the xml file from here to handle the rest?: http://www.windowsafg.com/win10x86_x64_uefi.htmlYes the xml file is used as an answer file to the windows OOBE during the first boot up of the target computer once imaged.
2: I’m assuming windows 10 will use different drivers for every different machine? Like when you install it yourself via usb.
Yes if you sysprep the machine it will search for new hardware when you boot during oobe. If you don’t sysprep then hardware detection will still happen but it will be messy results.
3: Do I need to install the windows adk and fog client for this?
Neither. The FOG client is only used IF you want to manage the target computer post imaging. If you will never see the target computer again then you don’t need to install the fog client on the reference/golden image. WAIK is only needed in this setup if you want to adjust the unattend.xml file by hand.
4: What is the best folder to put the .xml file? I currently use C:/customize, hidden from view.
Microsoft’s recommendation is c:\windows\panther. The older location is still supported but not recommended. c:\windows\setup\sysprep
Thanks again, trying this now in a vm. Just be be sure, I don’t need to select wipe disk here in the url in mentioned above since all of our hdd’s are already wiped.
And also, don’t think I need the rest since I already installed it via fog? -
@iekozz You are using the online compiler to create your unattend.xml file. That is a good start, but there are things (like disk provisioning) that you are going to want to remove from the actual unattend.xml file. In the case of FOG, its going to create a hard disk partition configuration that matches your golden image already. If you leave it in, basically you are telling the unattend.xml file to wipe the disk that FOG just imaged. Understand you can do that, but that’s not really what you need.
Use the online tool to create your baseline unattend.xml file then either edit it by hand or the unattend.xml editor that is part of your WAIK installation on a management computer.
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I will just remove it, from the document. Also, I think I can windows configuration designer to make a xml file for me?
Thanks again.
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@iekozz you can use the windows designer to create it for you. But I can say I started out with the online configuration generator to create the basic structure then did a combination of hand editing and the WAIK designer (not the right name) to tweak the configuration. Sometimes its just faster to edit the xml file with notepad++ than to launch the windows designer. The only thing you have to remember by hand editing is to not break the xml formatting.
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@george1421 Just tested it in a vm, boots right to the desktop, all settings applied, yay!
Used this sysprep command: sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:C:\Windows\Panther\autounattend.xml
Is there a need to include the following code in the image? I don’t think so since I never use the pc again.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <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"> <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:D:/sources/install.wim#Windows 10 Pro" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend>``` Thanks again. Too bad windows still insists on installing the spam windows store apps even though I removed them in audit mode. Oh well. -
@iekozz Copy profile doesn’t work in win10 like it did in win7.
For store application there is a powershell script you run on the golden image to uninstall the application from the current profile as well as uninstall it from windows. Google this “powershell script to remove windows 10 apps for all users”
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@george1421 Thanks, hopefully this will remove those very annoying candy crush apps. MS default apps are fine.
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@iekozz Yes it will. The only downside is when Windows is updates to the next release all of that crud will come back. But then just run the script and remove it again.
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@george1421 Removed them via the powershell script but they came back when it boots to the desktop. When they are setting up the account. When windows takes a few mins to process everything.
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@iekozz There are two commands you need to use when removing applications. The first one removes it from the current user the second one removes them from the system. You do this as the administrator before any one else logs into the computer. After the script is run, the next users that login will not have the application on the desktop or start menu. That is the way at least it use to work. I have not done image design in a few months. MS could have changed things (yet again) with 1809 that I’m not aware of.
