Best way to deploy Windows?

[eseelke]

Server

• FOG Version: 1.3.0 SVN 6050
• OS: Debian Jessie

Client

• Service Version: none
• OS: none

Description

I have a small IT shop that re-images computers on a daily basis. I am wanting to use the FOG server in the simplest way possible and not entirely sure the best way to do that. So looking for advice.

What I want to do is install Windows, then use Ctrl-Shift-F3 to go to sysprep mode. Then once it’s it’s up, I generalize and reboot to capture in FOG.

At this point I can deploy and it works, but is missing drivers and updates.

So, I want to find out how I can add a command to run Snappy Driver Installer and wsusoffline from a network share. This is the part I am struggling with.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Eddie

[Tom Elliott]

While not a perfect “here’s what you do” maybe the information on this thread might be able to help get you started on the journey?

https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/9133/fog-doesn-t-attempt-to-pull-drivers-through-postdownloadscript-for-m-2-drive

[THEMCV]

@Tom-Elliott Wrong thread, but I did post them both.

Here you go: https://forums.fogproject.org/topic/8878/fog-drivers-script-will-not-run-correctly-in-postdownloadscripts

Hi @eseelke!

Is this Windows 7 or 10?

Here’s a small write up I made. It’s pretty condensed, but if you need help with anything just let me know.

0_1483549323105_Imaging.docx

[Tom Elliott]

I tried. Thanks for posting more relevant information.

[george1421]

What OS are you deploying and do you plan on installing the FOG client on every reference image? There are different ways to go about this depending on your end goal.

Since you are a “small IT shop” does this mean you are a computer repair shop or an IT group inside your company. The approach will be different based on if you will see these imaged computers on a daily basis.

[Wayne Workman]

To automate the wsus stuff, you’ll need the fog client. But running a small I.T. shop, I would imagine that the FOG Client is not something you would want to keep installed on the systems you fix for folks. I’ve never tried it but it might be possible to also craft a snapin that uninstalls the FOG Client.

Pro tip: Put letters or numbers at the front of your snapin names to control what order they execute in.

For the snappy driver stuff, just include this in your image. Put it inside of c:\drivers and windows should use it.

I’d imagine that if you have no idea what sort of model is going to come through the door for you to fix, it’ll be difficult to automate the drivers stuff. I figure you’ll want to clean up the snappy drivers from the freshly imaged system to clear up space for the end-user.

I would be interested in what @george1421 would have to say about the drivers.

[Scott B]

I add the fogservice.msi to my sysprep Windows image, but do not install it as part of the image. Then I add the install lines to setupcomplete.cmd that sysprep runs as it completes setup.

msiexec /i "C:\ProgramData\Bak\FOGService.msi" /quiet USETRAY="1" HTTPS="0" WEBADDRESS="serveripaddress" WEBROOT="/fog" ROOTLOG="1"
sc config "FogService" start= auto
net start fogservice >>C:\FogStartup.Log

I like this gives us a clean install of FOG on the client and since FOG takes care of joining the workstation to AD I don’t have to worry about including that process in the sysprep process itself. Same for printers, FOG takes care of that automatically as well.

I think it would be easy enough to have fog uninstall itself if you didn’t want to leave it on the PCs after its initial work is done.

[eseelke]

Hi, thanks for all the answers.

We are a small IT repair shop. So, all of the computers we image belong to customers. I wouldn’t want to install the FOG client on these.

As for OS version, it is Windows 7 on up.

As for putting snappy in C:\drivers, I could do that. but would prefer to avoid that if possible as the folder is over 130GB in size.

I tried the fog.drivers script, but never could get it to work.

I think for me, the part that is unclear, is do I need to alter the image in any way prior to capture? Or does the FOG server handle adding the tasks?

Thanks, Eddie

[george1421]

@eseelke The what I would recommend is that you create a generic “windows 7” image and then inject the proper drivers during imaging. You don’t want/need the fog client since you won’t be connecting the built computers to AD/renaming them or any of that.

The hardest part will be collecting all of the drivers for each random hardware model. These drivers need to be in INF format and not the drivers that use the automated .exe installers. For Win7 to detect the drivers in C:\Drivers the files need to be in that directory in INF format and for you to update the registry key either through the deployment process or before image capture to have windows look in that folder first for drivers and then in the c:\windows\inf folder.

[Wayne Workman]

@eseelke George is 100% correct. Follow his advice.