Creating a Customized Windows PE Image for the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack

To completely automate the ZTI deployment process by using the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack, create a customized version of Windows PE for use by the SMS 2003 OSD Feature pack. The script ZeroTouchInstallation.vbs gathers the SMS operating system image package ID and program name.

Some deployment scenarios use Windows PE to gather deployment information from target computers or configure the target computers prior to the deployment of Windows Vista or Windows XP. In ZTI, you initiate Windows PE automatically by using Windows DS. To initiate Windows PE through Windows DS, prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images that Windows DS will use.

Prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images by using Deployment Workbench or manually. Although you can create the Windows PE CDs and legacy images manually, it is recommended that you use Deployment Workbench.

Note   These steps in this section need to be completed regardless of the method being used to initiate Windows PE (including Windows DS or SMS advertisement).

Create a Windows PE boot image file by using the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack. However, the version that the SMS OSD Feature Pack creates cannot be customized and does not include Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). To create a customized Windows PE boot image, use Deployment Workbench or a custom process. Deployment Workbench adds WMI and makes other necessary changes to the Windows PE boot image.

Note   If the image the team is creating is not for use on a Windows DS server, skip any Windows DS– or RIS-related instructions in this section.

To prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images

  1. Customize Windows PE by using Deployment Workbench or manually.

  2. Provide access to the contents of the .iso file created in the previous step.

  3. Import the customized version of Windows PE into the SMS OSD Feature Pack.

  4. Create the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack Image Installation CD based on the customized Windows PE image.

On This Page

Customizing Windows PE Customizing Windows PE
Providing Access to the Contents of the Windows PE .iso File Providing Access to the Contents of the Windows PE .iso File
Importing the Customized Version of Windows PE Into the SMS OSD Feature Pack Importing the Customized Version of Windows PE Into the SMS OSD Feature Pack
Creating the SMS OSD Feature Pack Operating System Installation CD Creating the SMS OSD Feature Pack Operating System Installation CD

Customizing Windows PE

Customize the version of Windows PE in use in ZTI-based deployment manually or by using Deployment Workbench. For ZTI-based deployments, use Windows PE 2004 or Windows PE 2005. When customizing Windows PE, operating system source files are required to provide the files required to build a bootable version of Windows PE. Table 17 lists the versions of Windows PE and the operating system source files required to build the corresponding version of Windows PE.

Table 17. Windows PE Versions and Required Operating System Source Files

Windows PE version

Required operating system source files

Windows PE 2004

Windows XP SP2

Windows PE 2005

Windows Server 2003 SP1

Customizing Windows PE by Using Deployment Workbench

Use Deployment Workbench to prepare a Windows PE .iso file. The .iso file is burned onto a CD; then, an SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack image is created from the CD. From there, create an SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack package based on the SMS 2003 image. Take the transfer the same image to a Windows DS server as a legacy image.

Note   If customizing the Windows PE image manually, skip this section and continue in section “Customizing Windows PE Manually.”

To prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images by using Deployment Workbench

  1. Add the appropriate operating systems to Deployment Workbench.

  2. Configure the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab.

  3. Update the deployment point.

  4. Burn a CD from the Windows PE image .iso file that Deployment Workbench created.

Adding the Appropriate Operating Systems

Before you can prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images, add the Windows PE 2004 or Windows PE 2005 operating system to Deployment Workbench. These become the Windows PE source for BDD 2007 deployments and are eventually deployed to the target computers.

In addition, add a version of Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1 to Deployment Workbench. Customizing Windows PE 2004 or Windows PE 2005 for use by ZTI requires certain files from these operating systems.

Add the Windows PE, Windows XP SP2 for Windows PE 2004 (or Windows Server 2003 SP1 for Windows PE 2005) by using the New OS Wizard in Deployment Workbench.

To add an operating system to Deployment Workbench

  1. To add the new operating system, complete the following steps (while skipping any wizard pages that are not displayed based on the operating system source selected):

  2. Start Deployment Workbench.

  3. In the console tree, expand Distribution Share, right-click Operating System, and then click New.

    The New OS Wizard starts.

  4. On the Choose the type of operating system to add page, select one of the options in Table 18 based on the requirements, and then click Next.

    Table 18. Operating System Type Options

    Option

    Select this option to add

    Full set of source files

    An operating system when files are the source. These files can be stored on a DVD or other folder structure made from a product DVD.

    Custom image file

    An operating system when an image file in WIM format is the source. This image is a customized version of an image captured from a target computer.

    Windows Deployment Services images

    An operating system when the source is stored in an image file on a Windows DS server.

  5. Based on the option selected in Table 19, complete the steps in Table 19.

    Table 19. Tasks to Perform for the Operating System Type Options

    Option

    Perform these steps

    Full set of source files

    On the Select the location of the operating system files page, in the Source directory box, type source_directory_name (where source_directory_name is the fully qualified path to the operating system source files), and then click Next.

    Custom image file

    On the Select the operating system image file page, in the Source file box, type source_file_name (where source_file_name is the fully qualified path to the WIM file), and then click Next.

    Windows Deployment Services images

    On the Select the Windows Deployment Services server page, in the Server name box, type server_name (where server_name is the name of the Windows DS server on which the image to be added resides), and then click Next.

  6. On the Specify the destination page, in the Destination directory name box, type destination_directory_name (where destination_directory_name is the fully qualified path to the folder into which the operating system will be copied), and then click Copy.

The New OS Wizard finishes, and the new operating system appears in the details pane.

Note   Repeat this procedure for each operating system to be added.

Configuring the Windows PE 2004/2005 Tab

Before you create the .iso file that contains a customized version of Windows PE, you need to configure the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab in the properties of a deployment point that is an OSD type. Configuring the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab provides Deployment Workbench with the necessary information for automatically customizing Windows PE.

To configure the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab

  1. Start Deployment Workbench.

  2. In the console tree, expand Deploy, and then click Deployment Points.

  3. In the details pane, right-click osd_deployment_point, and then click Properties (where osd_deployment_point is a deployment point that you want to use to prepare Windows PE).

    Note   Only deployment points with a type of OSD support ZTI and Windows PE 2004 and Windows PE 2005.

  4. In the osd_deployment_point Properties dialog box, click the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab (where osd_deployment_point is the deployment point that you want to use to prepare Windows PE).

  5. In the Windows PE source box, select windows_pe_source (where windows_pe_source is the source for Windows PE created by the New OS Wizard in the Operating Systems node under the Distribution Share node in Deployment Workbench).

  6. In the Windows source box, select windows_source (where windows_source is the source for Windows XP SP2 for Windows PE 2004 (or Window Server 2003 SP1 for Windows PE 2005) created by the New OS Wizard in the Operating Systems node under the Distribution Share node in Deployment Workbench).

  7. In the Driver Injection section, in the Driver group box, select driver_group (where driver_group is the driver group in the Out-of-Box Drivers node under the Distribution Share node in Deployment Workbench).

  8. In the Driver Injection section, select the Include all network drivers in the selected group box if you want to include all network drivers, select driver_group (where driver_group is the driver group in the Out-of-Box Drivers node under the Distribution Share node in Deployment Workbench).

    Note OSD uses only x86 versions of Windows PE. Even if you are deploying a 64-bit operating system, you need to include the appropriate x86 drivers for the Windows PE version OSD uses.

  9. In the Windows PE Customizations section, in the Custom background bitmap file box, type bitmap or browse to the file by clicking Browse (where bitmap is fully qualified path and file name for the bitmap image file).

  10. In the Windows PE Customizations section, in the Extra directory to add box type folder or browse to the folder by clicking Browse (where folder is the fully qualified path to a folder you want to include in the Windows PE image).

  11. Click OK.

Updating the Deployment Point

To create, or update, .iso file that contains the customized version of Windows PE, you need to update the deployment point. Updating the deployment point instructs Deployment Workbench to create a customized version of Windows PE by using the Windows PE source files, Windows XP SP2 source files, Windows Server 2003 SP1 source files, and the configuration settings in the Windows PE 2004/2005 tab.

To update the deployment point

  1. Start Deployment Workbench

  2. In the console tree, expand Deploy and then click Deployment Points.

  3. In the details pane, right-click osd_deployment_point, and then click Update (where osd_deployment_point is a deployment point that contains the Windows PE image that you want to update).

    Note   Only deployment points with a type of OSD support ZTI and Windows PE 2004 and Windows PE 2005.

The update completes, and the Generic_OSD_x86.iso file appears in the deployment_point_share\Boot folder (where deployment_point_share is the shared folder used as the deployment point share). For 64-bit systems the file will be named Generic_OSD_x64.iso.

Customizing Windows PE Manually

To prepare the Windows PE CDs and legacy images manually

  1. Add support to Windows PE for additional network adapters.

  2. Add WMI support to Windows PE.

  3. Create customized Windows PE images.

  4. Create the .iso file to be used to create a CD that will be used by the SMS OSD Feature Pack Wizards.

For more information about Windows PE, Windows DS, and using Windows DS to deploy Windows PE, see the Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Operating System Deployment Feature Pack Users Guide, which is included in the SMS OSD Feature Pack installation files.

Note OSD uses only x86 versions of Windows PE. Even if you are deploying a 64-bit operating system, you need to include the appropriate x86 drivers for the Windows PE version OSD uses.

Adding Support to Windows PE for Additional Network Adapters

Ensure that Windows PE has the appropriate network adapter support for all the adapters in the organization. Deployment Workbench can automatically include any device drivers defined in Deployment Workbench in the Windows PE image. Or, restrict the device drivers to only network adapters.

The steps for adding device driver support to Windows PE by using Deployment Workbench is discussed in “Configuring the Windows PE 2004/2005 Tab”, earlier in this guide. For more information about adding support to Windows PE for additional network adapters manually or by other methods, see the following information in the “Education and References” section of this guide:

  • Computer Imaging System Feature Team Guide. This guide provides information about and procedures for building a custom Windows PE image that contains all the necessary drivers.

  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Operating System Deployment Feature Pack Users Guide. This guide provides information about using the Operating System Image Installation CD Wizard to update the SMS OSD Feature Pack version of Windows PE if additional drivers must be added that were missed when building the custom Windows PE image.

Adding WMI Support to Windows PE

The version of Windows PE created by Deployment Workbench automatically includes WMI support. If you use a different method for creating the Windows PE images, you need to add WMI support to the Windows PE images. For example, the version of Windows PE that is included with the SMS OSD Feature Pack does not include WMI support.

Note   If you do not add WMI support to Windows PE, the ZTI scripts will not be able to discover attributes such as HAL type, asset tag, serial number, make, model, or universally unique identifier (UUID). Without adding WMI support, the target computer can only be identified by Media Access Control (MAC) address.

Although you can add create Windows PE images manually, it is recommended that you  use Deployment Workbench. You can build, configure, and customize Windows PE images by using Deployment Workbench. For more information about creating images by using Deployment Workbench, see *Computer Imaging System Feature Team Guide, *in “Education and References” in this guide.

For more information about how to add WMI support to Windows PE, see the Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment User's Guide (Winpe.chm) in the Docs folder of the Windows PE 2004 CD.

Creating a Customized Windows PE Image

After you add support for additional network adapters and WMI, creation of the customized Windows PE CDs can begin.

To create customized Windows PE image manually

  1. Use Mkimg.cmd to create the Windows PE image.

    Note   For more information about using Mkimg.cmd to create the Windows PE image, see the Microsoft Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Preinstallation Kit (OPK), or review the Winpe.chm file in the Docs folder of the Windows PE 1.5 CD.

  2. Make the appropriate modifications to Winbom.ini.

  3. Customize the Windows PE splash screen (necessary only if the image is to be used on Windows DS servers).

  4. Create the .iso file to be used by the SMS OSD Feature Pack wizards.

Modifying Winbom.ini

To make the appropriate modifications to Winbom.ini, perform the following steps:

  1. Open the Winbom.ini file in Notepad.

  2. In the WinPE section, open a new line, and then type Quiet=Yes.

  3. Save the file, and then close Notepad.

  4. Copy the Winbom.ini file to the I386\System32 folder in the Windows PE image.

Customizing the Windows PE Splash Screen

Note   This step is necessary only if the Windows PE image is to be used on Windows DS servers.

To replace the default Windows PE splash screen with a custom splash screen, perform the following steps:

  1. On the Windows DS server, open Windows Explorer.

  2. Navigate to RISSourcePath (where RISSourcePath is the path to the Winpe folder in the Windows PE image that to be modify—for example, D:\WinPE15\Winpe).

  3. Rename the existing Winpe.bmp file to Winpe_Original.bmp.

  4. Copy PersonalizedBMP (where PersonalizedBMP is the file name of the customized splash screen to be display) to Winpe.bmp, and then close Windows Explorer.

Creating the .iso File for the SMS OSD Feature Pack Wizards

To create the .iso file for the SMS OSD Feature Pack wizards, complete the following steps:

  1. In a Command Prompt window, change to WindowsPEFiles (where WindowsPEFiles is the folder where the Windows PE files are located).

  2. In a Command Prompt window, type oscdimg -betfsboot.com -n -h sourcefolder isofile (where sourcefolder is the folder where the Windows PE source files are located and isofile is the fully qualified path and file name of the .iso file to be created), and then press ENTER.

    For example:

    Note Some parts of the following code snippet have been displayed in multiple lines only for better readability. These should be entered in a single line.

    oscdimg -betfsboot.com -n -h e:\WindowsPE_2005_Source 
    

d:\Distribution\Boot\Generic_OSD_x86.iso

This example creates a no-emulation bootable (-betfsboot.com) ISO image with long file name support (**-n**). When the image is built, any hidden files are included (**-h**). The source directory is e:\\WindowsPE\_2005\_Source. The output file is Generic\_OSD\_x86.iso and placed in the d:\\Distribution\\Boot folder.
  1. Store the .iso created by oscdimg in the Boot folder in the distribution point that you want to use. Name the .iso file:

    • Generic_OSD_x86.iso for 32-bit versions of Windows PE

    • Generic_OSD_x64,iso for 64-bit versions of Windows PE

      Note   The remaining steps in the process assume you use the .iso naming convention listed above and that you store the .iso file in the Boot folder in the target distribution point. If you use your own naming convention or store the .iso file in another folder ensure that you substitute your .iso file name and folder in the remaining steps.

Providing Access to the Contents of the Windows PE .iso File

To import your customized Windows PE image .iso file into the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack, you need to provide access to the contents of the .iso file (Generic_OSD_x86.iso or Generic_OSD_x64.iso). The Update Windows PE wizard in the SMS OSD Feature Pack needs to copy the contents of the .iso file to create a .wim file that can be used by the SMS OSD Feature Pack.

To provide the Update Windows PE wizard to the contents of the Windows PE .iso file, do one of the following:

  • Burn the contents of the .iso file to a CD. The .iso file that you created contains the customized version of Windows PE. The CD that you burn will be a copy of that image.

    Note   Do not burn the image file itself onto the CD (that is, do not create a CD that contains the .iso file). Instead, burn the contents of the image onto the CD (the files inside the .iso file).

  • Load the .iso file on the computer running SMS 2003 (with a site server role) by using Microsoft Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel. You would install Microsoft Virtual CD-ROM Control Panel on computer with the SMS site server role that has the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack installed.

For more information about either of these methods,  see “How to customize Windows PE by using the source files that are included with the Microsoft SMS 2003 Operating System Deployment (OSD) Feature Pack” at https://support.microsoft.com/kb/916902.

Importing the Customized Version of Windows PE Into the SMS OSD Feature Pack

To import the Windows PE image into the SMS OSD Feature Pack, perform the following steps:

  1. On the computer with the SMS site server role on which the SMS 2003 OSD Feature Pack is installed, start the SMS Administrator Console.

  2. In the SMS Administrator Console, right-click Image Packages, point to All Tasks, and then click Update Windows PE.

  3. Complete the Update Windows PE Wizard by using the information in Table 20.

    Table 20. Information for Completing the Update Windows PE Wizard

    On this page

    Perform this task

    Welcome to the Update Windows PE Wizard

    Click Next.

    Windows PE Settings

    In the Source folder text box, type Path and then click Next (where Path is the path to the contents of the Windows PE .iso file, Generic_OSD_x86.iso  or Generic_OSD_x64.iso, that you created in the previous section “Accessing the Contents of the .iso File”).

    Window PE Update Complete

    Click Finish.

Close the SMS Administrator Console.

Note If you will use the image just created on a Windows DS server, proceed to the next section, “Transferring Windows PE CD Images to the Windows DS Servers.” Otherwise, continue the process in “Running the Deployment Wizard,” later in this guide.

Creating the SMS OSD Feature Pack Operating System Installation CD

After you have imported your customized version of Windows PE into the SMS OSD Feature Pack, you are ready to create the .iso file that contains the SMS OSD Feature Pack operating system installation CD. The SMS OSD Feature Pack operating installation CD is used to initiate the ZTI deployment process when you are unable to initiate the process by using the SMS Client or WDS.

You start the target computer with the SMS OSD Feature Pack operating system installation CD to initiate the ZTI deployment process. Once the process is initiated, the rest of the ZTI deployment process occurs without user interaction.

To create the SMS OSD Feature Pack operating system image installation CD

  1. In the SMS Administrator Console, navigate to the Image Packages node.

  2. Right-click the Image Packages node, point to All Tasks, and then click Create Operating System Image Installation CD.

  3. Complete the Operating System Image Installation CD Wizard by using the information in Table 21.

    Table 21. Completing the Operating System Image Installation CD Wizard

    On this wizard page

    Perform this task

    Welcome to the Operating System Image Installation CD Wizard

    Click Next.

    Installation Settings

    Select the Automatically choose the OS Package to install by running a custom program or a script check box, and then click Next.

    Install from SMS distribution points

    Ensure that the central site server is specified in the list of servers, click Select All, and then click Next.

    Automatically select Operating System Package

    In the File name box, type \\servername\ZTI$\ZeroTouchInstallation.vbs (where servername is the name of the server hosting the shared folder).

    Note   The ZeroTouchInstallation.vbs file must reside on the same server as the distribution point on which the image packages reside, because you cannot provide a second set of credentials to connect to a different server (Connect to UNC).

    Note   In the lab environment, add the /debug:true option to the end of the argument to provide additional debugging and troubleshooting information by using pop-ups displayed in Windows PE.

    In the User name box, type SMSClientAccount (where SMSClientAccount is the name of the client account created in “Configuring Client Access Accounts,” earlier in this guide).

    In the Password box and Confirm password box, type Password (where Password is the password of the client account created earlier in the deployment process).

    Click Next.

    Note   The account credentials are stored on the installation CD in an encrypted format.

    Windows PE Settings

    If additional network drivers are required, select the Include additional network drivers from this location check box, and then type DriverPath (where DriverPath is the fully qualified path to any additional network drivers required in the environment).

    If additional storage drivers are required, select the Include additional storage drivers from this location check box, and then type DriverPath (where DriverPath is the fully qualified path to any additional storage drivers required in the environment).

    Click Next.

    Create CD Image

    In the Name box, type CDName (where CDName is the name of the CD image).

    In the File name box, type CDFileName (where CDFileName is the file name for the CD image).

    Wizard Complete

    Click Finish.

  4. Generate a CD of the operating system image contents.

    Note   Do not burn the image file itself onto the CD (that is, do not create a CD that contains the .iso file). Instead, burn the contents of the image onto the CD (the files inside the .iso file).

The .iso file that you create contains a file named Ripinfo.ini. Ripinfo.ini is an answer file used by Windows DS in Legacy or Mixed mode to automate the installation of the operating system. When starting Windows PE from a Windows DS server, Ripinfo.ini also includes:

  • The command line for the script used to automate the installation.

  • The list of available packages in the image.

Update the images when either of the listed items changes. Although you can edit the Ripinfo.ini file directly, you should create a new image by using the Operating System Image Installation CD Wizard. The wizard will automatically update Ripinfo.ini to reflect any changes in the command line or available packages.

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