Overview:
This document provides the steps necessary to capture a Windows 10 image using IMAGEx.EXE for use in a provisioning template. The screenshots and steps in this document show Windows 10 but the same steps will work for Windows 7, 8 or 8.1.
- Overview:
- Create a provisioning template to capture the image
- Install a PXE Representative
- Prepare the Windows 10 Computer for Capturing the Image
- Run SYSPREP.EXE to Prepare the OS for Capturing
- Add a Bare Metal Server Entry
- Create a Scheduled Task for the Capture Template
- Network Boot the Windows 10 Computer to Capture the Image
Create a Provisioning Template to Capture the Image
1. Open the Operating System Provisioning tool in the LANDESK Console by clicking Tools | Provisioning | OS Provisioning.
2. In the Operating system provisioning tool, click on the All my templates folder.
3. Click New Template and select the Capture Template option.
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4. Enter a name for the template.
5. Enter a description for the template which is optional.
6. Select ImageX for the Image Type.
7. Enter the UNC path including the filename to the location where the image file will be saved. The filename extension will be .WIM.
8. If the image share does not exist, create it before trying to capture the image. You will also need to setup a preferred server for the computer where the image share is located if it has not already been done. Following Community article has information on setting up preferred servers:
How to configure the Preferred Server (Target) for Content Replication
Note: The Read Credentials account used for the preferred server must have modify rights to the image share in order to capture the image.
9. Click Create.
10. The template created will show up in the Operating system provisioning tool under All my templates.
Install a PXE Representative
If PXE representatives have not already been installed, install a PXE representative on the same subnet as the Windows 10 computer. Instructions for installing PXE representatives is available in the following Community article:
How To: Configure PXE services in LDMS 2016.3
Note: PXE representatives cannot have multiple NICs/LANs and they cannot have WIFI.
Prepare the Windows 10 Computer for Capturing the Image
1. Install Windows 10 on a computer or get a computer that already has Windows 10 installed. Make sure the LANDESK Agent is not already installed on the computer or it will need to be removed before capturing the image.
Note: Install the OS on the smallest partition possible so it can be deployed to as many different hard drives in the environment. ImageW captures all partitioned space and will only deploy to hard drives big enough to hold the captured partitions. It will expand the last partition to fill the drive if there is free space left over.
2. After the OS is installed, configure the OS with any Company requirements.
3. Install all OS patches currently available because this will save time in the long run so that the computers do not have to be patched later.
4. Install all applications that are common for all users in the company that this image will be deployed for their use.
Run SYSPREP.EXE to Prepare the OS for Capturing
SYSPREP.EXE is located in the Windows\System32\Sysprep folder on the Windows 10 computer.
For use in LANDESK, the computer can be sysprepped in Audit mode without the Generalize box checked or it can be sysprepped in OOBE mode with the Generalize box checked.
Select the options for sysprep then click OK to run it. When sysprep is complete, the computer will shutdown.
Note: Do not let the computer boot into the OS until after the image is captured or you will have to run sysprep again.
Add a Bare Metal Server Entry
1. In the LANDESK Console, expand Configuration.
2. Right-click Bare Metal Devices and select Add Devices.
3. In the Add bare metal device window, select MAC address for the Identifier type from the drop-down list.
4. Click the Add button.
5. In the Bare Metal Device window, enter a name for the device in the Name box. Name it whatever you like because the name does not matter for the capture.
6. Make sure the Identifier type has MAC address selected then enter the MAC address of the Windows 10 computer in the Identifier box.
7. Click the Add button.
8. The MAC address will show up in Server identifiers. Click OK.
9. The computer added will show up in the Add a bare metal device window. Click OK.
10. The computer added will show up in the LANDESK Console in the Configuration | Bare Metal Devices folder after the LANDESK Inventory Server service processes it.
Create a Scheduled Task for the Capture Template
1. Drag and drop the Bare Metal device on the Capture Template that was created previously.
2. Click Save.
3. Right-click the task created in the Scheduled tasks tool and select Start now | All.
4. Expand the task and click on All devices under the task.
5. Give the task a minute to completely initialize and verify the task Status shows Waiting.
Network Boot the Windows 10 Computer to Capture the Image
1. Network boot the computer. Refer to the computers documentation, if you need help with how to network boot the computer.
2. WINPE is downloading from the PXE representative. The IP address shown is the IP address of the PXE representative that the client is communicating with which is useful to know for troubleshooting.
3. WINPE has finished downloading and is now initializing to run the template.
4. The provisioning template is running.
5. ImageX is now running and capturing the image.
6. When ImageW finishes, it will report a success or failure. Hopefully, it will report a success as shown in the screenshot above. The template progress window will only remain open for short time before closing. Check the status in the scheduled task to make sure it was successfully.