Deploy Windows 8.1 with MDT 2013/WDS in Server 2012 R2

Today in my post, lets go through a simple step how to deploy Windows 8.1 with MDT 2013 / WDS…

There are many ways you can deploy Windows 8.1, one of my favourites is MDT 2013 and WDS.

This are few information about MDT 2013.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2013 is a Solution Accelerator for OS and application deployment. MDT 2013 supports deployment of Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

MDT is the recommended process and toolset for automating desktop and server deployment.

MDT provides you with Unified tools and processes, including a set of guidance, for deploying desktops and servers in a common deployment console and also reduced deployment time and standardized desktop and server images.

Some of the key changes in MDT 2013 are:

• Support for the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 8.1.
• Support for deployment of Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
• Support for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.
• Improved support x86-based Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) systems.

For this demo, i will be using my new dedicated MDT/WDS Server 2012 R2 (OSI-WDSMDT2013).

There are few things we need to prepare before we deep dive into the process.

1 – Download  Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1

2 – Download MDT 2013 installer

3 – Windows 8.1 installer

Once you prepared all the necessary component, lets get started…

1 – On the OSI-WDSMDT2013 server, install Windows 8.1 ADK…

2 – On the Join the Customer Experience Improvement Program click Next…

3 – On the License Agreement, proceed with Next…

4 – On the Select the features you want to install, click :

• Deployment Tools
• Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
• User State Migration Tool (USMT)

and then click Install (it might take a while for the features to download)…

5 – wait for the download & installation process to complete…

6 – Once the process complete, click Close…

7 – Next we need to install MDT 2013,  on the wizard click Next…

8 – accept the License Agreement and click Next…

9 – On the Custom Setup, click Next…

10 – On the Customer Experience Improvement Program interface, click Next…

11 – Click Install….

12 – Once the process completed, click Finish…

13 – Open DeploymentWorkbench console (This is MDT 2013, please don’t get confuse with the name) from start menu…

Right click Deployment Shares folder and then click New Deployment Share…

14 – On the Path interface, verify the location of the Deployment share (by default it will save to C:\DeploymentsShare), then click Next…

15 – On the Share interface, verify the name of the share (by default the name is DeploymentShare$), then click Next…

16 – On the Descriptive name interface, proceed with Next…

17 – On the Options interface, please un-tick all the box and then Next…

18 – On the Summary interface, verify all the information and then click Next…

19 – On the Confirmation interface, click Finish…

20 – On the DeploymentWorkbench console, Right click Operating System Folder and then click Import Operating System…

*** Make sure you attach Windows 8.1 installer before proceed with next step.***

21 – On the OS Type interface, click Full Set of source files and then click Next…

22 – On the Source interface, click Browse button, in the Browse For Folder box, browse to Windows 8.1 drive/directory and then click Next…

23 – Click Next to proceed…

24 – On the Destination interface, verify the Destination Directory name and then click Next…

25 – On the Summary interface, click Next…

26 – It might a while for the process to complete…

27 – Once the process complete copy the necessary files, click Finish…

28 – Back to the DeploymentWorkbench console, right click Task Sequence and then click New Task Sequence…

29 – On the General Settings interface, fill in the Task Sequence ID: for this demo i type OSIWin8.1, then fill in the Task sequence name: for this demo i type Deploy Windows 8.1 Ent x64 and then click Next…

30 – On the Select Template interface, i choose Standard Client Task Sequence and then click Next…

31 – On the Select OS interface, click Windows 8.1 and then click Next…

32 – On the Specify Product Key, i choose Do not specify a product key at this time and then click Next…

33 – On the OS Settings interface, Fill in the necessary information and then click Next…

34 – On the Admin Password interface, i choose Do not specify an Administrator password at this time, and then click Next…

35 – On the Summary interface, click Next…

36 – On the Conformation interface, click Finish…

37 – Next, we need to configure MDT rules before we start update the process…

Right click MDT Deployment Share and then click Properties…

38 – On the MDT Deploymwnt Share interface, click Rules tab and then key in the rules that you want to be execute;

for this demo, this is my sample of rule :

[Settings]
Priority=Default
Properties=MyCustomProperty

[Default]
OSInstall=Y
UserID=Administrator
UserDomain=osi.local
UserPassword=Pa$$w0rd

SkipBDDWelcome=YES
SkipDeploymentType=YES
SkipDomainMembership=NO
SkipApplications=NO
SkipSummary=YES
SkipUserData=YES
SkipComputerName=NO
SkipTaskSequence=NO
SkipLocaleSelection=YES
SkipTimeZone=YES
SkipAppsOnUpgrade=YES
SkipAdminPassword=YES
SkipProductKey=YES
SkipComputerBackup=YES
SkipBitLocker=YES
SkipCapture=YES
SkipFinalSummary=YES

once you type all the rules, click Edit BootStrap.ini button…

39 – In the BootStrap.ini file, type ;

UserID=Administrator
UserDomain=osi.local
UserPassword=Pa$$w0rd
KeyboardLocale=en-US

and then save the Bootstrap.ini file…

40 – Click OK to proceed…

41 – Next, its time for us to update the process so that MDT 2013 will create an Windows 8.1 LiteTouchPE_x64.wim file.

We’re going to to use LiteTouchPE_x64.wim file to be attach to WDS so that we can intall Windows 8.1 through network…

Right click MDT Deployment Share, and then click Update Deployment Share…

42 – On the Options interface, click Optimize the boot image updating process, and then click Next…

43 – On the Summary interface, click Next…

44 – It might take around 10 minutes for the process to be completed, once the process complete, click Finish…

45 – Next, still on the OSI-WDSMDT2013 server, open Windows Deployment Services (WDS), right click Boot Images and then click Add Boot Image…

46 – On the Image File interface, browse to C:\DeploymentShare\Boot\LiteTouchPE_x64.wim, and then click Next…

47 – On the Image Metadata interface, click Next…

48 – On the Summary interface, click Next…

49 – On the Task Progress interface, click Finish…

50 – We’ve done on the Server part, now lets boot up the Client PC so that the WDS will continue install the Windows 8.1 through network (using PXE)…

On the client PC, notice that it will boot up using network service boot, press F12 to continue…

51 – It might a while for the process to load the LiteTouchPE_x64.wim from our OSI-WDSMDT2013 server…

52 – our Client PC should pop up to the MDT interface…

53 – On the MDT Welcome screen, click Run the Deployment Wizard to install a new Operating System…

54 – On the Credentials interface, fill in the administrator name, password and domain,  then click OK…

55 – On the Select a task sequence to execute on this computer, click Deploy Windows 8.1 Ent X64 and then click Next…

56 – On the Computer Details interface, fill in the Computer name and the necessary information (you have a choice to join to the domain @ workgroup) and then click Next…

57 – It might take around 15  minutes for the process to complete install Windows 8.1 without needed any user interaction…

58 – After few reboot, you should have your complete Windows 8.1…