Install Windows Image on a new computer

Question

Been searching but still not sure what to do...

I have one computer with Windows7 and set up perfectly how we need it (programs, files, restrictions, etc...). I bought 4 more of the exact same computers for the office that I want set up exactly the same.

How can I create an image or bootable USB that encapsulates the one that is set up and install it on the new computers? Is sysprep the way to go?

Also, the new computers do not have anything installed on them. No OS, or anything at all.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

With only 4 systems, manual imaging with ImageX, WinPE, DISM, etc. is a reasonable possibility, but in my experience the recommended path using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit is ultimately quicker and there is less chance for human error.

The process would be roughly:

1. On a 5th computer install Windows ADK and MDT and create a deployment share (a network share that will hold your image and the MDT components).
2. Download the enterprise driver pack (or individual drivers) for the make and model of the system in question.
3. Create a selection profile for Windows PE and assign only the network and storage drivers.
4. Create a Sysprep and Capture task sequence.
5. Generate the MDT boot media and burn to a disk or create a bootable USB stick. Alternatively if you use a server with Windows Deployment Services (WDS) you can copy the image into WDS for PXE boot.
6. Boot to the MDT media and run the Sysprep and Capture task sequence.
7. Copy the captured WIM file to the Operating Systems folder in the deployment share.
8. Create a selection profile for the operating system and model of your system and assign it all required drivers.
9. Create a deployment task sequence and use your captured image and selection profile.
10. Boot to the MDT media on the target systems and run the deployment task sequence.

It might seem like a lot, but there is far less command line involved and ultimately, once you’ve run this process your deployment environment is up and running. You can add applications and drivers for other makes/models/scenarios and quickly deploy the next time it’s required.

Some thoughts:

• If you want configurations or tweaks to the user profile to persist for new users, you will need to use CopyProfile in the answer file to create a default profile from the Administrator profile.
• Ultimately, you want as few drivers or applications in the base image as possible. MDT can manage drivers and applications during deployment separate from the image to ensure that the image is compatible across multiple scenarios and systems.
• You can use offline media rather than the network for deployment by creating an offline USB stick or optical disk. See Deploy Windows 8.1 from a USB stick for an example of that process.

For a highly detailed step-by-step of the recommended deployment process, you can check out the Surface Pro 3 Deployment and Administration Guide. The guide explores the recommended procedure for performing a deployment with MDT and the deployment sections are applicable to anyone deploying a Windows client.