Deploying Windows 10 build 9860 using MDT 2013 Lite Touch

First, check out my earlier post on how to deploy Windows 10 build 9841 for some background info.

Then, since there is no ISO download of Windows 10 Enterprise Technical Preview build 9860 (at least not yet), you have to get the install.wim another way. You basically have one option:

• Upgrade a Windows 10 build 9841 to build 9860 and then "extract" the install.wim file from the install.esd file which you find in the C:\RecoveryImage folder after upgrading. 

Update #1: Upgrading a Windows 10 build 9841 to build 9860, and then run sysprep + capture should be a valid option, but unfortunately that doesn't work, at least not with build 9860. Thanks Josh for pointing that one out.

Update #2: If you want a PowerShell script that builds a Windows 10 ISO, check this post: https://deploymentresearch.com/Research/tabid/62/EntryId/197/How-to-create-a-Windows-10-Enterprise-build-9860-ISO.aspx

The install.esd file after upgrading build 9841 to build 9860.

Viewing the Install.esd file

ESD files were introduced in Windows 8.1, and are simply highly compressed versions of a normal WIM file. They are often called a Push-Button Reset Image. You cannot mount or service an ESD file, and you will find they take forever to extract (decompress) information from. But they are smaller than the normal WIM file, about 30 percent or so.

Anyway, if you want to review the content of the install.esd, you can use the dism command to do so:

dism.exe /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:C:\RecoveryImage\Install.esd

The Windows 10 Enterprise image, build 9860.

Extract the install.wim

To extract the install.wim in a format that MDT 2013 accepts, you need to change the compression type in the image. You can either do that by applying the correct index (#4) to a folder, and then capture that folder to a new install.wim file. But you can also create a new empty WIM file with the right compression type, and then just export the correct index from the install.esd file to this new wim file.

Update: There is a PowerShell script available that does everything for you here: https://deploymentresearch.com/Research/tabid/62/EntryId/197/How-to-create-a-Windows-10-Enterprise-build-9860-ISO.aspx

1. Create a new empty WIM file, with the right compression type, by running the following commands (press Enter after each command):

md C:\EmptyFolder

dism.exe /Capture-Image /ImageFile:C:\Temp\Install.wim /CaptureDir:C:\EmptyFolder /Name:EmptyWimImage /Compress:max

2. Export the Windows 10 build 9860 image from the install.esd file by running the following command.

dism.exe /Export-Image /SourceImageFile:C:\RecoveryImage\Install.esd /SourceIndex:4
/DestinationImageFile:C:\Temp\Install.wim /Compress:Recovery

3. Delete the empty index (#1) in the install.wim.

dism.exe /Delete-Image /ImageFile:C:\Temp\Install.wim /Index:1

Import the install.wim to MDT 2013

Once the capture is completed, you simply copy the new install.wim to your MDT server, import it in Deployment Workbench, and create a new task sequence. After creating the task sequence, modify it per the instructions in my earlier post.

Note: You still need to have the updated dism files on your deployment share as outlined in my earlier post. I didn't have to update the dism files to 9860 versions, the 9841 version of dism seems to support the new 9860 build just fine.

Deployment Workbench with the new 9860 build of Windows 10 Enterprise.

Deploying Windows 10 Enterprise, build 9860, using MDT 2013.

Windows 10 Enterprise, build 9860, deployed and ready to go.

Happy Deployment, Johan