In a lab environment, it's quite useful to have different users logged on automatically to speed up automation and testing. In a ConfigMgr (SCCM) environment, this can be configured during OSD, or afterwards via Run Scripts or a Configuration Baseline. Note: This is intended for an isolated lab and test automation only. The username and […]

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The Windows Update Assistant is a Microsoft utility that installs feature updates on your machines. For example, upgrading Windows 10 22H2 to Windows 11 24H2. While it's primarily designed for individual ad-hoc upgrades, I've seen a few organizations running this as an enterprise upgrade tool or as a backup when Feature Update Policies from Intune […]

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Here is a Pretty Good Copy OSD Logs Script for ConfigMgr (SCCM) and instructions on how to add it. The script will generate a Zip archive of OSD-related logs and upload it to a file share. Credits: Authenticate and ZipFiles functions from Johan Schrewelius (@josch62). The Script Download link: https://github.com/DeploymentResearch/DRFiles/blob/master/Scripts/ConfigMgr/Invoke-PGCopyOSDLogs.ps1 The script is using the […]

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We're happy to announce the Hydration Kit for Windows Server 2025, SQL Server 2022 and ConfigMgr Current Branch has been released! This kit builds a complete ConfigMgr Current Branch 2403 infrastructure running on Windows Server 2025 and SQL Server 2022, including optional Windows 10 and Windows 11 clients. This kit is tested on the Hyper-V virtual […]

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Here is a PowerShell version of a VBScript trick I've been using to pause sequences without relying on the Task Sequence Debugger or the ServiceUI.exe component from MDT. The script searches for a GO.txt file in the root of the system drive (X: if you are in WinPE, or C: if you are in Windows) […]

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Here are two PowerShell scripts that can be used to create a No-Prompt ConfigMgr Boot Image ISO. This is particularly useful when performing large-scale deployments of virtual machines, or for any automation related to VM deployments, such as our Image Factory solution for ConfigMgr. The first script is used to create the boot image ISO. […]

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Since Windows Vista, creating reference images is no longer technically required, as Microsoft's ISO files already contain deployable WIM images. When needed, reference images are primarily used to expedite deployments and enhance network efficiency. However, with modern hardware, networking, and peer-to-peer technologies, fast deployments can often be achieved without the need for them. Today, most […]

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We recently got a question in our technical forum about how to install the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) on machines that are not connected to the Internet. Well, here is a guide 🙂 Install RSAT Offline 1. Download the ISO: Languages and Optional Features for Windows 11, version 24H2.2. Copy/Extract the LanguagesAndOptionalFeatures folder to […]

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Earlier this week, I was tagged in a Twitter (X) thread regarding Delivery Optimization not listening on port 7680 even though the Delivery Optimization service (DoSvc) was running. First, in general, a healthy Windows machine with content to share would typically listen to traffic on that port, but there are scenarios where it won't. So, […]

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Since Microsoft don't officially support Windows 11 Deployments with MDT, nor supporting any Windows ADK version newer than Windows ADK for Windows 10, version 1809 (build 17763), it's up to the OSD community to make it work. On the good side, with millions of MDT downloads during the years, you're not exactly alone 🙂 NOTE: […]

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A few days ago, a ConfigMgr (SCCM) administrator reached out to me seeking a high-level overview of the process for upgrading the operating system of a ConfigMgr Site Server. Specifically, he was interested in understanding the key steps involved in performing the upgrade through a backup and restore approach. Credits: I want to give a […]

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Here is a PowerShell script that will create Bootable Media for ConfigMgr. In this example, I generate an ISO file and add a prestart command / package (to launch the TSBackground solution from Johan Schrewelius). Note: If you are running into limitations with the New-CMBootableMedia cmdlet, like specifying a CMG MP, you can also use […]

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In our Online Community we recently got a question about configuring PSD to deploy Windows 11 in a way, so the setup ended in Windows Out of Box Experience (OOBE). This is commonly used to test Autopilot scenarios, but the same technique can be used for other setup testing. This post shows you how to […]

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If you compare the number of optional features in Windows 11 23H2 with Windows 11 24H2 you'll find that 23H2 has 135 of them, and 24H2 has 137. One could think Microsoft simply added two more, but that's not the case…. Optional Features removed from Windows 11 24H2 There were two optional features removed from […]

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Microsoft just released a new Windows ADK version, ADK 10.1.26100.2454. For OS Deployment, in addition to removing a vulnerability for the installers, Microsoft added HTA for Windows on ARM and updated CopyPE.cmd and MakeWinPEMedia.cmd to support staging boot binaries signed with the new "Windows UEFI CA 2023" CA. You can learn more about the changes […]

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Here is a step-by-step quick guide on building the perfect Windows 11 21H2 reference image using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 8456.

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Quick Sysprep update! Starting with November 2024 installation media, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 has the Copilot app installed by default. Even if the device had no Internet access during deployment. This breaks Sysprep in a very bad way, and the device is basically toast at that point. Before running Sysprep, you need to […]

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This winter I had the opportunity to present the Upgrading to Windows 11 using Microsoft Intune – Tips and Tricks session at Microsoft Ignite here in my hometown, Chicago. Unfortunately, this session was not among the sessions that were recorded, and I have received many requests of the information and sample scripts I showcased in […]

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When developing a reference image, or any other time you just want the task sequence to take a break, the built-in LTISuspend.wsf script is quite useful. This script pauses a task sequence to enable the completion of manual tasks. Upon execution, it generates a "Resume Task Sequence" shortcut on the user's desktop, allowing the task […]

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After many years of development, Microsoft has released a public preview of the standalone connected cache, officially named Microsoft Connected Cache for Enterprise and Education. Here is a quick guide for setting up the standalone cache (MCC). Update July 23, 2025: Microsoft announced the general availability (GA) of the standalone Microsoft Connected Cache solution today. Since […]

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