Pre-Requisites
- A working Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 installation with at least OSD
- A Working windows 8 deployment task sequence (not covered here)
- A Working Windows 8 Machine
**NOTE** for the purposes of my lab environment I have not included Bitlocker, therefore my windows 8 deployment task sequence does not include steps for Bitlocker and subsequently neither will the provisioned Windows To Go media.
Step 1 - Create pre staged Media
Open your Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Operating Systems. Right click on Task Sequences and click Create Task Sequence Media. The create task sequence media wizard will appear.
On the Select Media Type page make your selections as shown
On the Media Management page select Dynamic media.
This will allow a management point to redirect the media to another management point, based on the client location in the site boundaries. Alternatively Site-based media ensures that the media will only contact the specified management point.
On the Media Properties page fill out your information and select a location to save the .wim file
click Next.
On the Security page, fill out the information as shown. The user device affinity is optional but I prefer to have it set automatically, change it as you wish
Click Next
On the Task Sequence page, select your Windows 8 task sequence
Click Next.
On the Boot Image page add your boot image and select your distribution points.
I always choose the x86 boot image as this will run on both x86 & x64 computers but you may change this as you wish
On the Images page, specify the image package that contains your windows 8 Operating system image, select the correct image index you wish to use and fill out your distribution point information
click Next.
On the Select Application page you may add additional applications to include in the media, I have not added any extra. Once done click Next
Again on the Select Package page you may add additional packages to include in the media, I have not added any extra. Once done click Next
On the Select Driver Package page add any driver packages for the hardware this might be running on, once done click Next.
On the Distribution Points page any distribution points that contain the content required by this task sequence,once complete press Next.
On the customisation page click the star symbol to add a new variable and enter the name SMSTSPreferredAdvertID as shown
For the value you will need to locate the Package ID of your windows 8 task sequence as shown below
Click Next once done
Allow the wizard time to complete
Press Close once done, the wim file you generated will now reside in the location you specified.
Step 2 - Create The Windows 8 To Go Creator Package
In a suitable location, create a folder for this package and copy the wim file we created in step 1 to this folder.
Navigate to ProgramFiles\Microsoft Configuration Manager\OSD\Tools\WTG\Creator and copy wtgcreator.exe to the folder also.
Now we need to create a package, to do this open your Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Application Management, right click Packages and click create package
On the Package page, enter the name Windows 8 To Go Creator and tick This package contains source files. Fill out the path of the folder that contains your wim file and the wtgcreator.exe file and click Next
On the Program Type page, select Standard program, and then click Next.
On the Standard Program pagefill out the information as shown. The command line is WTGCreator.exe /wim:Win8ToGo.wim /enableBootRedirect
On the Requirements page fill out the details as shown, specifying that this program can only run on Windows 8 (32 & 64 bit)
Click Next twice and then close
Step 3 - Deploy The Windows To Go Creator Program
Now we have to deploy the program to a collection, so first of all create a new collection with a name of Windows 8 To Go and add a windows 8 client to it
Now open the Configuration Manager console and navigate to Software Library->Application Management->Packages
Find the Windows 8 To Go Package we just created, highlight it and click Deploy
On the General page browse and select your Windows 8 To Go Collection,
Press Next
On the Content page add your distribution point/s to which you want to deploy the content for this package to. Press next once done
On the Deployment Settings page select Available for the deployment type and then click Next.
On the Scheduling page just press next
On the User Experience page press next also
On the Distribution Points page fill out the information as shown
Press Next once done, and then Next 2 more times and then Finish
Now within the Configuration Manager console navigate to Software Library->Operating System->Task Sequences
Right click on your windows 8 task sequence and click Deploy
On the General page browse and select your Windows 8 To Go Collection then press Next
On the Deployment Settings page ensure you select Only Media and PXE (hidden) as shown below
Press Next
On the Scheduling page just press next
On the User Experience page press next also
On the Alerts page press next also
On the Distribution Points page fill out the information as shown:
Press Next
Press Next 2 more times and then close
Step 5 - Running Windows To Go Creator
On your windows 8 client machine open Software Center, you should see something like this:
With your USB drive inserted into the machine click Install, wait for the content to download and you should see the following prompt
**NOTE** I was not actually able to test this part as I do not have a certified USB Flash drive, As soon as I get my hands on one I will verify this and update this post. However this was all based on Microsoft Documentation and should work fine.
Cheers
Wayne
Hi,
ReplyDeletethanks for your helpfully screenshots.
We meet all Pre-Requisites.
I have done all steps you described and from TechNet article. After I boot from the prestaged USB-Stick it could start Win PE, but aborted at the beginning of Task sequence while "preparing for Network Connections".
Laptop is connected to the Network.
Do you have any idea?
Hi!
ReplyDeletesorry I only just saw your comment, if you hit F8 and do an ipconfig do you have an IP? you may be missing drivers from your boot image.
Thanks
Microsoft helped me.
ReplyDeleteThe reason was the task sequence could not be find, because I need to specify the Advert-ID as value of SMSTSPreferredAdvertID and not as you described the Package-ID.
But my next problem: the Content of my Task sequence is not applied. Neither MS Office nor Configuration Manager Client is installed. Only a blank OS was deployed, but it is joined to domain.
I am desperate....
Please follow the blog below and create an smsts.ini file with the following content:
ReplyDelete[Logging]
LogLevel=0
LogMaxSize=10000000
DebugLogging=1
Add the file to your boot image.
ConfigMgr Team Blog
Then please try again and post the smsts.log file to skydrive for me to take a look at :)
Good luck!
Wayne
question about this process, so it asks for a task sequence towards the beginning. If i make changes to that task sequence will those changes be applied to the Windows 8 to go creation as well? Or was the task sequence at the second i created it what will always be used?
ReplyDeleteFor instance, i want to add an application and run a script. If i edit the task sequence referenced to deploy windows 8 (8.1 to be honest) will it also deploy that app and script to win 8 to go computers as well?
Hi Neil, Sorry I did not see your comment, The task sequence is dynamic, the Wim file is not. So your changes will be picked up as soon as you make them but only on newly created media.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to deploy a new app to any provisioned media (clients) just deploy as normal, W2G clients are exactly the same from a management perspective as standard clients
Wayne