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How can I use PowerShell to automatically deploy Windows 10 version 1903 with MDT

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Introduction

You are most likely familiar with the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and the recently released version of Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update). Now you can automate the installation of Surface Pro 6 using PowerShell and MDT.

surface pro 6.png

This script has been written to allow you to automate the deployment Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update) using the latest available software including:

  • Windows 10 x64 (version 1903)
  • Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) build 8456
  • Latest available 2019 drivers for the Surface Pro 6 for Windows 10 version 1903
  • Windows 10 ADK (version 1903)
  • Windows Server 2019

Note: This is fully automated, and as this does install a Windows Deployment Services server role hosting a boot image, you should modify the script accordingly and test it thoroughly in a lab first.

This script is tailored for one thing only, deploying Windows 10 x64 version 1903 to the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 with all drivers loaded and MDT pre-configured. Download it and customize it to suit your needs for other hardware if you wish because what it does is pretty cool.

This script performs the following actions:-

  • Downloads and then Installs Windows ADK 10 (version 1903) if you have not done so already
  • Downloads and then Installs MDT, if you have not done so already
  • Downloads all required drivers for Microsoft Surface Pro6  if you have not done so already
  • Imports the Windows 10 x64 (version 1903) operating system into MDT
  • Imports the Microsoft Surface Pro drivers into MDT
  • Creates Selection Profiles for Surface Pro 6 and WinPE x64
  • Creates a Deploy Windows 10 X64 version 1903 task sequence
  • Edits the Deploy Windows 10 X64 version 1903 task sequence and adds an inject drivers step for Microsoft Surface Pro 6
  • Sets a WMI query for hardware detection for the Surface Pro 6 on the corresponding driver step
  • Injects the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 network drivers into the LiteTouchPE_x64.wim
  • Creates custom CustomSettings.ini and BootStrap.ini files
  • Disables the X86 boot wim (as it is not needed for Surface Pro 6)
  • Changes the Selection Profile for the X64 boot wim to use the WinPE x64 selection profile
  • Installs the Windows Deployment Service role
  • Configures the WDS role and adds the previously created LiteTouchPE_x64.wim
  • Starts the WDS service so that you can PXE boot (UEFI network boot).

All you have to do is provide a domain joined server (MDT01), then download the script below, modify some variables, then place certain files in the right place such as the Windows 10 x64 Enterprise (version 1903) media. Please ensure you have a working DHCP scope on your Active Directory domain controller, then PXE boot a Microsoft Surface Pro  and sit back and enjoy the show.

Step 1. Download the script

The PowerShell script will do all the hard work for you, download it, unzip it and place it on the server that is designated to be the MDT server.

Scripts.zip

Step 2. Configure the variables in the script

Once you have downloaded and extracted the script, you need to configure certain variables interspersed throughout the script. I'll highlight the ones you need to edit.

The most important of them is the $SourcePath variable (line 57) as this decides where to get the content from and where to store it. This variable should point to a valid drive letter, the folder name will be created if it does not exist.

sourcepath.png

The $FolderPath variable (line 271) specifies the MDT Deployment share root folder for example C:\MDTDeploy.

folderpath.png

There are other variables to configure, for joining the Domain (lines 349-351)

join domain variables.png

and then you need to configure how you actually connect to the MDT server from WinPE (lines 426-430)

mdt server details.png

Step 3. Copy the Windows 10 x64 (version 1903) operating system files

Mount a Microsoft Windows 10 x64 Enterprise (version 1903) ISO and copy the contents to $SourcePath\Operating Systems\Windows 10 x64\1903 as shown below.

Windows 10 1903 extracted.png

Step 4. Optionally copy MDT, ADK 10, Surface Pro drivers

This is an optional step. If you've already downloaded the above files then place them in the source folder, otherwise the script will automatically download them for you.

Note: You do not have to do this as the script will download the content for you if it's not found.

Step 5. Optionally copy your Applications to the respective folders

This is an optional step. If you have apps like Office 365, copy them to their respective folders under Applications. If you do add any applications, you'll need to edit the corresponding section within the script for the CustomSettings.ini and replace the GUID for the App, these applications are remmed out with a #, as shown here (line 392-393)

office 365 apps.png

and in line 328

remmed out office apps.png

 

Step 6. Run the script

On the server that will become your MDT server, start PowerShell ISE as Administrator. Click on the green triangle to run the script. This is how it looks while running...

script is running.png

Below you can see the script has completed.

script complete.png

 

Step 7. Deploy a Surface Pro 6

After the script is complete, you are ready to test deploying Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update) to a Microsoft Surface Pro 6. You can see that Windows Deployment Services is installed and that the ADK 1903 version of the MDT LiteTouch_X64 boot wim is already imported. This boot image also has the Surface Pro 6 network drivers added.

pxe boot.png

After the Surface Pro 6 has PXE booted, you'll see the MDT computer Name screen,  you can change that behavior in the UI itself (CustomSettings.ini on the Properties/Rules of the DeploymentShare) or automate it via the many methods available such as those that Mikael describes here.

mdt prompting for computer name.png

After clicking next the OS will get deployed.

install the os.png

and after a while it's all complete.

surface deployed.png

Step 8. Review the MDT Deployment Workbench

After opening the Deployment Workbench, you can see the Deploy Windows 10 x64 version 1903 task sequence is created

1903 task sequence.png

and in the task sequence you can see the inject drivers step that is customized with a wmi query for Surface Pro 6

wmi query for sp6.png

drivers specific to the Surface Pro 6 are imported into MDT

drivers.png

Surface Pro 6 specific selection profiles created

selection profiles automatically created.png

drivers (network) are also added to the x64 boot image

drivers added to the boot image.png

Troubleshooting

If the script has issues starting WDS (and you see the error below)

Quote
An error occurred while trying to execute the command.
Error Code: 0x41D
Error Description: The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.

 

then restart the server, as you were asked to do at the end of the script ;-).

If you cannot PXE boot, because WDS is not accepting connections (revealed by the PXE Response tab in WDS properties), then look for the following error in the scripts output:

An error occurred while trying to execute the command.
Error Code: 0x5
Error Description: Access is denied.

If you see that error, then the user you are logged in as does not have sufficient permissions to configure WDS.

To grant permissions to the Windows Deployment Server (MDT01) do as follows

  1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Right-click the OU where you are creating prestaged computer accounts, and then select Delegate Control.
  3. On the first screen of the wizard, click Next.
  4. Change the object type to include computers.
  5. Add the computer object of the Windows Deployment Services server, and then click Next.
  6. Select Create a Custom task to delegate.
  7. Select Only the following objects in the folder. Then select the Computer Objects check box, select Create selected objects in this folder, and click Next.
  8. In the Permissions box, select the Write all Properties check box, and click Finish.

Next, open ADSIEdit.msc

  1. Browse to the Computer Account of the WDS Server. It will have a Child Object named something like "CN=MDT01-Remote-Installation-Services".
  2. The user that runs the the PowerShell script or the WDS Console needs Full Access permissions to this Child Object. Right click and choose Properties
  3. Select the Security/Permissions tab and add the user/group in. Set them to have Full Permissions.
  4. Log out of the MDT Server and log back in again. 
  5. AD replication may delay the result of this, but you should now no longer have Access Denied.

Summary

Automating the deployment of Windows 10 version 1903 (May 2019 Update) to the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 using PowerShell and MDT is easy when you know how.

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