PXE boot menu?

[cicici1234]

Hi All, I am a total noob on SCCM, came from the world of MDT.

 

I just received a new project to work on: Upgrade all existing 1000 machines from Vista to Win 7.

 

I have been using MDT to manage and update Vista image for OS deployment. Our SCCM 2007 was set up and been used for Win 7 deployment for a pilot group of 20 people. The person who managed SCCM 2007 left the company months ago. This SCCM is now kinda become my responsibility.

 

Things are great until I got a new project: upgrade every machine in the company.

 

Things are not as bad when you only manage OS deployment to 20 machines. I can key in a MAC address for each deployment. Now, I find that is “impossible” for 1000 machines. A co-worker of mine told me that before the Win 7 pilot, they used to do OS deployment through a boot menu.

 

First, they press F12, boot from PXE.

Then, a menu (like a BIO menu, black background, white text) will come up. The technician can select whatever image they want to load on the computer.

 

That is what I want to do for this Win 7 upgrade for all 1000 machines. I just don’t want to key in 1000 MAC addresses. I have a feeling that someone will key in the wrong MAC address and computer will get wiped after a restart.

 

As you can see that I am really a noob to SCCM. MDT will retire after Win 7 is out to everyone. I know how to do it with MDT, but not with SCCM. I did use the guide Anyweb wrote about Win 7 deployment. I got that working, but putting a MAC address is still required.

 

I tried to search on google. But I don’t even know what words to use.

 

Does anyone know what am I trying to do?? Anyone knows how to do it?? Any step by step instruction? I am a noob noob on SCCM. Many Thanks!!

[anyweb]

sounds like a nice project, any data migration involved ?

 

all you need to do in the simplest form is to create a Deploy Windows 7 collection and advertise your task sequence to it, you can import computers using a file (excel csv file) or you can advertise the task sequence to all computers (not all systems but say, all Windows Vista computers) but hide it from RAP (so users dont see the advertisement) by stipulating a different OS to the one you are running in your company (ie: limit the advertisement to Windows XP X64 assuming you have none of them...)

 

this means none of your vista machines will see the advertisement until then PXE boot (network boot) and then they can select the task sequence and migrate as normal

 

you can get details of that and password protection of the task sequence here:

 

How can I password Protect a Task Sequence ?

Password Protecting a Task Sequence

 

if you want to advertise multiple task sequences with a menu then try this

 

using Multiple Task Sequences via PXE, PXE boot to a task sequence menu

choice is sometimes a good thing

 

or you could consider using a HTA (pretty advanced though...)

[cicici1234]

Thanks! I will look into that. I just got a "suggestion" from my project manager: why don't you try to do it with SCCM 2012, start from a clean server?

 

Haha, I had to hold my jaws from dropping to the ground.

 

New question: is it possible to run 2 versions of SCCM at the same time???? Do I just assign a new site code to the SCCM 2012??