Deploying Windows 8 and the copy profile setting using SCCM 2012

[o0JeZ0o]

Hi all,

 

let me start by saying what a fantasic resource this site is for IT admins to share knowledge. I have been able to find answers to many questions on here.

 

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to capture and build a Windows 8 deployment solely using SCCM 2012 SP1 though. I have been able to achive my goals using MDT stand alone, but I'd really like to be able to use SCCM as my one stop solution for most needs.

 

I've created a reference Windows 8 system in Hyper V and customised it to my liking. My main goal is to preserve the start screen look and tile placement for all users, so I am wanting to use the "copyprofile" setting during the specialize phase of deployment. The rest of my customizations are handled by group policy.

 

So I have my reference system, I then use the capture media iso created in SCCM to capture the wim file. I then import the wim and build a task sequence to deploy this image. In doing so I create a package to hold my unattended.xml that only changes the copy profile setting and make sure that is deployed as part of the task sequence during the apply operating system section.

 

Now, the problem is once the deployment completes and I log on as the local administrator all of my start screen customisations are gone, I'm looking at a blank start screen and searching for any app returns no results. Everything from the start screen is wiped during deployment.

 

Has anyone else encountered this? I must be doing something slightly wrong because some form of copying of the local admin profile must be happening, just not with any of my customisations and in fact wipes the entire start screen blank.

 

Should I just go through the process of captuing the initial wim manually instead of using the sccm capture media?

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Jez

[SPatrickStevens]

I've experienced this exact same problem. Unfortunately, I don't have a fix yet, but I wanted to provide a link to my post at the System Center forum in case anyone posts anything helpful: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/configmgrgeneral/thread/79368c27-e7e4-4578-8c8d-a7c40af8c1c3

 

It's really driving me crazy. Hopefully someone can point us in the right direction.

[anyweb]

have either of you looked at these settings yet ?

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825617.aspx#NewWindowsSettings

[zach]

I am having the exact same issue here. I have looked at the site that anyweb posted and I am getting this issue only when i run the CopyProfile setting in the specialize phase. If i remove this step my image runs perfect except for the the face it doesn't copy my Admin profile over to all users.

[SPatrickStevens]

Thanks. I too have read about the new settings. The only option that I'm attempting to use in my unattend.xml is CopyProfile at this time. Otherwise, like zach said, everything else is working perfectly.

[zach]

I found a solution to this by installing mdt 2012 update 1 and creating my reference image and then deployed my captured image from mdt with sccm sp1 and my unattend.xml file that included the settings of copy profile. Everything installed fine and copied my profile from administrator to default user like it was suppose to.

[anyweb]

ok Zach, so you are deploying a MDT 2012 update 1 captured WIM file using Configuration Manager 2012 sp1 ? can you share the unattend.xml file here with others so that they may benefit,

it would of course be nice if we could do this without having to capture the image outside of Configuration Manager, if i get time i'll delve into this (if i get time...)

[zach]

Thanks anyweb!

 

Yes you are correct I created my image in MDT2012 U1 captured my WIM file and then imported that WIM into CM12 SP1 and deployed that image to my machine with the following unattend.xml file. My unattend.xml file include some configuration settings that I change also along with my copyprofile setting.

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="specialize">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer" processorArchitecture="wow64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<DisableFirstRunWizard>true</DisableFirstRunWizard>

<GroupTabs>true</GroupTabs>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<Themes>

<WindowColor>Color 1</WindowColor>

</Themes>

<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>

</component>

</settings>

<settings pass="oobeSystem">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<VisualEffects>

<SystemDefaultBackgroundColor>24</SystemDefaultBackgroundColor>

</VisualEffects>

</component>

</settings>

<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim://cm01/sccm_sources$/osd/windows%20sources/windows%208%20x64%20ent%20kms/sources/install.wim#Windows 8 Enterprise" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />

</unattend>

 

 

it would of course be nice if we could do this without having to capture the image outside of Configuration Manager

This was my issue all along I thought that we could still do this with Windows 8 but apparently it isn't supported any longer with CM12 SP1?

[SpinnZ]

Ive had to end up using the manual sysprep method with a copyprofile.xml file

The capture semed to go fine, and i have added the wim to sccm.

After the driver package applies, the machine reboots (as usual) and then pop up the "personalise" screen wanting background colors pcname etc.... completely removing any kind of automation..

 

Obviously this is not the case when using capture media.

 

however you cannot use any unattend files with capture media.

 

has anyone else experienced this?

 

My xml file just contains settings for CopyProfile=yes

 

Thanks

[SpinnZ]

Ok so ive worked this out after a ridiculous amount of research which game me all the wrong information.

Until i finally came across a buried post on the technet forums from Niall (surprise, surprise)

Where he states that the .xml file MUST be named unattend.xml

Where mine was previously called copyprofile.xml which was I was told to put in a earlier guide id read (not on here)

So created my answer file using WSIM where i only stipulated the copyprile=yes

I captured my VM using the sysprep command and specified the unattend.xml

Booted VM into winpe and used DISM to capture the image

I then onboarded this image to SCCM and depoyed it to a physical machine with the unattend.xml file specified.

Hope this helps anyone.

Deploying Windows 8 with SCCM 2012 SP1