Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Client Computer Requirements

The client computer requirements to support installation using Windows Deployment Services will vary based on how you intend to use Windows Deployment Services. The following list outlines the requirements for PXE booting to Windows Deployment Services and installing images:

• Hardware requirements The client must meet the minimum hardware requirements of the operating system you're installing. The client must also have enough memory to run Windows PE (384 megabytes [MB] required, 512 MB recommended), because Windows Deployment Services uses Windows PE to start the client computer.
• PXE DHCP-based boot ROM version .99 or later network adapter To boot directly from the Windows Deployment Services server, the client's network adapter must contain a PXE boot ROM. If this is not the case, the client can be booted using a DVD boot disk, a Windows PE boot image copied to the computer's hard disk, or a USB flash drive (UFD). See the section titled "Preparing Discover Images" later in this tutorial.
  All computers meeting the NetPC or PC98 specifications should have the ability to boot from the network adapter. Investigate the basic input/output system (BIOS) settings of the client to determine whether you can enable a Boot From Network option. When the option is enabled, the client should briefly display an option to press F12 to boot from the network during each startup.
• Network access to the Windows Deployment Services server The client must have broadcast access to the Windows Deployment Services server to enable PXE booting. Windows PE boot disks can allow you to boot to Windows PE using Windows Deployment Services as an image store without broadcast access.

Note The account performing the installation must be a member of the Domain Users AD DS security group. Domain Users have permission to join computers to the domain.