Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Creating Task Sequences

A task sequence binds operating system source files with the steps necessary to install them. A task sequence is associated with the following:

• Operating system Choose an operating system image to use for the build.
• Unattended setup answer file (Unattend.xml) Create an answer file that describes how to install and configure the operating system on the destination computer. For example, the answer file can contain a product key, organization name, and information necessary to join the computer to a domain. Generally, allow MDT 2010 to control the settings in Unattend.xml and use the MDT 2010 database to configure destination computers.

Note This tutorial assumes that you are configuring task sequences and deployment points for the purpose of capturing custom images. The settings you configure by using the instructions in this tutorial are different than the settings you will configure when deploying images to production computers.

To create a task sequence for image capture, perform the following steps:

1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, right-click the Task Sequences folder (or a subfolder you created under this folder) in your deployment share and select New Task Sequence to start the New Task Sequence Wizard.
2. On the General Settings page, provide the information described in Table below.
   
   The General Settings Page

   In this Location	Provide this Information
   Task Sequence ID box	Unique ID for the task sequence. You cannot change this ID later, so decide on a naming scheme for task sequence IDs in advance.
   Task Sequence Name box	Descriptive name for the task sequence. Users see this name during LTI.
   Task Sequence Comments box	Additional information about the task sequence. Users see this description during LTI. Describe the build and what it installs in the image.

3. On the Select Template page, choose a template task sequence to use as a starting point. You can customize the template later. For the purpose of building images, choose the Standard Client Task Sequence template.
4. On the Select OS page, choose an operating system image to install with this task sequence. Only the operating system images previously added to your deployment point are visible.
5. On the Specify Product Key page, select one of the following:
   • Do Not Specify A Product Key At This Time.
   • Specify A Multiple Activation Key (MAK Key) For Activating This Operating System, and then type the product key in the Product Key box.
   • Specify The Product Key For This Operating System, and then type the product key in the Product Key box.
6. On the OS Settings page, provide the information described in Table below and then click OK. The values you provide on this page are irrelevant because you are creating a build for image capture, and you will change these values during production deployment.
   
   The OS Settings Page

   In this Location	Provide this Information
   Full Name box	Owner name
   Organization box	Name of the organization
   Internet Explorer Home Page box	Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the default Windows Internet Explorer home page, such as the URL of the organization's intranet home page

7. On the Admin Password page, select Do Not Specify An Administrator Password At This Time. Do not specify a local Administrator password for image task sequences so that you can specialize the password during deployment.
8. Finish the wizard.

After you create a task sequence in your deployment share, it appears in the details pane when the Task Sequences folder (or a subfolder of this folder) is selected in the console tree. It also appears in the deployment share in Task Sequences\subfolder[\subfolder], where subfolder[\subfolder] is the destination selected when creating the task sequence. Deployment Workbench stores metadata about each build in TaskSequences.xml, which is located in the deployment share's Control folder.

To disable a task sequence, perform the following steps:

1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, click Task Sequences (or a subfolder) in your deployment share.
2. In the details pane, right-click the task sequence you want to disable and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, clear the Enable This Task Sequence check box and then click OK. Alternatively, you can hide the task sequence by selecting the Hide This Task Sequence In The Deployment Wizard check box.

Note Disabling a build prevents the Windows Deployment Wizard from displaying it in the list of builds from which a user can choose during an LTI deployment.

To remove a task sequence, perform the following steps:

1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, click Task Sequences (or a subfolder) in your deployment share.
2. In the details pane, right-click the task sequence you want to remove and then click Delete.

To edit the task sequence's answer file (Unattend.xml), perform the following steps:

1. In the Deployment Workbench console tree, click Task Sequences (or a subfolder) in your deployment share.
2. In the details pane, right-click the task sequence containing the answer file you want to edit, and then click Properties.
3. On the OS Info tab, click Edit Unattend.xml to open the build's answer file in Windows SIM.

Reducing Image Count

Microsoft Consulting Services: We put the 2007 Office system and a virus scanner on every image. That way, the customer can be productive regardless of the method we use to deploy other applications. Also, a lot of things just make sense to put in the image so that the user doesn't have to download them later. We can't think of a single customer who doesn't have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The virtual private network (VPN) and dialer installation programs are in the image, but we don't install them. When we deploy the image, the task sequence checks Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to see whether it's a mobile device. If it's a mobile device, we then install the VPN and dialer software; otherwise, we delete the installation programs.

We also never use a product key. Instead, we use the Key Management Service to simplify our images and reduce key loss.

Having a single image to deploy is very handy and works well. We encourage people to change an image only when they need new software. Whenever a new update or device driver is required, we just replicate that information and then inject it into the image rather than making a new image every month and replicating the image. If this is the approach you plan to take, image versioning is very important to track.