Error when creating MDT Packages for ConfigMgr 2012

Recently I ran into an error while creating the MDT 2012 packages for use with ConfigMgr, unfortunately the error message was not the most useful one to be seen...

Ok, so access to the path is denied... but what's the path that it's trying to access???


This occurs when stepping though creating a new MDT task sequence and selecting to create new packages for the first time and unfortunately you have to re-step though all of the wizard options from scratch each time while trying to troubleshoot.

Anyway, long story short, running Process Monitor while trying to create the packages showed it failing while trying to create an autorun.inf as part of the MDT Package.

 

While the screen shot above shows a successfully built package, the folder we were seeing contained a temp file only.

 

A bit more digging narrowed it down to McAfee Anti-Virus running on the server that was blocking the creation of Autorun.inf files.  Strangely enough though it didn't block the MDT installer or the creating of the deployment share.

 

After messing with disabling the AV and stopping services to prevent the ePO restarting the AV we ran through the MDT Task Sequence wizard again and it installed successfully.

 

 



I suppose I should have paid more attention to the note by Michael Niehaus on this old blog post for MDT 2010 Update 1

System Center 2012 Service Pack 1 CTP Update

I wish I was across at TechEd North America right now as there is some nice information starting to come out around some of the new features that Service Pack 1 for System Center 2012 will be bringing.

From the information I'm seeing on other blogs and the twitter feeds it looks like we'll be seeing an updated CTP (Community Technical Preview) of SP1 arriving within the week with some of the following new features and changes for Configuration Manager:

• Windows 8/Server 2012 Deployment Support
• Ability to deploy Windows 8 To Go
• Linux Support
• Unix Support
• Mac OSX Support including EndPoint Protection Support
• The ability to add a CAS to an existing Primary Site
• New Deployment Types for Metro Apps and OSX Software
• The ability to migrate from one 2012 site to another
• Further e-mail notification support/options
• Software Update changes, including the ability to fall back to Windows Update for content
• Powershell cmdlets!!!

There has also been talk about some new User Profile and Data Management features such as Roaming User Profiles and Folder Redirection support, but I don't have enough information about what this means to explain any further but it could be interesting.

So I can't wait for SP1 now!  Linux/Mac OSX support is huge and a long awaited feature but the announcement of being able to add a CAS at a later date is also greatly welcomed as it makes my life so much more simplified when designing ConfigMgr implementations for customers.


There's also going to be an Update 1 for MDT 2012 soon which will bring the expected Windows 8 support, but it's also been announced it will have Orchestrator integration allowing running of runbooks during an OSD deployment.  How cool will that be!!

P2V Migration - Microsoft Deployment Toolkit

I just got this e-mail from the MDT Team via the Microsoft Connect site.
Rather than type waffle to describe it I thought i'd just repost it.
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Help unblock OS deployments by redelivering blocking users' old Windows environments, applications and browsers seamlessly in Windows 7 using automated physical-to-virtual migration

P2V Migration for Software Assurance uses the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Sysinternals Disk2VHD to convert a user's existing Windows XP or newer client environment to a virtual hard disk then automates the delivery of an updated and personalized Windows 7 operating system containing a virtual machine with the user's previous Windows environment, applications and Web browser. The user's previous virtual desktop retains its existing management components, domain membership and policies. The process also publishes applications and the browser for the user to access them seamlessly within Windows 7's
start menu.

How it Works

Starting Windows environment with Windows XP SP3 or newer. Environment is personalized with applications not compatible with Windows 7.

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 initiates fully-automated migration to Windows 7. Process includes P2V conversion of the running OS using Sysinternals Disk2VHD.

Windows 7 migration complete. Windows 7 contains the previous operating system in its entirety within a virtual machine.

Standalone application and Internet Explorer links published from virtual machine to native Windows 7 start menu.

Incompatible application from previous operating system is launched seamlessly within Windows 7 using RemoteApp integration and Virtual PC.

Even the most skilled IT shops, with resources to work through application compatibility challenges, often find a few users blocking roll-outs to entire sites or larger numbers of users due to:

• Compatibility of specialized, region or user-specific applications, browser customizations or USB device drivers.
• Missing installation files or media to install applications or drivers for testing or redelivery.
• Critical users who cannot risk losing any functionality of their current desktop environments and require a working backup before moving to Windows 7.

These types of issues make it difficult to completely replace existing systems with Windows 7 without causing user disruption. Allowing users to retain their current desktop environments while moving to Windows 7 can smooth the transition while mitigating or delaying investments required for making applications and hardware natively compatible with Windows 7.

Download P2V Migration for Software Assurance now:
P2V Migration for Software Assurance beta (https://connect.microsoft.com/site14/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=30989)

Note: Physical-to-virtual hard drive migration of a Windows installation is a valid operation for customers with Software Assurance and full retail copies of Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Software Assurance provides users valuable benefits. Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 installed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) using OEM versions of these products may not be transferred to a virtual hard drive in accordance with Microsoft licensing terms.

Customer Benefits
Help Reduce Windows 7 Deployment Times: The ability to perform P2V conversion of Windows XP or newer 32-bit systems as part of Windows 7 and/or 64-bit deployment means that IT organizations do not need to wait as long to get value from Windows 7. IT organizations will deliver the new Windows 7 operating system builds while preserving the old environments of a limited set of users that would otherwise delay production deployment.

Extend the Timeframe to Mitigate Application Compatibility: Using this solution, targeted users can have access to their previous set of
applications, just in case something was not provisioned as part of the Windows 7 deployment. Accessing previous applications is also easy for end users, as those applications are published to the Windows 7 start menu.

Users can Access Incompatible Legacy OS Applications: Using this solution, targeted users can have access to their previous set of applications, just in case something was not provisioned as part of the Windows 7 deployment. Accessing previous applications is also easy for end users, as those applications are published to the Windows 7 start menu.

How does P2V Migration compare to Windows XP Mode or MED-V?
Windows XP Mode: Windows XP Mode is not optimized for managed desktop environments. The operating system included in Windows XP Mode cannot be customized easily without manual effort. The time spent recreating a user's previous environment can easily take several hours per computer and it is not guaranteed that software installation media exists for every application on the previous system.

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V): Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) removes the barriers to Windows upgrades by resolving application incompatibility with Windows Vista or Windows 7. MED-V enables administrative control over the distribution and management of Virtual PC images, thereby ensuring that those images are up-to-date and compliant with regulations. P2V Migration is targeted at specific deployment-blocking users with specialized requirements or conditions where a standardized virtual environment delivered with MED-V will not
suffice.

Download P2V Migration (https://connect.microsoft.com/site14/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=30989)

Tell us what you think! Send your feedback and questions to the SAT team.
For If you are not already a member of the MDT beta program, click link below to join:
http://connect.microsoft.com/site14/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=1646&InvitationID=P2VM-C49K-PQHR

MDT Team

MDT Deployment Wizard Panes for Installing OS Roles and Features

Good post on The Deployment Guys to enable roles and feature selection during a Lite Touch OS Deployment.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/deploymentguys/archive/2010/09/01/mdt-deployment-wizard-panes-for-installing-os-roles-and-features.aspx