Remove a computer from a collection after OSD completes

Found this useful blog post from Jörgen Nilsson on how to remove a client from a collection after the OSD Task Sequence completes, very handy in our environment where the technicians usually forget to remove the client and has ended with users re-imaging their device again, "because it was there and said click to run now"?!?!

http://ccmexec.com/?p=4

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

Pinning Icons to the Windows 7 Taskbar

The Deployment Guys posted an article a couple of months back on how to script pinning shortcuts to the Windows 7 Taskbar.
http://blogs.technet.com/deploymentguys/archive/2009/04/08/pin-items-to-the-start-menu-or-windows-7-taskbar-via-script.aspx

However, the scripting method won't work during an SCCM OSD deployment as the task sequence runs in the Local System context which has no shell access and the script depends on the Explorer shell because it is executing shell verbs.

So, there's another way:
You can copy icons to the C:\Users\Default\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar folder if you want to make them available to all profiles created AFTER you've copied icons into it.

This is handy I find when creating images as it allows for quick customisations to the taksbar that will affect all users loging onto the machine after it's had the image deployed to it and can easily be added as a "Run Command Line" task in an SCCM OSD Task Sequence.

If the folder doesn't exist (Doesn't by default if I remember correctly) then just create it. I also then set it to hidden like it is in a normal user profile, but I'm just a neat freak :P

Also, if you use a reference computer to set the icons in the order that you require, exporting the data from this registry key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband] will then allow you to re-import it into the default users profile to affect the icon order for all your users.