MDT 2012 Customize "Running: Lite Touch Installation"

Customizing the MDT Progress bar.

There's various things you can do to the Litetouch progress bar. Today let's talk about the generic text that's displayed during deployments

"Running: Lite Touch Installation"

That doesn't look too pretty now does it.

Well a new added feature in MDT is that you can change it via the "_SMSTSPackageName" variable on customsettings!

This variable is unavailable in MDT2011 but in MDT2012 it is now parsed by ZTIGather.

Sample Customsettings.ini

[Settings]

Priority=Default

[Default]

_SMSTSOrgName=IT SUPPORT YORK INC.

_SMSTSPackageName=Consult %_SMSTSOrgName% for your deployments.

Oh yes, you can use another variable within another variable- awesome!

MDT 2012 is out

MDT 2012 is offically released.

You can head over here and download - TechNet Download

MDT 2012 Change Log

• Comprehensive tools and guidance to efficiently manage large-scale deployments of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 365.


• An enhanced user-Driven Installation (UDI) deployment method that utilizes System Center Configuration Manager 2012. UDI lets end users initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs—via an easy-to-use wizard.


• Ease Lite Touch installation through integration with Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT).


• This release provides support for deploying Windows 8 Consumer Preview in a lab environment.

MDT / LiteTouch rebooting in loop

This can happen when these folders still exist on the computer or on your litetouch media. (Usually from a previous mdt type installation)

• _SMSTaskSequences
• MININT

Steps to solve the issue

• Delete the folders

OR

• Boot into your litetouch environment

• Press F8 as soon as you see the background

• Type the following:

• Diskpart

• Select Disk 0 (Make sure this is the disk you want to erase/format)

• Clean

• Reboot the computer and boot into the litetouch environment or type startnet.cmd

Using MDT with Lenovo hardware

Some of you may already know this but the %Model% variable within customsettings.ini will not work for Lenovo based hardware. This is due to the fact Lenovo puts their "model type" in that field, and puts the actual model name in the Version field.

So this leads to issues when trying to inject drivers or software based on lenovo model,

But do not fret, there is a solution!

Once implemented you can then use the %LenovoModel% variable in customsettings.ini

Modify the ZTIGather.wsf to create a new LenovoModel variable
'/////////////////////////////////////////
' Get the Lenovo Model Version from the Win32_ComputerSystemProduct class
' Siva Mulpuru | 10:30 PM Monday, February 14, 2011 Set objResults = objWMI.ExecQuery("select * from Win32_ComputerSystemProduct")
For Each objInstance In objResults
sLenovoModel = objInstance.Version
Next
if sLenovoModel = "" then
oLogging.CreateEntry "Unable to determine LenovoModel tag via WMI.", LogTypeInfo
End if
'/////////////////////////////////////////// 

Thanks Siva for writing the script!
You can find his original post here, I've pasted the code for ease of copy paste :D

MDT 2012 Beta 1 is out!

Here are some of the new features and changes!
(Taken from the official release documentation)

MDT 2012 Beta 1provides new capabilities, such as:

• Support for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Beta 2, including the new application model and user device affinity (UDA).
• Improved Lite Touch partitioning, supporting the preferred partition layouts described in the Windows Automated Installation Kit.
• Support in Lite Touch for deploying 64-bit Windows® to computers that support Unified Extended Firmware Interface (UEFI) (without requiring compatibility support for legacy BIOS).
• New Lite Touch “Deploy to VHD” task sequence templates that support deploying a Windows 7 or Windows Server® 2008 R2 image into a virtual hard disk (VHD) file that can then be used for booting the OS (“boot from VHD”).
• Added support for deploying Windows ThinPC and Windows POSReady 7.
• Improved Lite Touch wizard lookandfeel.
• Continued support for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 and all operating systems supported by MDT 2010.
• Many bug fixes and other small improvements.

 Download MDT 2012 BETA 1 Here

Migrating MDT 2010 from one server to another server

It isn't as hard as it would seem. There may be other approaches to doing this, but I did a plain simple copy and paste on to the new server then edit the configuration files and update the image files and you're off to the horses!

• Copy the old share from the old server to the new server. ( Located in C:/Deploymentshare) 

• After it is finished copying, change the copied deployment share folder to be shared out. 

• Open MDT on the new server then click on Open Deployment Share and point it to the copied deployment share on your C:

• Right click your deployment share in MDT and click properties change the UNC path to reflect the new deployment share.

• Change the boot.ini to reflect your new server.

• Oh, don't forget to update your litetouch image from the deployment server then update WDS!

There you go- that's all folks!

Installing Office 2007 through MDT

Once you import office 2007 you should get different options than any other application import- and you’re able to select more options within the office products tab.

Below I’ve selected the Enterprise.WW config, you can select different configs.

• Select your config from the Drag down box
• Enter your Volume License Key, Display Basic- and suppress reboot.
• Go into Office Customization Tool and further customize your install.
• Include updates within the update folder of the actual installation folder, C:/DeploymentShare/Applications/Office 2007/Updates and include any updates such as SP1 and SP2.
• If required add another application such as SAVE AS PDF and make Office 2007 a dependency.