Tag: windows

Fully Automated: DeployStudio Dual Boot

I was recently tasked with deploying dual-boot Macs to all new staff.  Naturally, I wanted this to be as automated as possible so it was repeatable and consistent.  I already knew how to use an answer file to fully-automate the Windows side of the deployment.  And I also knew how to fully automate the Mac side of things.

I did need to learn how to make Windows 10 into a deployable .pkg, which was the final piece needed to automate the entire dual-boot deployment process. Continue reading “Fully Automated: DeployStudio Dual Boot”

How To Make An Automagic Windows 10 Boot Camp Install .pkg

I spent a long time trying to automate a dual-boot deployment of macOS and Windows 10.  The reason being is that it’s very useful to only buy a single piece of hardware (Apple) and have it run Windows and macOS (and maybe Linux, too).  But getting two completely different operating systems to deploy to a single piece of hardware in an automated fashion is a challenge.

This post describes how I went about creating a sysprep’d Windows image in a .pkg format, so it could be easily run on a Mac or deployed through something like JAMF. Continue reading “How To Make An Automagic Windows 10 Boot Camp Install .pkg”

Customize WinPE With Wallpaper and Custom Startup Script

WinPE is a useful tool for booting a computer and laying down a new operating system.  In this post, I’ll show you how to make WinPE a little more useful by automatically running a custom script at startup. Continue reading “Customize WinPE With Wallpaper and Custom Startup Script”

How To Image A Computer With Windows 10 Using dism

If you want to image a lot of computers with a clean Windows 10 image, Microsoft  has lots of built-in tools to help do this, but it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed with their documentation.  To alleviate that headache, I will explain step-by-step how to:

  • create and use an Unattended.xml file that will:
    • skip the initial setup screens
    • create a local admin account
    • activate Windows with a product key
    • (optionally) configure other Window settings
  • capture a deployable Windows 10 .wim file using sysprep
  • deploy the image to multiple computers using the dism command line tool and WinPE
  • (optionally) add drivers to the .wim file

Continue reading “How To Image A Computer With Windows 10 Using dism”

Windows: Uninstall Programs Via Command Line (Sudo Control Panel > Programs and Features > Uninstall)

I love when Windows command line tools are actually useful and friendly.  wmic  is a rare one that fits the bill.  I use the following command to uninstall programs silently (using Java as an example).

Find The Program Name

Run this command first to get the list of programs you can uninstall:

wmic product get name

Continue reading “Windows: Uninstall Programs Via Command Line (Sudo Control Panel > Programs and Features > Uninstall)”

Altiris: Fix Error 1618: Another Installation Is Already In Progress

I’m still stuck using Altiris 6.9DS.  It works, but it’s also finicky.  I often run into error 1618, which means another install is in progress (download the full error list here).  This is not always the case, but sometimes, other jobs can make it seem this way.  I run a simple command to clear out this error and then I can finish running the failing job. Continue reading “Altiris: Fix Error 1618: Another Installation Is Already In Progress”

Find Your Windows Product Key Without Any Software

One thing I have always found frustrating about buying a PC with windows re-installed (among many things) is you don’t always have easy access to the product code.  Sometimes it is posted on a sticker, but often it is not.  How To Geek shows how to get the product code using a simple script. Continue reading “Find Your Windows Product Key Without Any Software”

Manage Windows Printers At The Command Line

Install An IP Printer

This will create a new printer port at the IP address 10.10.10.10 and name it IP_10.10.10.10.

cscript %windir%\system32\printing_admin_scripts\en-us\prnport.vbs -a -r IP_10.10.10.10 -h 10.10.10.10 -o raw -n 9100

Then this will add the printer to that port with the correct driver (found on a network share). Continue reading “Manage Windows Printers At The Command Line”

Create A Scheduled Shutdown Via Script In Windows

I often use this command to create a scheduled shutdown.  You could also use to run any program you want.

schtasks /Create /SC daily /RU DOMAIN\user-account /RP myPassword /ST 18:00 /TN Auto-shutdown1800 /TR "%windir%\system32\shutdown.exe /s /f"

Just replace your username, password, and give it a unique name. Continue reading “Create A Scheduled Shutdown Via Script In Windows”