Hyper-V can't PXE boot

If you try to PXE boot a VM in Hyper-V and get a Boot Failure error just Add a new Legacy Network Adapter.

Go to the settings of the VM, click on Add Hardware, select Legacy Network Adapter and Add.

Now choose the connection you want to use and click Ok.

Install SCCM 2012 RTM Step by Step

First let's see the requirements:

• Server must be part of a Domain
• AD Schema must be extended. If you are migrating from SCCM 2007 and you have extended it before you jsut need to delegate permissions to the new SCCM 2012 server object. Check my last post on how to extend the schema here.
• .NET Framework 3.5 and 4 (with WCF Activation)
• IIS (Webdav is no longer required)
• Remote Differential Compression
• BITS
• SQL Server 2008 SP2 CU 9 or SP3 CU4 or SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU4
• SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 CU4 is only supported for secondary sites

Now let's start the installation.

Run the Splash. Click on Install.

Click on Next in the first screen.
Select Install a Configuration Manager primary site. Click on Next.

Enter your product key or select to Install this product as an evaluation. Click on Next.

Accept the license. Click on Next.
Accept the licenses. Click on Next.
Choose a folder to download prerequisite files. Click on Next.

Select server the language and click on Next.
Select the client language and click on Next.

Now select a Site code. If you are migrating from SCCM 2007 then you will have to select a new Site code. Select a Site name and click on Next.

In this case I dont have a Central Site so I will install it as a stand-alone site. You will have to decide what type of hierarchy best suite your needs. Click on Next.

Click on Yes.

Choose the Server Name, Database name and click on Next.

Enter the FQDN of the server where the SMS Provider will be installed. Click on Next.

Select which type of communication will be allowed. If you don't have PKI select the second option. Click on Next.

Select whether you want to install the management point and distribution point and to which servers they should be installed on. Click on Next.

Select if you want to join the CEIP and click on Next.
Now revise the summary and click on Next again.
Now setup will check for any problems.

If you get any warnings related to memory you can resolve them in the SQL Server Management Studio.
Right click in the database and select Properties.

Now change the minimum and maximum server memory and click on OK.

If you Run Check again the warnings will disappear.

If you get an error around the server collation, you will have to replace the current collation.

Note: Don't do this is if you don't know what you are doing.
You can change the collation as below, just make sure to change the INSTANCENAME and the user for sqlsysadminaccounts.



If you get the warning about WSUS just install the full WSUS 3.0 SP2 or just the console.
After you fix all errors and warnings click on Begin Install. Warnings are not required to be fixed but are recommended.

If everything goes well you should get the screen below.

If you want to know how to do the basic initial configuration you can check my previous post on SCCM 2012 Beta2here. 

SCCM Deployment - Background, Themes and BGInfo

Each corporation has a different policy when it comes to background personalisation.

Consider the following policies:

1. Set a default background and restrict any changes.
2. Set a default background and allow changes.
3. Set a default background, allow changes but apply some information over the background using BGInfo.

I'm going to address in this post the option 3.

I have seen a lot of information over the internet but none of them was very informative or would always work.

First you need to download BGInfo and copy the files to a folder from which you are going to create the SCCM Package. (Note that BGInfo is not required if you won't put any information over the background)

Now create the bgi file using the BGInfo that will be applied over the background.

Save it as Custom.bgi.

Create a batch file with the following:

C:\Windows\BGInfo.exe C:\Windows\Custom.bgi /timer:0 /NOLICPROMPT

Save it as BGInfo.cmd

Create a shortcut to point to C:\Windows\BGInfo.cmd and name it BGInfo.lnk

Also put in the folder where BGInfo is the custom background you want to use.

Now go to a Windows 7 machine and copy the Aero.theme file from C:\Windows\Resources\Themes to the same folder where you placed BGInfo.

Note: You can create your own theme file or copy one other theme file, but I'm going to use the Aero.theme because it has all the settings I want.

Now open the Aero.theme file using notepad, scroll down to [Control Panel\Desktop] and change Wallpaper=%SystemRoot%\web\wallpaper\Windows\MOHBackground.jpg to Wallpaper=%SystemRoot%\web\wallpaper\Windows\YourCustomBackground.jpg

Chage YourCustomBackground.jpg with the name of your background.

Also change the WallPaperStyle to 2 which corresponds to Stretch. The default is 10 which is Fill. I do that because when the BGInfo is applied it expands the wallpaper if it's set to Fill and the background gets out of position.

Other options are Fit = 6, Center = 0 and Tile = 1 but you also have to change the TileWallpaper to 1.

Now let's create a batch file to replace the theme during the build and copy the BGInfo files. Place it in the same folder where all the other files are.

TAKEOWN /F %SystemRoot%\Resources\Themes\Aero.theme
ICACLS %SystemRoot%\Resources\Themes\Aero.theme /reset
RENAME %SystemRoot%\Resources\Themes\Aero.theme Aero2.theme
COPY "%~dp0YourCustomBackground.jpg "%SystemRoot%\web\wallpaper\Windows" /Y
COPY "%~dp0Aero.theme" "%SystemRoot%\Resources\Themes" /Y
COPY "%~dp0BGInfo.exe" "%SystemRoot%" /Y
COPY "%~dp0Custom.bgi" "%SystemRoot%" /Y
COPY "%~dp0BGInfo.cmd" "%SystemRoot%" /Y
COPY "%~dp0BGInfo.lnk" "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" /Y

Make sure you replace the CustomBackground.jpg with the name of your custom background. Save the batch file as SetTheme.bat

Now create the SCCM Package and specify the program with the following: SetTheme.bat

Place the package after Windows is installed. 

SCCM - Bitlocker with DaRT

In this post I will demonstrate how to include a DaRT 7 recovery image in the same partition of BitLocker.

First install DaRT 7.

Now run the DaRT Recovery Image Wizard. Click on Next.

Specify the source of the Windows installation source files. It can be local or a network location. Click on Next.

click on Next again to extract the files.

Now select the tools you don't want the local user to have access to. Note that when the Service Desk connect remotely all tools will be available. Click on Next.

Tick the Allow remote connections, specify a port number if required or a random port will be assigned. Type a welcome message if required. Click on Next.

Select to locate the Debugging Tools on the system that you are repairing or download the debugging tool and use the first option. Click on Next.

Select the appropriate option for you and click on Next.

Add network drivers for all your computer models and click on Next.

Click on Next again. Specify where to save the image file and click on Next.

Untick Burn the image and click on Next. click on Finish.

Now open the recently created ISO file using WinZip or WinRar, browse to the sources folder and extract the boot.wim to a temporary folder. Rename it to WinRE.wim

Now let's create 2 files to automate the process. The first one we will name DaRT.bat and the second Diskpart.txt

That's the content of the DaRT.bat:

reagentc.exe /disable
md R:\Recovery\WinRE
copy %~dp0WinRE.wim R:\Recovery\WinRE
reagentc.exe /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WinRE /target C:\Windows /bootkey 3e00
reagentc.exe /enable
diskpart /s %~dp0diskpart.txt

Note: The /bootkey 3e00 will let us boot the Dart image using the F4 key.

That's the content of the Diskpart.txt:

sel vol 1
remove letter=R
exit

Now put these 2 files and the WinRE.wim in the same folder and create a SCCM Package with this folder as the source. The DaRT.bat will be the program.

Make sure you select to allow this package to run in a Task Sequence.

Now in your Task Sequence we have to create 2 steps. One Run Command Line to create the BitLocker partition and one Install Software to run that batch file which will copy the boot image and remove the drive letter.

These steps must run any time after the Windows is installed.

The Create BitLocker Partition will have the command line:

bdehdcfg.exe -target C: shrink -newdriveletter R: -size 600 -quiet

Make sure you select the Disable 64-bit file system redirection.

The Include DART Recovery will be the package we have created before.

In my case I have BitLocker enabled only for laptops. So I create a condition in each step to run only if the variable ISLaptop equals TRUE.

 Now after the computer is reimaged you will be able to boot the computer to the Windows Recovery pressing the F4 key.

Once the boot file is loaded you will be prompted if you would like to initialize the netword connectivity. Click on Yes.


Click on Yes or No depending on your requirements.

Now you will be prompted for the BitLocker Recovery password. You can retrieve it from AD.

Enter a local username and password. I recommend that you create a local user in your base image. This way you don't need the users to know the password for the administrator account.

Now you can click on Microsoft Diagnostic and Recovery Toolset to see the DaRT tools.

To initialize a remote connection you can click on Remote Connection and pass the info to the Service Desk person which will do the connection. Note the Waiting for connection...

The Service Desk person would use the DaRT Remote Connection Viewer and use the info provided by the user to establish the connection.

Now the waiting for connection has changed to Help Desk connected.