Archive
The original blog, kept intact — 56 posts on MDT, Windows 10, UEFI/TPM and OS deployment. Preserved as history; some references to tools and a code repo are no longer maintained.
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 21H2
As Windows 10, version 21H2 update development winds down, Microsoft is now preparing for the final release of the…
Windows 10 21H2 Built-In Apps: What to Keep
The development of the Windows 10, version 21H2 is finished and the update will soon be available for download from…
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 20H1 Preview
As Windows 10 Vibranium Update ( 20H1 ) development winds down, Microsoft is now beginning the phase of checking in the…
The Case of Missing UE-V Templates
My customers often deal with unexpected Windows behavior and this case is no different. This particular one is…
The Case of Corrupted Store Apps
A few days ago I began experiencing issues with built-in Windows apps where various apps would flash open and close…
Windows 10 1903: Useful Resources for IT Professionals
Windows 10 , version 1903 is now available via Windows Update for Business , Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and…
Windows 10 1903 Built-In Apps: What to Keep
The development of the Windows 10, version 1903 is finished and the update is now available for download from Visual…
Restore a Deprovisioned Windows 10 In-Box App
These days a lot of my blog posts start off with a question on Twitter and this one is no different. At least, this…
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 1903 Preview
As Windows 10 April 2019 Update Update (codenamed 19H1 ) development winds down, it’s the grandiose time to examine…
Windows 10 1809 Built-In Apps: What to Keep
The development of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809, codenamed " Redstone 5 ") is now heading towards…
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 1809 Preview
As Windows 10 Redstone 5 Update ( 1809 ) development winds down and Microsoft is now beginning the phase of checking in…
Yet Another Windows 10 Optimization Script
As a reminder, Microsoft will be ending support for Windows 7 SP1 on January 14, 2020. I've had multiple enterprise…
Localizing Inbox Apps during OSD
As a reader of this blog, I suspect that most of you, like me, are frequenting Twitter. And I bet many of you picked up…
Removing Windows 10 Apps / Capabilities Offline
In several of my previous articles, I've discussed how to remove built-in applications and capabilities during…
Windows 10 1803: Useful Resources for IT Professionals
Windows 10 " April 2018 Update ", also known as version 1803 , " Redstone 4 ", or RS4 will be available via Windows…
Windows 10 1803 Built-In Apps: What to Keep
The development of the Spring Creators Update (codenamed " Redstone 4 ") is now heading towards the finishing line. We…
Fixing 'Windows cannot install package Microsoft.Windows.Photos'
While I sometimes long for the day when I no longer have to deal with unexpected Windows 10 behavior, there’s something…
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 1803 Preview
As Windows 10 Redstone 4 Update ( 1803 ) development winds down, it’s the grandiose time to examine updated and new…
Disabling Cortana Voice Support during OOBE
Yesterday I came across a Twitter thread in which multiple users detailed their beef with the revamped setup experience…
Microsoft Edge: Taking Control
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (1709) includes a number of enhancements over the previous Windows 10 release in…
Windows 10 1709 Built-In Apps: What to Keep
As a reader of this blog, I suspect that most of you are already starting to work with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update…
Thoughts on the TPM Vulnerability ADV170012
In a desperate effort to make this blog post worth reading and not go through the indignity of having to write about…
Group Policy Changes in Windows 10 1709 Preview
As Windows 10 Fall Creators Update development winds down, it’s the grandiose time to examine updated and new Group…
Microsoft Cuts Features from Windows 10 Pro... Again
I would never usually be as presumptuous as to suppose that I knew exactly what my thousands tens of readers wanted to…
Microsoft is Changing the Windows 10 Servicing Model ... Again
I have an embarrassment of riches regarding what to talk about this week, but instead, and apologies in advance for…
Localizing built-in UWP Apps
Of late, several customers I work with started deploying Windows 10 clients using an English base image and applying…
An alternative ESU MAK Activation Solution
This blog post was shared with me by a colleague of mine, Daniel Dorner, a Microsoft Premier Field Engineer. It’s a…
Building the Perfect Horizon Cloud Image: A Step-by-Step Guide
Automated reference image creation became common as IT professionals use tools like Microsoft Deployment Toolkit or…
Automating Dell BIOS Configuration Using MDT
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me, so I’m slowly going through a backlog of things to cover. The push to get…
Configuring HP BIOS Using MDT
This is the second post in my series that explores one of the most common questions I’ve been asked from folks who are…
BIOS to UEFI - The Easy Way: MBR2GPT
This article is the first blog post in a series I'll write over the coming days that will provide a comprehensive…
Force LAPS Password Reset during MDT OSD
My customers often send me exciting cases. This particular one is especially interesting because it is common in…
Understanding FAILURE (5615): Boot Drive not Found
Continuing the theme of focusing on disk-related cases (yesterday I posted an article detailing how to fix the "Verify…
Dynamically Select SSD Drive for OS Installation
If you’ve read any of my tweets, you know that I emphasize how Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and ConfigMgr are powerful…
The Case of Missing TPM P@ssword
As my regular blog readers will be aware (yes, all three of you), there is something increasingly traditional about me…
How to Automate Input Preferences during OSD
A few days ago I stumbled upon a question on the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) forum where a user asked for…
Fixing "Windows update reboot is pending" during OSD
Automated OS deployment became common as IT professionals install systems using tools like Microsoft Deployment Toolkit…
Install Appx Files Using PowerShell Wrapper
These days most of my blog posts start off with a question from a customer. At least, this time around the question was…
Fixing the "MMC could not create the snap-in" Error in Active Roles Console
Quite a few of my blog posts start off with a customer engagement - this one is no different. This week I am…
Using MDT to Import Wireless Network Profile
The other day, as I was working with a customer on improving and optimizing his Windows 10 image, one of IT technicians…
Enabling SMBv1 in MDT WinPE Boot Images
As a reader of this blog, I suspect that you, like me, are a frequent visitor to TechNet forums. Earlier today, a user…
Removing Quick Assist App Using MDT
Quite a few of my blog posts start off with a customer engagement - this one is no different. This week I held another…
Re-Enable SMBv1 in Windows 10 1709 Using MDT
In case you have not heard, you should stop using SMB1 . Not only is it 30 years old and was publicly deprecated back…
Disabling SMBv1 in WinPE through MDT
As a reader of this blog, I suspect that you, like me, are a frequent visitor to TechNet forums. Yesterday, a user…
TPM Upgrade Process on Dell & HP Systems Using MDT
In my last blog post, I discussed clearing Trusted Platform Module (TPM) using PowerShell and MDT. This time I’m…
How to Clear the TPM Chip Using MDT
Before a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) can be used for advanced scenarios it must be provisioned. Windows 10…
Add .NET Framework Offline Using MDT
If you’ve read any of my tweets , you know that I emphasize how Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and ConfigMgr are powerful…
Mastering Windows 10 Language Packs
In order to deploy and service Windows 10 successfully, you need to carefully consider how you apply language packs. In…
Managing MDT Out-of-the-Box Driver Repository using PowerShell
In order to deploy Windows 10 with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit successfully, you need to keep drivers for the actual…
On My Way to Microsoft...
After 4 years at Login Consultants , with long and careful contemplation, I have made a difficult and bittersweet but…
Join Me at Microsoft Tech Summit Frankfurt
Join me at Microsoft Tech Summit on February 21 – 22 in Frankfurt, Germany, where experts from around the world present…
Join Me at Experts Live Europe
Join me at Experts Live Europe on 23 August – 25 August in Berlin, Germany, where experts from around the world present…
Image Factory for VMware Workstation
There are many reasons why an organization would spend a lot of time on image creation and maintenance. Often, it’s due…
Automating Multi-node Tableau Server Environment
After a few weeks off, I am delighted to announce that I have returned full time, once again delivering somewhat IT…
Create CustomSettings.ini Using PowerShell
A couple of days ago, I posted a blog post detailing how to add language packs to MDT using PowerShell . In today's…
Add Language Packs to MDT Using PowerShell
In order to deploy Windows 10 with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit in a multi language environment successfully, you…