Image and Task Sequence Testing for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Hyper-V
· β˜• 9 min read
In a previous post I wrote about my Image Factory PowerShell script for MDT. This post is about a script derived from that which I setup to test my images and my deployment task sequences. Since this script is only an edit of the previous one I don’t intend to release it “officially” on the TechNet Gallery or the PowerShell Gallery. To explain succinctly what this script does, it turns Task Sequences into Virtual Machines.

3D Maze Remix now available from the Microsoft Store
· β˜• 1 min read
My game 3D Maze Remix is now available in the Microsoft store for Windows 10 devices. Please check out this page for more information on the game and downloads for other Operating Systems. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. -Mike

Building a Windows 10 1709 (Fall Creators Update) Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
· β˜• 11 min read
Update 16/01/2018: Updated this post to reflect the release of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 8450, which fully supports Windows 10 1709. Update 30/10/2017: If SysPrep is consistently failing when building your Windows 10 1709 image, it is most likely due to the Windows Store update process updating the built in UWP apps. This issue is a known issue, but one I’ve managed to dodge when building previous versions of Windows 10. With 1709, I’ve had SysPrep fail every time.

From Zero to 10 - Windows 10 Deployment Round-up
· β˜• 2 min read
This is a round-up all my previous posts regarding deployment and configuring Windows 10, installing Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and Windows Server Update Services into one post for reference. Installing and Configuring a WSUS Server Installing WSUS from scratch! Resolving WSUS Connection Errors On Windows Server 2012 R2 Installing and Configuring Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Getting Started With Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 8443 and Windows 10 1607/1703 PXE Booting for Microsoft Deployment Toolkit PXE Booting with WDS for UEFI and BIOS Devices Building and Deploying a Windows 10/Windows Server 2016 Reference Image Building a Windows 10 1607 Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 8443 Deploying a Windows 10 1607 Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 8443 Building a Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update) Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Building a Windows 10 1709 (Fall Creators Update) Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Building a Windows Server 2016 Reference Image with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Customising and Configuring Windows 10 Stuck Windows Updates from WSUS on Windows 10 1607/Windows Server 2016 Windows 10 1607 (Anniversary Update) opens msn.

Configuring Hyper-V For Support Of Nested Virtual Machines
· β˜• 5 min read
With Hyper-V it is possible to run VMs inside of VMs without needing to install third-party virtualization software. You might not have the need to run an entire Virtual Machine inside of another, but some upcoming security features of Windows 10 require Hyper-V to be enabled so this could be a way to have those security features on a Windows 10 VM that you otherwise would not be able to take advantage of.

Hyper-V Backup Utility
· β˜• 13 min read
Flexible Hyper-V Backup Utility Hyper-V Backup Utility is available from: GitHub The Microsoft PowerShell Gallery Please consider supporting my work: Support with a one-time donation using PayPal. Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub. Thanks -Mike Features and Requirements Designed to be run on a Hyper-V host. The Hyper-V host must have the Hyper-V management PowerShell modules installed. Can be used to backup VMs to a device which the Hyper-V host does not have permission to run a regular export to.

Windows 10 1709 Fall Creators Update Deployment Preview
· β˜• 2 min read
I’ve been testing a preview build of Windows 10 1709 - the Fall Creators Update with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and putting it through a few task sequences. I’m happy to say that I’ve not encountered any issues, which I did with previous updates. Keep reading for more info on my testing below. The main point of this post is just to say that when the time comes to deploy the Fall Creators Update with MDT, you shouldn’t encounter any issues.

On-Prem AD User Creator Utility
· β˜• 5 min read
Configurable Script For Creating On-Prem Active Directory User Accounts On-Prem AD User Creator Utility is available from: GitHub Please consider supporting my work: Support with a one-time donation using PayPal. Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub. Thanks -Mike Features and Requirements Requires the Active Directory PowerShell module be installed. Requires A CSV file containing the FirstName and LastName of each user to create.

3D Maze Remix - Update v1.1
· β˜• 2 min read
Update v1.1 Now Available in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 Download for Windows, Mac and Linux I’ve been working on an update to 3D Maze Remix - a small game I made based on the Windows 95 screensaver: 3D Maze. This update focuses on making the game more of a complete package. I’ve focused on improving the look and feel to be more consistent and more accurate to the source material.

Windows 10 1709 (Fall Creators Update) Available 17th October 2017
· β˜• 1 min read
I don’t usually do these news-type posts (plenty of other blogs for that) but here we are… The next major update of Windows 10 version 1709 also known as the Fall Creators Update has been announced for 17th October 2017. As with 1703 (Creators Update), it will roll out over Windows Update in phases and for those of us who’ll be wanting the .iso from the Volume Licensing Service Center, it should be available very close to the main release date.

WSUS Maintenance Utility
· β˜• 5 min read
Clean up WSUS WSUS Maintenance Utility is available from: GitHub The Microsoft PowerShell Gallery Please consider supporting my work: Support with a one-time donation using PayPal. Please report any problems via the ‘issues’ tab on GitHub. Thanks -Mike Features and Requirements It’s designed to run either on a WSUS server itself or can be run from a remote machine. The computer that is running the utility must have the WSUS management PowerShell modules installed.

Image Factory Utility
· β˜• 8 min read
Automate Creation of WIM Files Image Factory Utility is available from: GitHub The Microsoft PowerShell Gallery Please consider supporting my work: Support with a one-time donation using PayPal. Please report any problems via the β€˜issues’ tab on GitHub. Thanks -Mike Features and Requirements This utility is designed to run on a computer with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit installed. The computer must have either the Hyper-V management PowerShell modules installed, or Virtual Box.

Upgrading to Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update) with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)
· β˜• 7 min read
As Windows is now delivered ‘as-a-service’ with major updates being released biannually, you may want to push out these major updates using WSUS. In previous posts I’ve covered deploying Windows 10 1703 (Creators Update) as a clean install with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and also how to perform an upgrade to Windows 10 1703 using MDT. In this post, I’ll walk through the process of pushing out the upgrade to Windows 10 1703 using WSUS.