p4kelly4 said:
I am getting ready to deploy a clean install with XP Pro on about 85
clients and I have no help here. Now I see that I can use sysprep if all my
machines are the same but their not the HD sizes vary, Memory varies,
Processor speeds also vary.
Now if I use Unattend then I have to go to each PC to start the deployment
and my clients are scattered across multiple building.
I don't want to upgrade so I can't use SMS. Anyone have any suggestions?
I've read the other responses, but thought it best to reply directly from
your first post. Even though you have a relatively small # of client
machines, you would benefit greatly from the guidance in the Business
Desktop Deployment Solution Accelerator (BDD) found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopdeployment/bddoverview.mspx
The Standard Edition was crafted specifically for small environments, and
includes an eval copy of PQIDeploy which is an imaging solution similar in
function to Ghost (was created by PowerQuest which was purchased last year
by Symantec, the owner of Ghost). Where you could benefit is the VERY
complete build environment with it's well tested scripts & batch files.
Since you mentioned SMS, if you have SMS 2003, you can also use the
information in the Enterprise Edition which details the newly released
Operating System Deployment Feature Pack (a free addon to SMS 2003). With
this tool, you can completely automate your installation while doing the
recommended "wipe & load" instead of upgrades.
For just 85 machines, an unattended setup is quite possible as another
mentioned, and the unattended.msfn.org site is a great source of information
on doing just that. RIS is also an option if your machines have PXE nics.
Either will typically require a physical vist to the machines. IF you do
have SMS 2003 and the time to do this right, BDD is your best choice. Spend
the time now and get a process down that will only make it easier the next
time around!
Hope this helps!
Glenn Fincher
Desktop Deployment Specialist
