Whats new in MDT 2013 Preview 1 that you should care about?

By | March 10, 2015
0 Comment
Share

So here’s what I found so far:

https://connect.microsoft.com/ConfigurationManagervnext/Downloads
Note: You need to join the “program” to access the downloads page.

1. The obvious! Windows 10 Technical Preview deployment support.
2. MDT auto-spans >4gb WIM files to support UEFI bootable “removeable media”. Thank you Microsoft!

MDTSpanWim
3. New “unfancy” wallpaper.

MDTWalpaper
4. Same unstable MMC console.

GoodOleMMCCrashes
5. Editing the Unattend.xml still “works wonderfully”.

EditingTheUnattend

6. And lastly, but MOST important! Once you UPGRADE your DS, there is NO going back!

MDTUpgradeError

/Brian G

Whats the best way to query for a Toughbook from MDT/SCCM?

By | February 17, 2015
4 Comments
Share

The old way:

SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Model LIKE “CF-53J%”

This query no longer works for Toughbook systems manufactured after 2014.  This field is now populated with a generic value for the Toughbook revision (CF52-2 instead of CF-53JVUZK1M).

 

The best way:

SELECT * FROM Win32_BaseBoard WHERE Product LIKE “CF53-2%”

 

If you prefer to still query against the full model:

SELECT * FROM MS_SystemInformation WHERE SystemSKU LIKE “CF-53J%”

 

Here are some WMIC commands that can pull these values quickly:

wmic baseboard get product

wmic computersystem get model

wmic /NAMESPACE:\\root\WMI PATH MS_SystemInformation get SystemSKU

2015-02-17_13-53-48

 

 

 

 

/Brian

Where is the Wacom Touchscreen Data saved in the Registry?

By | December 21, 2014
0 Comment
Share

Wacom’s pressure settings, calibration data, shortcut keys are all inside the .dat file. Before proceeding, if you want to keep your data secure, then consider buying this cloud service.
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\WTablet (on Windows 7)
– ISD_Tablet.dat (Tablet PC)
– WTablet.dat (Cintiq)

Windows’ calibration is in the registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\TabletPC\UserLinearityData
Export that branch to a .reg file using regedit.

/Brian G

4 Different Tools to Download Windows Updates.

By | December 21, 2014
2 Comments
Share

Great write-up on 4 FREE tools to download windows Updates local. My perference is WSUSOffline.

https://4sysops.com/archives/windows-update-download-tools/

Thanks Mr Warner!

Portable Update
AutoPatcher
WSUS Offline Update
Windows Updates Downloader

/Brian G

How can I set BIOS Settings for a Toughbook or Toughpad in WinPE?

By | December 19, 2014
7 Comments
Share

*UPDATED* – 2016/09/16 Removed Password, and updated download link for BIOS Provider.

 

With the latest release of the WMI BIOS Provider Utility came a large feature, the ability to set BIOS settings from WinPE.

First, you need to add the Panasonic SID Driver to your WinPE. The latest variety available should do: 32-Bit | 64-Bit

Then on a Dev machine (with Dotnet 4 Installed), you will need to run the “ToughbookWMIGUI.exe” GUI (Config Only Mode) Download link (new), specify your settings and output the settings to a VBS.

Next, you will need to stage the WMI Provider install script, and outputted VBS script, either inside of your Boot Image or somewhere accessible in your boot image. In the below screenshot, I added the files to my MDT Scripts folder. 32-Bit | 64-Bit

Lastly, Update the silent.bat with the name and path to your outputted VBS script and execute it in WinPE.

If you run into any issues, here is a readme on the requirements needed for the utility to function properly.

/Brian G