Using Dynamic Update with WSUS to install Windows 10 feature updates
When you install Windows 10 using SETUP.EXE, or any time you install a new feature update either using SETUP.EXE from media or installing via the Windows Update agent, the installation process will...
View ArticleEasily switch from Windows 10 Enterprise to Windows 10 Education
Some of you may have seen me do a demo at previous events showing how you could change from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise, just by changing the product key – the change is immediate, no...
View ArticleWindows as a service: Connecting the dots
Since we’ve started talking about Windows as a service (almost three years ago now), we’ve published a lot of good information. And while most people know about the main set of documentation...
View ArticleChanging between Windows SKUs
In one of the sessions that we did at Ignite around Windows 10 Subscription Activation, we included this slide that talked about the progression that has been made through the years in simplifying the...
View ArticleImproved Windows Update Log Formatting with Windows 10 1709
With the release of Windows 10, the Windows Update log changed from a text file to a binary file. A new PoweShell cmdlet, Get-WindowsUpdateLog, was added to format the binary file, generating the...
View ArticleGathering Windows AutoPilot hardware details from existing machines
As discussed in the documentation at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/windows-10-auto-pilot, you can harvest the hardware details from existing Windows 10 devices, then upload those...
View ArticleTroubleshooting Windows AutoPilot (level 100/200)
If you’ve watched the Microsoft Mechanics video or Ignite sessions (presented by Sidd or me) on Windows AutoPilot, you’ve seen what is supposed to happen: Manually choose language, region, keyboard...
View ArticleTroubleshooting Windows AutoPilot (level 300/400)
In my last post, I talked about issues you might encounter with Windows AutoPilot. But what if you still can’t figure it out? Typically the support and development teams would want more information...
View ArticleTroubleshooting Windows AutoPilot: Sample ETW Traces
In yesterday’s AutoPilot troubleshooting blog, https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mniehaus/2017/12/13/troubleshooting-windows-autopilot-level-300400/, I showed a variety of captured traces for...
View ArticleWindows AutoPilot Azure AD Branding
When you use Windows AutoPilot to deploy new devices, you want the process to be friendly and familiar for the users going through the process. One of the ways that is done is by customizing the logon...
View ArticleChanging the Hyper-V screen resolution during OOBE
I’ve recorded a variety of videos (especially for Windows AutoPilot, but prior to that for other Windows deployment scenarios) that involve capturing the initial phases of a Hyper-V VM’s boot process....
View ArticleAfraid of Windows 10 with Azure AD join? Try it out (part 1)
I’ve been surprised by the number of organizations that have never tried to join a Windows 10 device into Azure Active Directory. So let’s spend some time talking about that. You’ve been able to join...
View ArticleStarting a new chapter
When I originally accepted a job with Microsoft, just over 14 years ago, I chose the company because of the sheer number of different roles that were available – lots of opportunities for new...
View ArticleAfraid of Windows 10 with Azure AD join? Try it out (part 2)
In the part 1 blog, I talked about the mechanics of joining Windows 10 devices to Azure AD. Now let’s shift focus and talk about the impact of doing it. I already mentioned that Azure AD doesn’t...
View ArticleWhat’s Changed in MDT 8450
Back in December, a new build of MDT was released. Continuing the pattern established with the release before it (8443), it’s identified only by its build number, hence it’s called MDT 8450. As Aaron...
View ArticleMore on included Windows 10 apps
I’ve stated this publicly a few times, but many people don’t realize the distinction so I’ll repeat it again here. There are provisioned apps included in Windows 10 (that you can remove, see...
View ArticleConfigMgr task sequences from the internet
After some campaigning and some quick work from the ConfigMgr team for the ConfigMgr tech preview 1802 release, you can now use non-OSD task sequences, such as those that install apps or perform...
View ArticlePrinting to on-prem printers from Azure AD-joined devices
Since most of us have been using Active Directory for ages, you probably also take for granted the process for printing to your on-premises printers: They are published to Active Directory, you can...
View ArticleManaging Windows AutoPilot devices using the Intune Graph API
A while back, I published a sample script called Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo, which is designed to help define existing computers with the Windows AutoPilot deployment service, See...
View ArticleCleaning up apps to keep Windows 10 sysprep happy
As we documented at https://support.microsoft.com/en-sg/help/2769827/sysprep-fails-after-you-remove-or-update-windows-store-apps-that-inclu, sysprep will fail when creating a custom Windows 10 image if...
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