Deploying an image to a target computer

To reimage your target computer, use this wizard to customize deployment parameters and user settings.

The Deploy Image to Computer wizard sets specific parameters, including multicast options, migration settings, miscellaneous options, and credentials. You can deploy an image to a computer either using the wizard or manually. To reimage a computer n multicast, you must create a reimage profile as described in Reimaging Windows Systems in multicast.

To proceed manually, select the Manual tab to manually edit the customsettings.ini file that is generated from fields specified in the Wizard tab. Changes made in the file make fields in the Wizard tab non-editable and manual changes must be undone to be able to make changes in the Wizard tab again.

Editing the customsettings.ini file incorrectly might cause failure during the imaging process. Some settings of this file are not present in this tab because they are handled separately by encryption. Specifically, these settings are:
  • DomainAdmin
  • JoinDomain
  • DomainAdminDomain
  • DomainAdminPassword
  • MachineObjectOU

For these values, the settings in the Wizard tab take precedence over the settings found in the Manual tab.

From the wizard, you can optionally create a baseline that can be reused for subsequent reimage deployments:
Deploy Image to Computer Wizard - Create Baseline option
When you take action from the baseline, and provide the necessary credentials, multiple action groups are created and the activity dashboard is updated with new entries.

Expand Options to edit the settings for the reimage. When you have made the required changes, you can save the template, and either create a reimage action by clicking Reimage computer or create a reusable baseline by clicking Create Baseline.

Each component of the Wizard tab is explained in the following sections.


Deploying an image to a Windows computer - wizard

Requirements and limitations

The reimaging process is influenced by different components, such as source and destination operating systems, the MDT Bundle used, and by user and domain settings. One or more of the following requirements or restrictions may apply, depending on your specific selection:
  1. You cannot reimage a system with an encrypted disk. You must decrypt the disk before deploying the image on the target system, or else the reimaging fails.
  2. When you deploy a captured image, if the BES client version installed on the target computer is earlier than the version contained in the image, the reimaging completes successfully. However, if you upgrade the BES client on the target computer at a later time using the upgrade Fixlet, this operation might fail. To solve the problem, manually upgrade the client on the target where the upgrade has failed by using the Repair option.
  3. You cannot reimage a Server class operating system on a client class operating system or vice-versa.
  4. Reimaging to Windows 10 requires MDT Bundle version 3.8.12 or later, created with WADK 10 and MDT 20'13 Update 1. The source operating system must have IBM BigFix client version 9.2.5 or later installed before you start the reimaging process.
  5. If you are reimaging Windows 7 to Windows 7, using MDT Bundle 3.8.12 or later, created with WADK 10 and MDT 2013 Update 1, The migrate user settings option is not supported.