Ben Hunter
Architect - Microsoft Enterprise Services - Redmond
The Last Post
Well I am sad to say that this is my last post. But don't worry I have something better. I have been...
Date: 01/27/2008
Microsoft Deployment - Released
Well it looks like I no longer have to answer the question "when will Microsoft Deployment be...
Date: 11/12/2007
BDD 2007 - TechNet Magazine article worth reading
One of my fellow Microsoft Services consultants from the UK Adam Shepherd, has just had an article...
Date: 10/28/2007
BDD is now Microsoft Deployment
The big secret is now out! BDD has officially had a name change, the next version will be called...
Date: 10/25/2007
BDD 2007 - How to create a Custom task sequence with reboots
I am often asked how to setup a custom task sequence that will continue after a reboot. If you have...
Date: 10/09/2007
BDD 2007 -How to ensure the computer is in the correct OU
As promised in a previous blog post here is a script to move a computer to the correct OU from...
Date: 10/07/2007
Deployment 4 - UPDATE - How to create a custom task sequence
I have previously mentioned how to create a custom task sequence to save time when testing...
Date: 09/26/2007
BDD 2007 - How do you do it?
I am often asked how I install and configure BDD 2007. So I thought now was a good time to detail at...
Date: 09/20/2007
BDD 2007 - Special characters special problems
Here is a simple tip when using BDD. DO NOT use special characters anywhere. They cause problems....
Date: 09/19/2007
Deployment 4 – Who stole my build?
Well for those of you that have already installed Deployment 4 may have notice that Deployment 4...
Date: 09/18/2007
Deployment 4 (the next version of BDD) - Beta 3 Released
It looks like the BDD team has been very busy! They have just released Deployment 4 Beta 3 the...
Date: 09/17/2007
BDD 2007 - How to move a computer object in Windows PE
Many of my customers have Group Policy settings that are very restrictive and cause problems during...
Date: 09/16/2007
BDD 2007 - Time saving tips - How to manually restart the build process
When troubleshooting the BDD deployment I often make a change then test. Then find that I need to...
Date: 09/10/2007
BDD 2007 - A pretty good ZTI front end
In the past I have written a number of blogs about how you can use the LTI wizard to create a...
Date: 08/28/2007
BDD 2007 - How to Prompt for information then update the database
I have previously published posts detailing how you can perform bulk updates to the database and how...
Date: 08/13/2007
Presenting at TechEd New Zealand
I will be presenting a session at TechEd New Zealand on Monday covering Vista Deployment using BDD...
Date: 08/08/2007
BDD2007 - Bulk database updates
I am often asked how I perform bulk updates to the BDD 2007 database. BDD 2.5 provided a tool to...
Date: 08/04/2007
BDD 2007 - Reusing the SMS GUID in a New Computer deployment
When performing a refresh based deployment using Zero Touch BDD will retain the computers current...
Date: 07/13/2007
BDD 2007 - Quick Start Guide Released
For all of you that are new to BDD 2007 (and some of those that aren't) I would highly recommend...
Date: 07/12/2007
BDD 2007 - Integrating Mass Storage Drivers into your XP image
After my previous blog about integrating mass storage drivers into Windows PE I have a number of...
Date: 07/12/2007
BDD 2007 - Troubleshooting Database issues
I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked to help some troubleshoot their database...
Date: 07/10/2007
BDD 2007 - Intel Mass Storage Drivers (iastor)
Everytime Intel releases a new mass storage chipset I receive the same call/email from from most of...
Date: 06/29/2007
BDD 2007 - New BDD blog
Richard Smith one of my fellow Microsoft consultants from the UK has started a blog (finally!)....
Date: 06/20/2007
BDD 2007 - Understanding BDD logs
Before you can troubleshoot BDD 2007 you need to clearly understand the many logs used during an OS...
Date: 06/16/2007
BDD 2007 - Patch 1 released
Well the first patch for BDD 2007 has been released, download it here. This fixes a number of those...
Date: 06/16/2007
BDD 2007 - BDD and PowerTab - Be teased no more!
I am sure that many of you a very keen to use the functionality demonstrated in the PowerShell Guy's...
Date: 06/14/2007
BDD 2007 - PowerShell Teaser
Those of you who are keen to leverage PowerShell to manage BDD will find the following teasers from...
Date: 06/10/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Sorting Applications
Hands up everyone who has tried to add an application to the task sequence and been frustrated by...
Date: 06/05/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Integrating WinRE into Vista with BDD
Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) is a recovery platform based on Windows Preinstallation...
Date: 05/21/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Identifying hardware types
When using BDD to deploy and OS one of the first things it does is detect information about the...
Date: 05/19/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Tuning SMS WIM compression
When testing BDD in a Lab environment or even some customer sites I find that when I update an OSD...
Date: 05/15/2007
UPDATE - How to manually use a BDD Task Sequence to test application installation
In a previous post I detailed the process for using a cut down version of the task sequence to test...
Date: 05/14/2007
BDD 2007 – Tips and Tricks - Managing Driver Groups with PowerShell
BDD 2007 has a great technique of determining which drivers should be applied to the clients being...
Date: 05/12/2007
USMT Updated
The User State Migration Tool has updated to address two issues: 1. You can now install USMT on...
Date: 04/20/2007
Top Ten - Most Common BDD 2007 issues
I see the same issues coming up over and over again with BDD 2007. So, I decided it was time for my...
Date: 04/18/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - List of utility functions
When creating your own script to use with BDD it is a good idea to leverage the framework that BDD...
Date: 04/16/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - How to write a custom script
BDD provides a scripting framework, by leveraging this framework you can write a custom script that...
Date: 04/15/2007
Windows PE 2.0 - XP Disk partitioning issues
Many people have been having "Fun and Games" when using Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows...
Date: 04/13/2007
BDD 2007 - Source code released
For all of you who want to further understand the inner workings of BDD 2007, the source code is now...
Date: 04/13/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Multiple Keyboard Locales
I have had recently had a couple of enquires from people having issues with setting multiple...
Date: 04/08/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Hydration
When discussing the use of BDD 2007 with partners I like to introduce the concept of "hydration"....
Date: 04/06/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Patching Vista
Patching XP images is common topic of discussion with many of my customers. When deploying XP should...
Date: 04/03/2007
BDD 2007 Tips - Creating Model Aliases
When trying to manage drivers and hardware specific application with BDD 2007, I have found that...
Date: 03/28/2007
BDD 2007 - Tips and Tricks - Using the Lite Touch wizard in Zero Touch
Many of my customers want to prompt information during a ZTI deployment. For example if for some...
Date: 03/17/2007
Understanding BDD rule processing
To truly unleash the potential of BDD 2007 you must first understand the concept of rule processing....
Date: 03/17/2007
BDD 2007 - Time saving Tips - How To quickly test rules
When creating rules within BDD I find that it can take alot of time to tune them to provide the...
Date: 03/02/2007
BDD 2007 Time saving tips - How to manually use a BDD Task Sequence to test application installation
How often when creating a your perfect image do you find that you run through image build process...
Date: 02/25/2007