I'm aware Microsoft is phasing out Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and I've got a lot on my plate that makes digging deep into this challenging. It's that time of year when we need to re-image some devices urgently, but we've got a tight budget that makes solutions like Intune unfeasible for our 300 machines. Currently, I'm facing an issue where MDT loads the WINPE image, opens the built-in DART monitoring window, and goes through the first two loading screens. However, it hangs right before the Task Sequence Selection menu appears. I've tried this on several machines, including one still running Windows 10. Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
4 Answers
Switching to OSDCloud has been a game-changer for us; deploying Windows is now super easy! However, I gotta warn you, the documentation isn't the best, so be ready for some guidance issues.
It sounds like you might need to check for any recent tweaks to keep MDT operational. You can find some tips on deploying Windows 11 with MDT over at Deployment Research. Alternatively, if you're open to exploring other options, there's a GitHub project called FFU that looks promising, although it might need some setup. For a more straightforward, paid option, SmartDeploy comes highly recommended. It's part of the PDQ suite, and I'm considering it myself once I secure the budget.
We've made the switch to SmartDeploy and had great results in our tests. I haven't set up a full base image or task sequence yet, but that's on the horizon.
Just a heads up—Microsoft no longer supports MDT, especially with newer Windows 11 builds. While some community fixes exist, relying on it isn't advisable since it could break at any moment. Microsoft's current direction pushes users toward Autopilot, though there are various other solutions out there if you need alternatives.
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