This guide assumes that you've installed and configured SCCM 2007 already and that you have

set it up to deploy operating system's such as Windows Vista SP1. In addition you must have installed SP2 for ConfigMgr. It is available for download here. The most up to date version of this Guide will always be found in the Deploy 7 section of the windows-noob.comforums. For best practise information about deployments using SCCM you should always consult with Microsoft Technet.
Step 1. get the ISO

I chose the 64bit Enterprise version which was en_windows_7_enterprise_x64_dvd_x1570749.iso. Now that you have the ISO, mount it or burn it to DVD and copy the contents of it (all files and folders) to a network share on your SCCM server.

Step 2. Add Operating System Install Package

In System Center Configuration Manager 2007 expand the Operating System Deployment node and right click onOperating System Install Packages, choose add operating system install package.

When the Add Operating System Install Package wizard appears, point it to the path where the Windows 7 operating system files can be found eg:
\\SCCM\sources\os\7\rtm\x64\ent\

fill in the name, version and a comment about the image

review the summary

and verify the confirmation

Step 3. Create Distribution Point for the Image

Now that we have added the operating system files to our available operating system install packages, we need to create a new distribution point for it so let's do that. Expand the newly added Windows 7 image you just added in Operating System Install Image Packages and right click on Distribution Points, select New Distribution Points. Click next on the Welcome screen.

As this is not a boot image (it's an Entire Operating System), select only the first distribution point (do not select the PXE one)

click next and close.

Step 4. Update Distribution Point

now that we have created a distribution point, let's update it, so right click on distribution points and choose update distribution points, answer yes when prompted.

Interests:Deploying Operating systems and more with System Center Configuration Manager Posted 21 August 2009 - 09:47 AM Step 5. Create the Build and Capture Task Sequence

In the Operating System Deployment node of ConfigMgr, right click on Task Sequences and choose New Task Sequence.

when the wizard appears choose the Build and Capture option

fill in the Task Sequence Information

press browse and choose your boot image, in this case pick X64 Windows PE boot environment for SCCM 6.1.7100.0 en-US

on the Install Windows screen, for Package click on Browse

and select our Windows 7 operating system install package

Leave the product key BLANK and assign an Administrator Password

Configure Network Here we need to enter our network configuration and click next, choose Join Workgroup (recommended best practise). Although joining the domain will work just fine you may have GPO's in place, or startup scripts (login scripts) etc which may taint your master image, keeping it off the domain will keep it clean.

Install ConfigMgr click browse and pick your configmgr Client Installation Package (from definition) which we created before

This step is configured with the following switches to locate the Fallback Status Point, Server Locator Point and Management Point.
FSP=xxxxx SMSSLP=yyyyy SMSMP=zzzzz

where xxxxx=Fallback Status Point server name yyyyy=Server Locator Point server name zzzzz=Management Point Server Name

Install Software Updates for software updates, choose whether or not to install them during the build (only applicable if you have implemented a SUP), you should have your SLP in use and you need to install the client with the SMSSLP and SMSMP switches as listed above.

if you want to install some software, add it now by clicking on the yellow star and selecting the package and program

click next at the System Preparation screen

add some descriptive properties for the image

fill in your Capture Path (UNC share) and capture account details, you can create the capture folder after clicking browse

review the summary and click next and then click close at the confirmation screen

If you'd like to download a sample Build and Capture Task Sequence for Windows 7 then click here.
Step 6. Advertise the Build and Capture Task Sequence

We will now advertise the Build and Capture Task Sequence to a collection called Build and Capture 7, this collection is empty and without any membership rules, we only use it for creating new images for Windows 7. In the screenshot below I've created some collections for deploying, capturing or build and capturing operating systems and this makes it easy and clear to advertise specific task sequences to the correct collections.

Right click our newly created task sequence and choose Advertise.

when the new advertisement wizard appears select the following option make this task sequence available to boot media and PXE and browse to and select the Build and Capture 7 collection shown above

Schedule Set your schedule depending on whether you are in a Lab or Production Environment.

For a Lab Environment

Make the Task Sequence mandatory by clicking on the yellow star and select As soon as possible. Select ignore maintenance windows when runing program and allow system restart, set the program rerun behaviour to always rerun program so that we can rerun the task sequence over and over as we require for testing.

For a Production Environment

In a Production environment set the advertisement from Mandatory to Optional, this gives us less risk of an accidental deployment but also introduces the possibilty of choice.

if you want to remove choice then keep the advertisement mandatory but change the program rerun behaviour tonever rerun (see below screenshot).

choose the following Distribution Point options

show the task sequence progress

click next through the security and summary and review the confirmation

In Operating System Deployment, right click on Computer Association and choose Import Computer Information

choose Import Single Computer

enter the computer name and mac address

review the choices

browse to the Build and Capture 7 collection

PXE boot your Windows 7 client and it should start the process of PXE boot

starting Windows PE

Starting the Task Sequence (Windows is Starting up)

and then formatting the hard disc

after the format the Windows 7 installation begins

files get copied and expanded

until they reach 100%

finally it continues with the next bits (software updates if chosen) and then reboots

after the reboot it will attempt pxe boot again if pxe is the first boot device and correctly do an abortpxe

followed by continuing with the installation and now we get to see the lovely Windows 7 boot screen animation

back into the Task Sequence

after a short delay it will reboot the computer again

and preparing the computer for the first use

setting up windows and the configmgr client

and then it installs FireFox

followed by the third Reboot

then it runs Sysprep Note: if sysprep fails for you at this point with SMSTS.log file reporting verifycapturerequirements fail 8004001 then simply recreate the ConfigMgr client package from definition, and push it out to a DP then use that client package in your TS

after sysprep it will reboot again and then start the actual capturing process scanning volume 1 of 1

then capturing the volume to your network share specified while creating the Task Sequence

finally it will reboot again and start the computer with your sysprepped settings

and the Build and Capture is now complete

On your SCCM server, browse to your capture folder (I changed the path of this during this guide due to lack of server space) and you can see the newly captured Windows 7 Enterprise WIM file

We will be using that file for part 2 of Deploy Windows 7