# START HERE — Plain-English Guide If you've never deployed Windows from SCCM before, **read this first**. It takes you from "what is all this?" to a working pilot deployment in the shortest path. --- ## What this package does, in one sentence > Press one button, and an empty HP laptop becomes a fully patched, fully > driven, domain-joined, BitLocker-encrypted Windows 11 24H2 machine with all > your standard apps installed. ## Who it's for - IT admins who have an SCCM server **already running** and want a clean, vendor-quality way to image HP EliteBooks (**G7, G8, G9, G10, G11**). - People who would prefer **not** to memorize 200+ console clicks. ## The shortest path > Open [`docs/Simplest-Deployment-Process.md`](docs/Simplest-Deployment-Process.md) > — a 5-step, one-page guide. Read time: 90 seconds. Hands-on time: ~10 minutes. ## What you need (5-minute pre-check) | ✓ | What | Where to find it | |---|---|---| | ☐ | A working SCCM 2503 site (or 2403 you can update) | Your IT environment | | ☐ | A Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise ISO | `docs/ISO-Acquisition-Guide.md` | | ☐ | The latest Windows updates (LCU/SSU) as `.msu` files | | | ☐ | A service account that can join machines to AD | Your AD admin | | ☐ | At least one HP EliteBook G8/G9/G10/G11 to image | The lab bench | | ☐ | An hour of uninterrupted time on first run | A clean schedule | If any of those are unclear, see: - **No SCCM site yet** → `docs/Lab-Build-Checklist.md` - **No ISO yet** → `docs/ISO-Acquisition-Guide.md` - **What's an MP / DP / TS / SUP?** → `docs/Glossary.md` --- ## The "press one button" path There is exactly **one** script you need to run end-to-end: ``` scripts\Run-Imaging-Wizard.ps1 ``` It is an **interactive wizard**. It asks you one question at a time ("What's your site code? What's your domain? Where's the ISO?"), validates each answer, then runs every step in the right order: ``` [1/5] Check prerequisites .................... PASS [2/5] Inject HP NIC drivers into boot image .. DONE [3/5] Build reference Windows 11 image ....... DONE (~25 min) [4/5] Import drivers + create packages ....... DONE (~10 min) [5/5] Build Task Sequence + deploy ........... DONE ``` Total time on first run: **45-90 minutes** (mostly Windows update injection). Re-runs are minutes, because everything is idempotent. --- ## How to actually do it ### Step 1 — Open PowerShell as Administrator on the SCCM site server Click Start → type `PowerShell` → right-click **Run as administrator**. ### Step 2 — Go to the scripts folder ```powershell cd C:\OSD\scripts ``` *(adjust the path to wherever you copied the bundle)* ### Step 3 — Launch the wizard ```powershell .\Run-Imaging-Wizard.ps1 ``` That's it. Answer the prompts. Press Enter to accept defaults. The wizard runs everything automatically in the right order, prints clear progress, and tells you what to do next when it's done. ### Step 4 — Boot a laptop from the network 1. Power on an HP EliteBook. 2. Tap **F12** (HP boot menu). 3. Pick **Network Boot (IPv4)** or **PXE**. 4. When the menu appears, choose **`Win11-HP-Baseline-TS`**. 5. Walk away. The machine images itself, joins the domain, encrypts the drive, installs all the apps, and reboots into a ready-to-use Windows 11. ### Step 5 — Sign-off Go to the imaged laptop, log in once with your AD account, and walk through **`docs/validation-checklist.md`**. It's a tickbox list — Device Manager, Windows Update, BitLocker, etc. If everything ticks green, the laptop is ready to ship to the user. --- ## "What if something goes wrong?" | The wizard says... | What to do | |---|---| | **Pre-req gate failed: HPCMSL not installed** | Run `Install-Module HPCMSL -Force -AcceptLicense`. Re-run wizard. | | **Pre-req gate failed: x64 Boot Image not present** | Open the SCCM Console → Software Library → Operating Systems → Boot Images → ensure the default `Boot image (x64)` exists. Re-run wizard. | | **Pre-req gate failed: Apps missing** | The wizard tells you exactly which apps are missing. Publish them first using `applications/App-InstallList.md`. | | **Pre-req gate failed: ISO not valid** | You probably grabbed the consumer ISO. Re-download the **business / multi-edition** ISO. See `docs/ISO-Acquisition-Guide.md`. | | **Laptop boots from network but TS doesn't show** | Wait 5 minutes (PXE refresh) or run the wizard again with `-SkipDrivers -SkipReferenceImage -SkipImport -SkipPackages` to redeploy only. | | **Laptop fails partway through** | Open `C:\Windows\CCM\Logs\smsts.log` on the laptop with **CMTrace** (Microsoft's free log viewer). Search for `Failed`. Match against `docs/operator-runbook.md §3`. | --- ## The 5 documents you actually open as a beginner 1. **`START-HERE.md`** ← you are here. Plain English, what to do. 2. **`docs/Beginner-Quick-Start.md`** ← step-by-step with screenshots described in words, no jargon. 3. **`docs/Glossary.md`** ← every acronym (MP, DP, SUP, TS, OSD, …) in one place. 4. **`docs/cheatsheet.md`** ← one-page copy-pasteable reference. 5. **`docs/validation-checklist.md`** ← the tick-list you run on every imaged laptop. The other 14 files in the bundle are the production scripts the wizard calls for you. You don't have to open them unless you're curious. --- ## What if I want to do it manually (no wizard)? That's fine — every wizard step is also runnable on its own. See **`docs/TS-Import-Walkthrough.md`** for the full automated path (Path A) or the manual XML-import path (Path B). But — for a first run, just use the wizard. It's there specifically so you don't have to read the rest of the bundle.