How to create a Capture Only Task Sequence with ConfigMgr 2007

Some things are a lot easier then you might think. One of these things is creating a Capture Only Task Sequence. As you all know there is the option within ConfigMgr 2007 to create a Build and Capture Task Sequence, well creating a Capture Only Task Sequence is nothing more then taking the Capture part of the default Build and Capture Task Sequence. So I use in my Capture Only Task Sequence the following steps:CaptOnlyTS

  • Join Workgroup (this step is only necessary when the Reference Machine is joined to a domain)
  • Prepare ConfigMgr Client
  • Prepare OS
  • Capture the Reference Machine

The first steps all need to run in Full OS, which means that you can’t start this Task Sequence by booting in WinPE. I just create an Advertisement without a Mandatory Assignment. This makes the box Allow users to run the program independently of assignments ticked, which makes sure that the Advertisement will show in the Run Advertised Programs on the client. You need to make sure that when you want to use this that the Reference Machine is within the Boundaries of your ConfigMgr 2007 environment. Another option in some, maybe most, cases is to create a Capture CD (see Technet for a How To: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb694129.aspx).

Keep in mind that if you want to do this with Windows XP that you need a step Install Deployment Tools to copy the Sysprep Package to the machine. I put that step most of the time at the end of my Build Task Sequence.

12 thoughts on “How to create a Capture Only Task Sequence with ConfigMgr 2007”

  1. hi
    i’m going to capture win 7.
    i installed win 7 on my pc
    i made task sequence to capture it .
    is this true to boot my pc with pxe and then capture win 7 ?
    tnx in adv

    Reply
  2. hi
    tnk u for reply
    i made capture task sequence with 3:
    1-prepare configmgr client for capture
    2-prepare windows for capture
    3-capturin operating system image

    when i boot client with pxe i get 0x00000032 error
    tnk u in adv

    Reply
  3. Those steps require to run in Full OS. If you need those steps, then
    a) take a look at the link I supplied before, or
    b) run the Task Sequence from Run Advertised Programs, or
    c) create a Capture CD as mentioned in the post.

    Reply
  4. my question is can i boot my pc with pxe and use this task sequence?,as you say
    all parts should be run in full os,is it ok ?

    Reply
  5. NO YOU CAN’T!! The guy’s explained that in his original article, and in reply to your questions twice!

    The first two parts of the task sequence:

    1-prepare configmgr client for capture

    2-prepare windows for capture

    Are DEPENDANT on the task sequence being run WITHIN Windows, NOT from WINPE.

    Therefore if you PXE boot a PC you want to capture and try to execute a capture TS with the above steps in it, IT WILL FAIL!!

    Reply
  6. Having said that, I don’t understand how you can initiate the above task sequence on a workstation that’s NOT joined to your domain.

    I thought any PC in a workgroup was not seen by SCCM, and therefore not within your site boundaries?

    I just want to be able to PXE boot a client machine that has the SCCM Client installed, but has already been manually sysprepped. Is there any way SCCM can do that? I would have thought this would be an incredibly common scenario in everyday IT operations around the world, but I’m having extreme difficulty obtaning any definitive answer that doesn’t involve creating a manual boot disk, and therefore rendering the whole point of implementing SCCM OSD completely useless.

    Reply

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