O.K. I work for a small retail outlet. We custom build PCs and would like to simplify things a bit by using the PXE boot function available on most current network adaptors, so that we can access system images and setup files which are located on the server.
What we do now is...
1] Used PCs which we obtain in quantity. I set up one PC and image the hard drive on to the server using Norton Ghost. To prepare each of the remaining PCs, I prep a boot floppy with DOS based network drivers, log-in to the server, map the network share to a drive letter, and use Norton Ghost to restore the hard drive image stored on the server.
2] For new PCs (each one custom) we install Windows (either 98, 2000, or XP) from the CD, using an answer file on diskette (except for with Windows 98) to speed up the process.
What we would like to do is...
Boot any PC from a PXE or BOOTP enabled network adaptor (so that no CD or floppy diskette is required). We would like to be presented with a menu which would allow us to select to use GHOST or DriveImage to restore a complete image, or to promt us for which Windows version we would like to install, and which automated answer file we would like to use.
I know that this (or something very similar) can be done using Windows 2000 Server, and there is some information on how to do part of this in the Windows XP OEM Preinstallation Kit, but I'm still at a bit of a loss as to how to set up Windows 2000 Server to do this, or what limitations there may be.
If anyone can provide information about this, it would be greatly appreciated.
More Technical Info:
- We have a Windows 2000 server which we use as a file server.
- DHCP functions are handled by our internet router, not by Windows 2000 Server.
What we do now is...
1] Used PCs which we obtain in quantity. I set up one PC and image the hard drive on to the server using Norton Ghost. To prepare each of the remaining PCs, I prep a boot floppy with DOS based network drivers, log-in to the server, map the network share to a drive letter, and use Norton Ghost to restore the hard drive image stored on the server.
2] For new PCs (each one custom) we install Windows (either 98, 2000, or XP) from the CD, using an answer file on diskette (except for with Windows 98) to speed up the process.
What we would like to do is...
Boot any PC from a PXE or BOOTP enabled network adaptor (so that no CD or floppy diskette is required). We would like to be presented with a menu which would allow us to select to use GHOST or DriveImage to restore a complete image, or to promt us for which Windows version we would like to install, and which automated answer file we would like to use.
I know that this (or something very similar) can be done using Windows 2000 Server, and there is some information on how to do part of this in the Windows XP OEM Preinstallation Kit, but I'm still at a bit of a loss as to how to set up Windows 2000 Server to do this, or what limitations there may be.
If anyone can provide information about this, it would be greatly appreciated.
More Technical Info:
- We have a Windows 2000 server which we use as a file server.
- DHCP functions are handled by our internet router, not by Windows 2000 Server.
