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What partition does MDT 2012 place WinRE on?

Answered What partition does MDT 2012 place WinRE on?

  • Friday, June 15, 2012 8:13 PM
     
     
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    (Sorry for what is probably a simple question; didn't see a clear-cut answer when I searched this forum.)

    I want to suggest that we put WinRE in our images, now that we've got MDT 2012, but we need our OS needs to be on the first partition and that partition must be named "C".  We also anticipate using the REFRESH scenario, as needed, and the preceding matches the requirements in the documentation "Verify Adequate Target Computer Resources".  However, if WinRE is added, is that placed on the first partition?  And does that "bump" the OS to a second partition?

    Thank you in advance,


    Mike

    south-central Nebraska

     

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  • Saturday, June 16, 2012 2:30 AM
     
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    Hi Mike,

    To actually enable "WinRE" (I dont agree with the terminology used here since it's actually the same boot image that is used by MDT) you first need to add the variable PrepareWinRE=Yes either to the customsettings/db/tasksequence. If this variable is not configured, the ZTIWinRE.wsf script will simply skip over this step and not apply MDT's "WinRE" image, what happens instead is Windows will pre-configure it's own WinRE image located at Windows\System32\Recovery to be placed at C:\Recovery\{Random-GUID} as the acting WinRE environment.

    By default, task sequences have a checkbox enabled "create extra 'active' partition". This will create a 500MB partition at the start of the disk which will host the bootmgr. This will also host MDT's "WinRE" image if you configure the variable.

    While it's a step forward to support WinRE with MDT2012, I still cant say I'm satisfied with it's implementation (but that's my personal opinion).

    If you do need to change this behaviour for disk layout partitioning, you could alter the format and partition disk step. I do think the old logic from MDT2010 regarding the bitlocker partition has been removed, which created a small partition at the end of the disk which was used to host the bootmgr.

    Kind regards,

    Stephan Schwarz.

    If one of these posts answered your question or issue, please click on "Mark as answer".

    My Blog | Twitter: @Schwarz_Stephan | MCTS, MCITP, MCC.
    How to configure Windows RE/OEM Recovery Partition with MDT

    • Marked As Answer by RV2011 Monday, June 18, 2012 12:34 PM
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  • Monday, June 18, 2012 12:35 PM
     
     
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    Thanks, Stephan!  Your answer, and the link to your poast, rellay helped my understanding.


    Mike

    south-central Nebraska

     
  • Tuesday, January 22, 2013 11:59 AM
     
     
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    Hallo Stephan,

    I'm trying to figure out how exactly MDT2012 U1 does partitioning & formatting.

    1. When I create a custom partition script for UEFI computer, following closely the recommended MS layout, except for an extra data partition (with separate WinRE partition, Technet has a diskpart example file for it), the partitions get created but there is nothing in the WinRE partition.

    Layout (uefi pc with 1 gpt disk, I'm deployin Win8 x64): 1. Windows recovery partition (WinRE - NTFS 300MB), 2. EFI System partition (ESP - FAT32 512MB), 3. Microsoft Reserved partition (MSR - unformatted 128MB), 4. Windows partition (OSDisk - NTFS 100GB), 5.Data partition (NTFS 100GB) & 6. Recovery Image partition (NTFS till end of disk for 250GB disk)

    2. Similarly if I use the Format and Partition disk TS (same layout as before but minus the WinRE partition as I leave "Create extra Active partiton" checked), I do not get a WinRE.

    It seems MDT2012U1 only creates this WinRE under very specific formatting circumstances? Can you explain how this works exactly? I'm new to all this.

    Ideally IMHO we could create a custom partition script and then point the OS and WinRE to the correct partitions, and that would be it.  But I don't think that works unless I'mm missing something.

    Thanks a lot,

    Bavo