SCCM 2012 R2 - PXE Boot Issues with Dell Inspiron 7559

Question

I'm having problem with a Dell Inspiron 7559 for OSD using SCCM 2012 R2 My SCCM is patched with all the latest hotfixes and updates. I have no problem doing deployment to any other machine. But when I try an Inspiron 7559 (I've tried 2 different machines, straight out of the box) I get a message "Configuration Manager looking for policy", the boot doesn't abort it just sits there waiting. If I change the machine to boot in BIOS mode then all works fine. UEFI just doesn't work. If I try a Dell Inspiron 5559 all works fine

Here is a snip of the logs

Client lookup reply: 

    ClientIDReply
    Identification Unknown="0"
    DuplicateSMBIOS="0" DuplicateMACAddress="0" ItemKey="0"
    ServerName=""
    Machine
    ClientID
    NetbiosName


00:E0:4C:68:00:37, 4C4C4544-0033-3210-804C-B8C04F4C4632: device
is not in the database.

Looking for bootImage JHB0001A

Prioritizing local MP http://SCCM-JHB.xxx.local.

Looking for bootImage JHB0001A

http://SCCM-JHB.xxx.local.

Looking for bootImage JHB0001A

Prioritizing local MP http://SCCM-JHB.xxx.local.

Looking for bootImage JHB0001A

Prioritizing local MP http://SCCM-JHB.xxx.local

Any ideas?

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 13 '17 at 19:23

If you're using a 32-bit boot image, that's your problem.

In order to PXE boot a UEFI machine (in UEFI mode), your boot image must be 64-bit. SCCM provides both a 32- and 64-bit boot image by default, but if you're using MDT integration, you will have to make a 64-bit boot image. You'll also need to make sure that the 64-bit boot images are enabled for deployment via PXE (they're not by default), you'll need to make sure that you have 64-bit boot mode drivers slipped into it, and you need to make sure your task sequence is configured to use it instead of the 32-bit one.

One caveat here is that you'll need to do some planning if you need to install 32-bit versions of Windows anywhere in your organization. In BIOS mode, a 32-bit boot image allows you to deploy both 32-bit and 64-bit OS images just fine, but a 64-bit boot image will only allow a 64-bit OS. All 64-bit capable computers (whether they're UEFI or not) will select the 64-bit boot image for themselves if any task sequence that applies to it has a 64-bit boot image specified (although I believe there is a hotkey you can press during the boot process that will allow you to select one).

Either way, it is impossible to install a 32-bit version of Windows on a UEFI machine via PXE with SCCM.

If you have no need for 32-bit OSes, you can ignore this all this and just switch to the 64-bit boot image in all your task sequences.

I'm using a 64bit image. Everything works fine on a dell Inspiron 5559 using UEFI, but when I try use the Inspiron 7559, it doesn't work. I don't think it has anything to do with the bootimage. If look at the network trace in Wireshark, I see that the boot image url is being presented to the Dell 7559, but it seems that the machine isn't acknowledging the URL and hence SCCM is sending the URL over and over. — Benon Czornij, Jan 15 '17 at 18:51

SCCM 2012 R2 - PXE Boot Issues with Dell Inspiron 7559

1 Answers1