My company would like to use a Syprep image and an autounattend.xml file to deploy new machines or rebuild old ones with a USB stick. We do not want to use SCCM. I will push us to use WDS in the future but we still want to be able to do this through just putting a USB into the machine.
I have been caught at one hurdle for a while now, I cannot get the machine to join the domain automatically after first logon. I am using some powershell scripts to do this. So far I'm simply testing a script to re-name the machine. This works if I run it myself on a VM, but it will not work if I run it from the autounattend.xml. Unattend will run a script on logon as admin which will open a batch file that runs a powershell script as admin and bypasses the script running policy. That script will then rename the PC.
Except, it doesn't. Online I have seen that you cannot do the domain join automatically through WDS anyway since Microsoft has a bug that will not let you join through any pass other than OOBE. Which means either way I have to get this script to work for an automatic domain join.
When the new PC boots up for the first time, other scripts I have created will run, while this one never seems to achieve anything. It seems the batch file executes but its whether the script works or not. I don't see any errors in event log.
The below scripts simply re-name the machine. This is just as a test.
Unattend script:
C:\_scripts\4_psbypass.bat
Batch script:
@echo off
PowerShell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "& {Start-Process PowerShell -ArgumentList '-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ""C:\_scripts\Rename-PC.ps1""' -Verb RunAs}"
@echo - PC name changed>> C:\log.txt
@echo - Joined to example domain>> C:\log.txt
@echo - Machine restarted>> C:\log.txt
del %0
Powershell script:
This script will be placed into the WIM file of the image we will deploy. Once the admin account performs an initial autologon this script will execute. The script uses a domain admins credentials to find the list file it will access. Once credentials are entered, the script will check for the appropriate PC name. If it is a new build it will simply look at the top PC number in the list and rename itself to that number while adding the next number to the top of the list. If a PC needs rebuilding, add a ' -r' next to its number for example: << 199 -r >>. The script will then remove the ' -r', rename the PC and will not add to the list. If there are multiple marked numbers then it will target the lowest number. The script will restart the PC and delete itself after execution.
Creates the credential for the whole powershell script. Needs to be domain admin.
$user = "Domain\admin"
$pass = Get-Content "C:\_scripts\_cred\adaapass.txt" | ConvertTo-SecureString
$cred = New-Object -TypeName System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList $user, $pass
Mounts the network drive temporarily for the duration of the script.
New-PSDrive -Name 'X' -PSProvider FileSystem -Root "\\path\c$\DiskImagingPathTests\_scripts" -Credential $cred
Defines the path to the existing list of domain PC's. Finds the txt exlist txt file fromt the mounted drive.
$path = "X:\exlist.txt"
Stores the top number of the list. $listName = Get-Content -Path $path -TotalCount 1
Overwrites the number stored with the lowest marked PC if one exists.
Get-Content $path | ForEach-Object {
if($_ -match ' -r'){
$listName = $_
}
}
Removes the mark from the number in the variable and the list. Or if it is a new PC it will add a new number to the top of the list.
if($listName -match "(?<content>.*) -r"){
(Get-Content $path) -replace $listName, $listName.split(" ")[0] | Set-Content $path
$listName = $matches['content']
} else {
$listName = [string] ([int] $listName + 1)
$listName + "n" + (Get-Content $path -Raw) | Set-Content $path
}`
Cleans whitelines.
(gc $path) | ? {$_.trim() -ne "" } | set-content $path
Unmounts the network drive
Remove-PSDrive -Name 'X'
Formats the name correctly for the domain.
$listName = "Domain" + $listName
Renames the PC and restarts (requires local credentials).
Rename-Computer -NewName $listName -Restart
Am I going about this wrongly? Any advice will be of help. I almost just want a second opinion on the matter. I'm kind of stuck at a wall since I don't have many more things to try.
