Here’s how an attended installation of Windows Developer Preview via Windows Deployment Services looks like (too excited and opted not to create an answer file)
I have setup one of my member server’s WDS Role (link here: on how to setup a WDS role) and added the Install.wim file of Windows 8 Developer Preview.
Here are the screen shots of the installation after creating a new Virtual Machine
The client machine is loading the files from the wim
First phase: Collecting of information
After the Setup initiates, the WDS screen will appear and will ask for your Locale and Keyboard and input method
After clicking the Next button WDS will ask for a domain user name and password
In the next screen under Operating system, the Windows DEVELOPERPREVIEW is already selected. Click Next to continue.
In the following screen you will be asked “Where do you want to install Windows?”
You have the option to allocate partition or simply click next to proceed.
Windows will automatically install once the session has initiated.
Second phase: Installing Windows 8
Once the Expanding Windows files, Installing features and Installing drivers are done,
Windows will restart.
After the restart, you’ll get the Windows Developer Preview screen while updating the registry settings
Getting devices ready
After Getting system ready finishes, Windows will restart once more
Skip the Product key page as this will be automatically be activated after the setup is completed (provided you are connected to the Internet)
Tick the “I accept the license terms for using Windows” box and click the Accept button to continue
Provide a PC name and click Next
On the Settings page, you may select to use the express or customized settings
Provide a Windows Live email address then click Next, on the next page it will ask for an Email address and Password then click next to proceed and finalized your settings
After the Welcome screen appears, you will now be directed to the Windows Metro UI.
Desktop or the Control Panel is accessible when you click on their tiles.
As mentioned earlier, Windows will be automatically activated. Once you log off Windows, you’ll get a neat background shown below.
That’s all for now… again the Windows Developer Preview is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516
Thanks for confirming that this worked. When i seen the sys prep file in the system32 folder; I was like “YES!” Giving every thing I knew about the os I figured it would be possible (Thank you again for confirming). Now I am going to get WAIK involved and do an Unattended! (do you know if it works?)
-Blood
Posted by bloodrench | September 30, 2011, 10:12 amJust as a warning to others, DON’T import the boot.wim from the x64 version of the #Win8 preview if you use WDS on Server 2003 (2008/R2 untested). It breaks the whole service and requires a re-install or restore! See the technet discussion on it here http://bit.ly/nB9nxO
Posted by thommck | October 6, 2011, 9:55 pmJust ran into this blog while confirming whether or not I could use WDS for Windows DP x64.
I have managed to get the x64 boot image working using WDS on Win2008R2, but I did import boot.wim without overwriting the Win7 boot.wim by giving the boot image a different name.
The developer preview did not appear in my list of operating systems to install until I restarted WDS though.
Hope that helps someone.
–Steven
Posted by Steven Blom | January 14, 2012, 9:34 amHere’s some more information that might be helpful
Windows Deployment Services Deploying Windows 8
Pete
PeteNetLive
Posted by petelong | December 19, 2012, 5:37 pm