Windows Assessments: May the force be with you!
By Melanie Gass ‘The Microsoft Princess’
A little know tool that could come in handy when deploying Windows 8.1.–PC Pitstop
In the Star Wars movie series, wisdom and weapons are critical to success. And with the launch of Windows 8.1, that Star Wars theme holds true by having wisdom of a new operating system interworking’s and a weapon to help you succeed.
Last year, this little known tool was added to the Windows 8 Deployment kit code named ADK. It stands for assessments and deployments kit, and was added as a way to help system builders set a baseline with a pre-installed system. Once a job template is run, you can create a package and use for assessments on other machines. But here’s a secret: it’s not just for system builders!
The Windows® Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) contains all of the tools that you need to customize, assess, and deploy Windows operating systems to new computers.
I propose it be used for troubleshooting post deployment issues, especially if you haven’t reached Windows 8.1 Jedi master status yet. Once you work through a clean install and set your baseline, it can be used for troubleshooting on a variety of issues that come up on a client machine. It does require you to install the ADK software on the client, but its minor compared to the value you could gain by using it.
This ADK option has been updated for Windows 8.1. For more information on ADK and the deployment toolset in general, this reference will be helpful. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn475741.aspx
Sending you best wishes for a successful client assessment needs and may the force with you on your journey into Windows 8.1!
More from The Microsoft Princess here
This excerpt appears with permission from The Microsoft Princess.
