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- Client OSes will now use CatalogIndexPC.xml to identify which ProductLine_SystemID.xml to use to identify which drivers to download. This is inline with how DCU works. - In the UI, Dell Model names now show the full product line, model number, and system ID in the model column. - There are many more models now shown due to breaking each model out by systemID (one model will have many systemIDs). - Downloads per model should be much smaller as prior code was downloading drivers for models that Dell had reused their model number (e.g. Precision/Inspiron/Latitude/Vostro 3520 would result in a very large driver download) - Dell driver downloads are best effort based on the data from the XML files. In some cases the Dell support website may show a newer driver than what is downloaded. This is rare, but in testing I've seen one or two drivers per model where the XML doesn't have what's listed on Dell's website. Again, rare, but not unexpected.
Using Full Flash Update (FFU) files to speed up Windows deployment
What if you could have a Windows image (Windows 10/11/Server/LTSC) that has:
- The latest Windows cumulative update
- The latest .NET cumulative update
- The latest Windows Defender Platform and Definition Updates
- The latest version of Microsoft Edge
- The latest version of OneDrive (Per-Machine)
- The latest version of Microsoft 365 Apps/Office
- The latest drivers from any of the major OEMs (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft) (yes, the latest, not some out of date enterprise CAB file from years ago)
- Winget support so you can integrate any app available from Winget directly in your image
- ARM64 support for the latest Copilot+ PCs
- The ability to bring your own drivers and apps if necessary
- Custom WinRE support
And the best part: it takes less than two minutes to apply the image, even with all of these updates added to the media. After setting Windows up and going through Autopilot or a provisioning package, total elapsed time ~10 minutes (depending on what Intune or your device management tool is deploying).
The Full-Flash update (FFU) process can automatically download the latest release of Windows 11, the updates mentioned above, and creates a USB drive that can be used to quickly reimage a machine.
Updates
2509.1 has been released to preview! This is a major update that brings a new user interface to preview.
Docs are coming, but will take a bit to write them. The youtube video is a must watch for a complete demo on how to use the UI and the changes made to apps (InstallAppsAndSysprep.cmd is gone) and drivers. I'll be recording a more formalized deep dive with slides that go a bit deeper into how things work, but the UI walkthrough should get most people going.
Getting Started
- Download the latest release
- Extract the FFUDevelopment folder from the ZIP file (recommend to C:\FFUDevelopment)
- Watch the Youtube video (updated docs for the UI coming soon)
YouTube Detailed Walkthrough
Here's a detailed overview of the new UI process.
Chapters:
00:00 Begin
01:07 Prereqs
06:32 Demo Begins
07:16 Running the BuildFFUVM_UI.ps1 script
08:15 UI Overview
10:13 Hyper-V Settings
16:04 Windows Settings
22:35 Updates
24:49 Applications
29:39 Install Winget Applications
45:29 Bring Your Own Applications
54:14 Apps Script Variables
57:43 M365 Apps/Office
59:01 Drivers
01:01:22 Drivers.json example
01:02:07 DriverMapping.json explanation
01:06:08 Driver WIM Compression
01:10:50 Build
01:12:41 Build USB Drive
01:20:07 Monitor
01:20:32 Setting up the Demo Build
01:24:10 Save/Load Config Files
01:25:11 Kicking off the Demo Build/Going over the monitor tab
01:32:26 Demoing the new FFU Builder Orchestrator
01:35:25 New captureffu.ps1 console output
01:42:29 Demo Build Complete
01:42:42 How to configure a VM to test your newly built FFU
01:48:58 The moment of truth: What does the new deployment experience look like?
01:53:13 How to bypass OOBE using a provisioning package
01:55:49 Preview Focus Areas
02:04:04 Known Issues/Things to fix before GA
02:05:38 Providing Feedback
02:06:43 Thank you