Preparing Disks on Target Computers

Prior to deploying the target operating system on a target computer, the MDT deployment process prepares the disks on the target computer for deployment. The disk-preparation process includes the following steps:

1. Create partitions on one or more drives on the target computers.

2. Format one or more partitions on the target computers.

3. Prepare the disks on the target computers for BitLocker.

Disk preparation occurs during the State Capture and Preinstall phases in the MDT deployment process. The disk-preparation step completed in the State Capture Phase is the disabling of BitLocker on the target computer. The disk-preparation steps completed in the Preinstall Phase create and format the partitions on the target computer.

To prepare the disks on target computers in MDT

1. Review the default partition configuration created by MDT as described in Review the Default Partition Configuration Created by MDT.

2. Prepare for deployment to virtual hard disks (VHDs) with native boot as described in Prepare for Deployment to Virtual Hard Disks with Native Boot.

3. Configure task sequence steps based on the Create Virtual Hard Disk task sequence step type as described in Configure the Create VHD Disk Task Sequence Step Type.

4. Deploy to computers that support the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface specification as described in Deploy to Computers with UEFI.

5. Review the task sequence steps used for saving and restoring user state information as described in Configure Disk Preparation Task Sequence Steps.

6. Configure the MDT properties used in saving and restoring user state information as described in Configure Disk Preparation Properties.