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Adding feature "Desktop Experience" with Powershell breaks Task Sequence

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Sunday, July 14, 2013 8:35 AM

Hello everybody. I'm running into a problem when adding the feature "Desktop-Experience" with PowerShell (Add-WindowsFeature Desktop-Experience) on Server 2012 in a CM12 task sequence. Problem: Server boots twice and breaks the task sequence.

Desktop Experience has three requirements: InkAndHandwritingServices, Server-Gui-Shell, Server-Media-Foundation. They are all installed on the server already. With Server 2008R2, if all requirements (they are not equal with the ones from Server 2012) are installed on the server, the server boots just ones when adding desktop experience. See here: https://mwesterink.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/configmgr-installing-desktop-experience-during-osd-breaks-the-task-sequence/

With Server 2012, although all requirements are installed, the server boots twice, Config Mgr can't handle that and shows me the log in screen afterwards.

Systems: Server 2012 Standard, CM12 SP1 CU2

So my question: Has desktop experience any other requirements which I have to install? 

 

All replies (4)

Thursday, July 18, 2013 10:36 AM ✅Answered | 1 vote

Hello Dominik.

I made some tests and I found out that this steps works for your tasksequence:

  1. Add-WindowsFeature InkAndHandwritingServices
  2. Reboot
  3. Add-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation
  4. Reboot
  5. Add-WindowsFeature Desktop-Experience
  6. Set-Service -name TrustedInstaller -startupType Disabled
  7. Reboot
  8. Set-Service -name TrustedInstaller -startupType Automatic
  9. Reboot

I wrote a short blog with more information about that:

Adding feature "Desktop Experience" on Windows Server 2012 breaks ConfigMgr Task Sequence – a workaround

In german language:

Hinzufügen des Features "Desktop Experience" für Windows Server 2012 zerstört die laufende ConfMgr Tasksequence – ein Workaround

Have fun!

Marcel

Monday, July 15, 2013 7:51 AM

Might be the same issue as previous :

DesktopExperience requires the InkSupport aswell, The Ink Support needed it's own restart, aswell as the DesktopExperience needed one, they couldn't "share" the same restart, as that made the server reboot twice.

see this post:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/e7659878-543b-4d5a-98f0-40d84d4de79f/reboot-breaks-task-sequence

Monday, July 15, 2013 7:57 AM

Thanks for your reply. On Server 2012 there is no feature "InkSupport" http://take.ms/Fbcgas.

But you are right, on Server 2008R2 there was one.

Monday, December 1, 2014 11:45 AM

For me this solution did not work. (At first)

I have performed the 9 steps manually but still after the last boot, the server is still rebooting once more.
Then I've put the steps in a tasksequence and tested -> it worked.

I guess it did not work manually because there was too much time between disabling trustedinstaller service and rebooting the machine, hence the first part of the feature installation was not done before the reboot.