How to Deploy Windows 11 with WAPT WADS as an Alternative to MDT

Before using WADS functionality, install the required package on your WAPT management station. Two packages are available: minimal (basic WinPE creation) and full (additional functionality).

wapt-get install tis-wads-console

Open the WAPT Console and navigate to the WADS section. If this is your first time accessing WADS, you'll see a prompt to upload WinPE files.

WinPE (Windows Preinstallation Environment) is the minimal OS that bootstraps your Windows 11 deployment. This step is critical for network-based deployments.

In the WADS Console, click Upload WinPE when prompted. You'll see a configuration dialog with several important options:

1. Keyboard Layout: Select your physical keyboard layout (US, French, German, etc.)
2. Certificate Selection: Choose the certificate for signing USB stick files
3. Network Drivers: Add drivers if your target machines need specific network drivers for PXE boot

Wait for the upload process to complete. This involves two phases:

• Upload to WAPT administration computer
• Upload to WADS Server

Import your Windows 11 ISO file into WADS. Use the latest official Windows 11 release for best compatibility and security updates.

In the Install ISO section of the main WADS Console:

1. Click the + button to add a new ISO
2. Browse and select your Windows 11 ISO file
3. Choose the appropriate Windows 11 edition (Pro, Enterprise, etc.)
4. Wait for the upload and processing to complete

# Verify ISO integrity before upload (optional)
Get-FileHash -Path "C:\path\to\windows11.iso" -Algorithm SHA256

The system will extract and process the ISO contents, making them available for deployment. This process can take 15-30 minutes depending on your network speed and server performance.

Add hardware-specific drivers to ensure your Windows 11 deployment works on target machines. This step prevents post-deployment hardware issues.

In the Drivers section of WADS Console:

1. Click the + button to add a driver pack
2. Upload your driver bundle (typically a ZIP file containing INF files and drivers)
3. Associate the driver bundle with your Windows 11 deployment profile

Common driver categories to include:

• Network adapters (Ethernet, Wi-Fi)
• Storage controllers (SATA, NVMe)
• Graphics adapters
• Audio devices

# Example: Extract and organize drivers
Expand-Archive -Path "drivers.zip" -DestinationPath "C:\temp\drivers"
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\temp\drivers" -Recurse -Filter "*.inf"

Create a bootable USB stick for initiating Windows 11 deployment on target machines. This method works even without network PXE infrastructure.

Insert your prepared USB stick into the WAPT administration workstation, then:

1. Click Create WinPE USB Key in the WADS Console
2. Select your USB drive from the dropdown list
3. Choose the keyboard layout (must match your WinPE configuration)
4. Wait for the USB creation process to complete

# Format USB stick to FAT32 (if needed)
format E: /FS:FAT32 /Q /V:WAPT_DEPLOY

The process creates a bootable USB with:

• WinPE boot environment
• WAPT deployment tools
• Network configuration scripts
• iPXE boot loader

WADS automatically generates answer files, but you can customize them for your environment. This includes domain joining, user accounts, and regional settings.

In the WADS Console, access the answer file configuration:

1. Select your Windows 11 deployment profile
2. Click Edit Answer File or Customize Deployment
3. Configure key settings:

<!-- Example answer file customization -->
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin">
    <Identification>
        <JoinDomain>yourdomain.local</JoinDomain>
        <DomainAdmin>administrator</DomainAdmin>
        <DomainAdminPassword>YourPassword</DomainAdminPassword>
    </Identification>
</component>

Key configuration areas:

• Regional Settings: Time zone, language, keyboard
• Network Configuration: Domain joining credentials
• User Accounts: Local administrator settings
• Windows Updates: Update behavior during deployment

Start the actual Windows 11 deployment process on your target machine using either USB boot or PXE network boot.

For USB Boot Method:

1. Insert the WAPT deployment USB stick into the target machine
2. Boot from USB (modify BIOS/UEFI boot order if needed)
3. WinPE will load and display the WAPT deployment interface
4. Enter a hostname when prompted (use the correct keyboard layout)

For PXE Network Boot Method:

1. Ensure target machine is connected to the network
2. Configure BIOS/UEFI for network boot priority
3. Boot the machine - it will automatically connect to WAPT WADS

# Check network connectivity in WinPE (if needed)
ipconfig /all
ping wapt-server.yourdomain.local

Trigger the automated installation process from the WADS Console and monitor progress through completion.

In the WADS Console:

1. Select the target host from the machine list
2. Click Start Deploy button
3. Confirm the "Waiting to Deploy" status changes to True
4. Reboot the target machine to the same boot option (USB or network)

The automated installation process includes:

• Disk partitioning and formatting
• Windows 11 file copying and installation
• Driver installation from your uploaded bundles
• Answer file application (domain joining, user setup)
• WAPT agent installation and registration

# Monitor deployment progress (on WAPT server)
Get-WAPTDeploymentStatus -ComputerName "TARGET-PC-01"
Get-EventLog -LogName "WAPT" -Newest 50

Installation typically takes 20-45 minutes depending on hardware speed and network bandwidth.

Confirm successful Windows 11 deployment and complete any remaining configuration tasks.

Immediate Verification Steps:

1. Check that Windows 11 boots successfully on the target machine
2. Verify domain joining (if configured)
3. Confirm WAPT agent is installed and communicating
4. Test network connectivity and driver functionality

# Verify Windows version and build
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, WindowsBuildLabEx

# Check domain membership
(Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem).Domain

# Verify WAPT agent status
wapt-get status
wapt-get update

Post-Deployment Tasks:

• Install additional software packages via WAPT
• Apply group policies and security configurations
• Configure Windows Updates and maintenance schedules
• Set up user profiles and data migration (if needed)