Configuring a UConn computer manually

Owned by Jeffrey Shapiro
Last updated: May 05, 2020
2 min read

If you find yourself needing to configure a computer in an emergency and are unable to use existing management tools, you can still install Windows and have the computer join the domain and install the System Center client by following the steps below. This will take much longer so it is not preferred. Note that only computers that are offline 

Use cases:

  • End of Life hardware incapable of PXE booting
  • Emergencies where SCCM is down
  • Hardware that can't be supported by SCCM/UIU
  • Any time you need to share a drive with another OS instead of wiping everything out
  • UConn owned hardware only

Steps

  1. Create a Windows 10 DVD if needed, you can find the ISO here: https://software.uconn.edu/secure-forms/microsoft-licensing-agreement/
  2. Install Windows 10 on machine
  3. Recommend naming the internal account stamadmin as this will be disabled later for security reasons by group policy.
  4. Install drivers - if you have network card drivers, Windows updates may have the rest of your drivers
  5. Join to the domain
    1. If needed create an AD object in the proper OU with the name of the computer. When possible, recommend using the serial number as the naming convention but this isn't required.
    2. Join the computer to Active Directory and restart. You will need to use your NETID admin credentials and have delegate admin permissions to the Stamford OU.
    3. Note that by joining the computer to the domain, KMS will activate Windows as a UConn computer.
    4. If the computer is a laptop, add to Direct Access, submit a Jira ticket to have this added and delay handing the computer out until this is done.
  6. Restart the computer
  7. Log in as a networked account
  8. Install the SCCM client by navigating to the following link: \\configmgr_dsl\Client and running ccmsetup.exe
  9. Set Power Options to never go to sleep while on AC power to allow SCCM to install and configure without the computer going to sleep.
  10. Leave on overnight if possible. This will allow the SCCM client to bring the computer up to speed.