In a recent project I put together a couple custom System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2012 SP1 task sequences. The first would execute only USMT capture steps saving the state data from a computer being replaced to an external USB drive, and the second only USMT restore steps restoring the state data from the external USB drive connected to the replacement computer.
Although the task sequences did their job, the USMT capture task sequence, when started by the end user from Software Center, would first provide the following warning: "Confirm that you want to install a new operating system on your computer". This would most likely confuse the end user as she was expecting only the state data to be saved on the USB drive.
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I found that this warning was caused by the task sequence being of type "Operating System".
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I wondered why the task sequence type was "Operating System" because I created a blank custom task sequence that did not use a boot image and did not have any steps to install an operating system. I added the necessary USMT capture steps manually myself.
Upon trial an error I found that having any of the following steps in the task sequence would change the type from "Application" to "Operating System":
Although the task sequences did their job, the USMT capture task sequence, when started by the end user from Software Center, would first provide the following warning: "Confirm that you want to install a new operating system on your computer". This would most likely confuse the end user as she was expecting only the state data to be saved on the USB drive.
I found that this warning was caused by the task sequence being of type "Operating System".
I wondered why the task sequence type was "Operating System" because I created a blank custom task sequence that did not use a boot image and did not have any steps to install an operating system. I added the necessary USMT capture steps manually myself.
Upon trial an error I found that having any of the following steps in the task sequence would change the type from "Application" to "Operating System":
- Request State Store
- Release State Store
- Capture Network Settings
- Capture TimeZone Settings
I disabled the first two because I was using a script that would compute the appropriate target location to store the state data in the USB drive and assign it to the OSDStateStorePath variable. I also disabled the last two because it was more important in this case to avoid the misleading warning than to take advantage of the functionality they provide.