14 DAY TRIAL // Almost two months ago, Microsoft was announcing the evolution of a Solution Accelerator designed to streamline the adoption of its latest technologies. At that time, the company introduced the Beta development milestone of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1. As of this week, the release has been wrapped up, and the RTM version of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 RTM is now available for download.
“If you’re making the move to Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and/or Office 2010, you need tools and guidance to help you through the process. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010, a free Solution Accelerator, is designed to fill that need. The latest MDT 2010 Update 1 release, now available for download, offers something for everyone,” revealed Stephen L Rose, Sr. Community Manager - Windows IT Pro Client.
The promise from Microsoft is that upgrading to MDT 2010 Update 1 will be a smooth and simple process. The software giant has worked to preserve any existing MDT configurations despite the upgrade, and is offering customers wizards to streamline the move of any deployment shares and Configuration Manager installations they have in place.
MDT 2010 Update 1 also brings to the table a range of improvements and bug fixes. Rose notes that there are changes made in direct response to feedback from customers and partners. In this regard, he also assured existing customer running MDT 2010 that Update 1 is an indispensable refresh. At the same time, MDT 2010 Update 1 continues to offer support for older Microsoft products, including Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Office 2007.
Rose also enumerated additional improvements, such as:
“•Support for Office 2010. Easily configure Office 2010 installation and deployment settings through the Deployment Workbench and integration with the Office Customization Tool. •Improved driver importing. All drivers are inspected during the import process to accurately determine what platforms they really support, avoiding common inaccuracies that can cause deployment issues. •New “User Driven Installation” deployment method. An easy-to-use UDI Wizard allows users to initiate and customize an OS deployment on their PCs that’s tailored to their individual needs. •Support for Configuration Manager R3 “Prestaged Media.” For those deploying Windows 7 and Office 2010 along with new PCs, a custom OS image can easily be loaded in the factory and then customized once deployed.”
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Update 1 RTM is available for download here.