MDT 2013, PXE Boot Standalone Setup, BCD Issues

So this post is not about my entire MDT config but more focused on a recent issue that drove me nuts.  Many, many forums, blogs, websites out there about doing MDT installs without using WDS all point to using a tftp app like the free one from Solarwinds.

Which is fine, and very easy to setup and get going.  My pre-existing MDT server needed to be migrated to a physical and while doing so I decided to upgrade to Update 2 and the Windows 10 ADK.

In doing so meant that I'd have to re-do pretty much all of my configuration including the task sequences.  So I had PXE boot setup and working but was getting a blue error screen like this:

Hmm ok so in creating my BCD store file I used this batch script:

REM Creates BCD (boot configuration data) for MDT 2013 combined with WDS
REM —————————————————————————

REM CHANGE AS REQUIRED
REM ——————-
set BCD-File=C:\MDT\Boot\bcd
del %BCD-File%
Bcdedit /createstore %BCD-File%
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /create {ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice boot
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi

for /f “tokens=1-3” %%a in (‘Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /create /d “WinPE x86” /application osloader’) do set guid1=%%c
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1% systemroot \Windows
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1% detecthal Yes
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1% winpe Yes
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1% osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x86.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid1% device ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x86.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

for /f “tokens=1-3” %%a in (‘Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /create /d “WinPE x64” /application osloader’) do set guid2=%%c
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid2% systemroot \Windows
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid2% detecthal Yes
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid2% winpe Yes
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid2% osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x64.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set %guid2% device ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x64.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /create {bootmgr} /d “WinPE x86”
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set {bootmgr} timeout 30
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /set {bootmgr} displayorder %guid2% %guid1%
Bcdedit /store %BCD-File% /enum all

Which did not actually create a full, working BCD.  The syntax is off, it fails right after it creates the file and adds the ramdisk lines.

So my solution, manual creation.  I dropped to a CMD and manually ran each line in that batch leaving out the %guid1% and $guid2% parts and instead copying and pasting those manually.  I'll summarize was a ran below.

Bcdedit /createstore f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /create {ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdidevice boot
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {ramdiskoptions} ramdisksdipath \boot\boot.sdi

Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /create /d “WinPE x86” /application osloader

this line returns the first guid for you to record
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid1 here} systemroot \Windows
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid1 here} detecthal Yes
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid1 here} winpe Yes
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid1 here} osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x86.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid1 here} device ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x86.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /create /d “WinPE x64” /application osloader

The second guid to record
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid2 here} systemroot \Windows
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid2 here} detecthal Yes
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid2 here} winpe Yes
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid2 here} osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x64.wim,{ramdiskoptions}
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {insert guid2 here} device ramdisk=[boot]\boot\LiteTouchPE_x64.wim,{ramdiskoptions}

Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /create {bootmgr} /d “WinPE x86”
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /set {bootmgr} timeout 30
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd {bootmgr} displayorder %guid2% %guid1%
Bcdedit /store f:\tftp-root\boot\bcd /enum all

Boom, done and working.