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  • I am able to image with WIE and everything runs successfully aside from the fact that, post-imaging, the device will PXE boot back into WinPE. Shutting the device down manually and powering back on, the device will then boot into the deployed OS as expected. When boot order is checked in EFI, it is correct.

    Is there a way to specify that upon image completion, the device should boot as defined in EFI system? The reboot into PXE is causing all imaging to have to be "attended", and I'm unsure as to what is triggering it.


  • The WIE doesn't modify the startup order, as you have stated your boot order is still correct. I would say this is some sort of setting in the computer. Is there something in the bios that remembers the last boot type and just continues using that until it's shutdown? Maybe a bios update is needed. I use the WIE pxe boot across about 15 model of Lenovo, Dell, Alienware and what you are describing does not happen on any of them. Are you using WOL to auto pxe boot or manually selecting pxe boot on the machine when needed? I vaguely recall some machines continuing to pxe boot when that method is used.


  • @theopenem_admin Thank you so much for your quick response! The machine in question is an Optiplex 7040 SFF an I am manually booting into PXE at the machine to initialize imaging. I hadn't considered these possibilities but will take a thorough look to check for these options. If unsuccessful I will attempt a BIOS update and reply after another image run.

    So glad to finally get WIE going with EFI and secure boot. This is just one of the last little hurdles.


  • @theopenem_admin BIOS updated to latest rev.1.24.0 and gone through all settings but am not able to find anything triggering the exhibited behavior. I did set a password for booting to any EFI devices except internal HDD. This required me to input the BIOS password to get into PXE and image initially as expected. I stuck around for image completion and the last steps I saw it complete were:

    Done Applying wim image.
    ***Making System Bootable***
    ***Changing Computer Name***
    ***Sysprep Answer File Found. Updating Computer Name***
    
    **Closing Active Task**
    

    Followed immediately by a reboot into PXE IPv4 with no password prompt as before. Tried with secure boot off, and Fastboot set to thorough, minimal, and auto as well with the same outcomes.

    I was having a problem with Optiplex 7050 models having no HDD recognized by iPXE and switched over to WinPE with drivers added from Dell's WinPE .cab. Imaging works great when it works, but I've yet to find one boot loader that will function unattended after local initialization across all the EFI x64 machines I service.


  • @theopenem_admin I have been able to confirm that an image run with iPXE on the same machine with the same BIOS settings will boot direclty to the deployed OS on automated post-image reboot. I was able to monitor the run and verify that it was not going into PXE and coming up against the iPXE boot menu timeout.

    Again, not sure what the trigger is, but it seems to be isolated to the WIE.