PXE Boot Loop

[Nagaraj]

Hello,

I am trying to image a Dell 7480 or a 7490 laptop (In UEFI) using SmartDeploy integrated with WDS. Everything goes well until the laptop reboots after applying OS & Drivers. Laptop will reboot and once again goes back to PXE boot. Something is changing the boot order and it goes back to NIC instead of booting to Windows. Is there a way to fix this?? I am using Win10 1803. SmartDeploy Version 2.0.3010

Thanks.

[SmartDeploySupport]

Hello,

It's certain machines, in UEFI, they automatically add a firmware boot entry for the USB and boot to it on the next reboot. It's unfortunate but something we cannot control at this time.  SmartDeploy clears all the UEFI firmware boot entries, but it doesn't fix it, as it'll just update it on the next reboot. You could try updating the BIOS for those specific machines and see if that works. Lenovo has stopped doing this for the most part, but Dell certainly does. 

So, again, try updating the BIOS, or in the Deploy/Answer File Wizards you could select Advanced -> When Deploy Wizard Ends: Shutdown.

That way you don't have to be at the machine at the time of the restart to pull the USB, but instead come by when you can and just start the machine back up and pull the USB then.

[Nagaraj]

Thank you for the response. The solution works fine for USB boot but for Network boot, Laptop shuts down at the end of deployment wizard, then if i turn ON the laptop with the Network cable plugged in, it goes straight to PXE. The only way to get this to work is either go into BIOS and Disable the "UEFI Network stack" or Unplug the LAN cable and Turn ON the laptop, wait for the laptop to boot to Windows and then plug in the LAN to complete the process. 

[allenturnage]

I have the same issue. I have been letting the system power down and when it powers back up, I hit F12 and it select the boot hard drive option under UEFI and it will boot and set back up the Windows Boot Manager again and boot normally. I will this could be fixed but that has been the work-a-round for me.

[SmartDeploySupport]

Try updating your BIOS and see if this fixes it. We are going to look into this more and hopefully have a built in work around for the Dell issue.

We appreciate your patience. 

Thanks,

SmartDeploy Support

[Nagaraj]

Laptop has the latest BIOS version installed.

[allenturnage]

Same here.

[Nagaraj]

I believe there is a way fix this Issue. I was looking at this blog https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/bcdboot-command-line-options-techref-di and in the answer file i ended up adding a post image command like this bcdboot C:\Windows /p /d and now once the deployment wizard end, it reboots and boots to Windows as it should be and continues the process. That command preserves the existing default operating system entry in the Windows Boot Manager. 

[SmartDeploySupport]

Interesting, thanks for finding that. What we saw before, at least on Microsoft Surface models, was that even if the firmware entries we're correct before the reboot, it would add an entry above the OS, like for a USB drive, and then automatically try to boot to that.  With newer firmware updates on these machines though, they no longer do this.

Dell seems to be the last one left that has this issue.  I'm surprised that the /p switch would be able to fix it, but that's great if it can.  We'll test and implement if it works out.