How can deploy Windows 10 Customized Start Menu with MDT 2013

With Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2013  you can do lot of customization in Windows Images that you have create for Deployment. Every time you have new requests or something to change .

One of the most desirable questions last month is how can customize Start Menu in Windows 10.

So i wrote this article to help you deploy Windows 10 with customization Start Menu.

So let's start !!!

• Log in to Windows 10 Workstation 
• Start Customize the Start Menu base on your requirements.
• Find my example.

• When finish create a new folder. Let's create a folder with name startmenu in C:\
• Open powershell and run the following command to export the layout of the Start Screen. Find more details for Export Layout here

Export-Layout c:\startmenu\startmenu.xml

• Are you familiar with MDT 2013? If you aren't i can help you with lot of articles in http://askme4tech.com/mdt 
• Or more specific Read the article Building a Custom Windows ISO with MDT 2013 to understand the basic of MDT 2013 like how can import an OS or how can create a Task Sequence.

Create new Task Sequence

• Expand the Deployment Shares and the MDT Deployment Share.
• Right Click in Task Sequence, select New Task Sequence.
• Fill the Task SequenceID and TaskSequenceName (names that you can identify in the future) , click Next.

• Select Standard Client Task Sequence.

• Select the OS which created before.

• You can specify a product key now or leave it as it to activate the Windows after the installation.

​

• Fill the Organization with a name.

• Specify the local Admin Password if you want or select Don't specify an Administrator password at this Time.

​

​

• Here is a Summary only , click Next.

​

​

• Click Finish

​

​

Preparation before Custom Tasks

Before start to create custom tasks in Task Sequence must be copy the xml file from the Workstation which exported in our deploymentshare folder of MDT 2013.

So i create a folder with name startmenu in script folder of deploymentshare and paste the xml file in this folder.

Also to apply the Start Menu when Deploy the Windows 10 must be create a powershell script that will use it in Custom Tasks with the following code

We use the Import-Startlayout to Imports the layout of the Start into a mounted Windows image. More details you can find in Import-StartLayout 

Import-startlayout -layoutpath "c:\windows\temp\startmenu.xml" -Mountpath $env:SystemDrive

Save the powershell script in startmenu folder which located and the xml file.

Create Custom Task for Start Menu

After create the Powershell script and copy xml file in appropriate folder we can continue with the following tasks.

• Go in Task Sequence which we created before.
• Right click and select Properties
• Click in Task Sequence Tab
• Click in Custom Task.
• Select Add - - > General - - > Run Command Line​

​

​

• Click in the Custom Task which we created and copy the following command in Command line.
• The command copy the xml file from the deplymentshare\script\startmenu folder which we exported in the beginning to c:\windows\temp folder 

cmd.exe /c copy %SCRIPTROOT%\StartMenu\startmenu.xml c:\Windows\Temp

• Click Apply

​

​

• Select again from the Top Add --> General - - > Restart Computer
• The Task will be restart the computer when copy the xml file

• For Last time Select Add --> General - - > Run Powershell Script
• Copy the following command that will be run the powershell script which we created in the beginning

%SCRIPTROOT%\StartMenu\applystartmenu.ps1

• Click Apply and OK.

• Now we are ready to deploy the Windows 10 in the new PC with the Custom Start Menu.

But wait a minute !!!

Do you know how can deploy the Windows 10? 

Read the article Create a bootable USB with MDT 2013 to help you in the deployment.

I hope to help you with the article and find it usefull and valuable.