Adding Internet Explorer 11 to your Windows 7 SP1 reference image

This article is basically the same as my Adding Internet Explorer 10 to your Windows 7 SP1 reference image post that was published in July 2013, but obviously this one is updated for Internet Explorer 11. For those of you using Windows 8 only, don’t bother reading, just replace your Windows 8 images with Windows 8.1 images.

Anyway, as you probably know, Internet Explorer 11 was released for Windows 7 SP1 on November 7, 2013, and like the previous versions you can create a customized IE 11 application using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 11. You then configure MDT 2012 Update or MDT 2013 (recommended) to install that application as part of your reference image build.

Step-by-Step Guide

Anyway, the overview steps to add IE 11 to your Windows 7 SP1 reference image are the following:

• Download the IE 11 prerequisites and add as OS packages in MDT
• Create the IE 11 package using IEAK 11, and add as an application in MDT
• Add the application to your Windows 7 SP1 task sequence

Note: If you are still using MDT 2012 Update 1, once you have created the reference image, you also need to update the Unattend.xml file for the task sequence used to deploy it. This is because the native template in MDT contains settings that are not compatible with IE 11. See the “Deploying a Windows 7 image with Internet Explorer 11” section later in this post for details. If you are using MDT 2013 you don’t need to worry about this. The MDT 2013 unattend.xml template for Windows 7 is already updated.

Download the IE 11 prerequisites and add as OS packages in MDT

In this example I have a server named MDT01 with MDT installed, and I’m preparing a IE 11 package for Windows 7 SP1 x64.

1. On the MDT01 server, create a folder named D:\Setup\IE11 PreReqs
2. Download the following files to the D:\Setup\IE11 PreReqs folder
   
   
   1. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=303935
   2. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=272391
   3. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=239722
   4. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=254722
   5. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=258387
   6. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=258385
   7. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=273751
   8. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=324542
   9. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=324541
      
      Note: Microsoft does have a KB article listing the IE 11 prerequisites (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2847882 ), however that article is not complete (I filed a bug, time will tell if they update the article).
3. In Deployment Workbench, in the Packages node, create a folder named Windows 7 SP1 x64.
4. Expand the Packages node, right-click the Windows 7 SP1 x64 folder and select Import OS Packages.
5. On the Specify Directory page, in the Package source directory text box, browse to D:\Setup\IE11 PreReqs and complete the wizard.

Note: If you are deploying multiple operating systems in your MDT deployment share, use selection profiles to limit what OS packages that are injected during deployment.

The content of the D:\Setup\IE11 PreReqs folder.

Deployment Workbench after adding IE 11 prerequisites in to the packages node.

Create the Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64 Application

In these steps, I assume that you have downloaded IEAK 11 to your Windows 7 SP1 x64 machine.

Note: You need to have Internet Explorer 11 installed on your Windows 7 SP1 x64 machine to be able to install IEAK 11.

1. Install IEAK 11 with the following settings:
   1. Choose License Type: Internal Distribution via a Corporate Intranet
   2. Organization name: ViaMonstra
2. Start the IEAK 11 wizard (Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 11), and use the following settings:
   1. Destination Folder: C:\Setup\IE11 - ViaMonstra Build
      
       
   2. Target Platform: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Systems (x64-Based)
   3. Target Language: English (United States)
   4. Package Type:  Full Installation Package
   5. Feature Selection: 
      
      Note: The Internal Install option is new in this release and allows you to control the setup behavior (like restart) without additional command line switches. 
   6. Automatic Version Synchronization: Click Synchronize
      
      Note: The synchronize option may display the “Run” dialog box behind the window, so watch the taskbar.
   7. Custom Components:
   8. Internal Install:
   9. User Experience: Completely Silent Installation and No Restart.
      
      
      The new options in IEAK 11 for setup behavior. 
   10. Browser User Interface:
   11. Search Providers: Click Import to add any search providers from your local machine.
   12. Important URLs - Home page and Support
   1. Remove the default home page, and add http://www.viamonstra.com.
   2. Clear the Retain previous Home Page (Upgrade) check box.
      
      
   13. Accelerators:
   14. Favorites, Favorites Bar and Feeds:
   15. Browsing Options:
   16. First Run Wizard and Welcome Page Options: clear the Use Internet Explorer 11 First Run Wizard (recommended) check box
       
       
       Disabling the Internet Explorer 11 First Run Wizard (recommended) option.
   17. Compatibility View:
   18. Connection Manager:
   19. Connection Settings:
   20. Automatic Configuration:
   21. Proxy Settings:
   22. Security and Privacy Settings:
   23. Programs:
   24. Additional Settings:
3. Navigate to the C:\Setup\IE11 - ViaMonstra Build\FLAT\AMD64_WIN7\EN-US folder and copy the IE11-Setup-Full.exe file to your MDT server (mine is named MDT01, and I copied the package to D:\Setup\Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64)
4. Add the IE 11 Package to Deployment Workbench, by completing the New Application Wizard using the following settings:
1. Application with source files
2. Publisher:
3. Application name: Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64
4. Version:
5. Source Directory: D:\Setup\Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64
6. Specify the name of the directory that should be created: Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 – x64
7. Command Line: IE11-Setup-Full.exe
   
   Note: In IEAK 10 (the previous version), you needed to add the /c:"IE-REDIST.EXE /quiet /norestart /update-no" command line switch, but because of the new Internal Install option in IEAK 11 that’s no longer needed.
8. Working directory:

The Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64 application added to Deployment Workbench.

 

Edit the Task Sequence

In these steps, you add the Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64 application to your Windows 7 SP1 x64 task sequence.

1. Right-click your Windows 7 Enterprise x64 SP1 task sequence, and select Properties.
2. On the Task Sequence tab, configure the task sequence with the following settings:
   1. State Restore. After the Tattoo action, add a new Group action with the following setting:
      1. Name: Windows 7 Applications
   2. State Restore / Windows 7 Applications. Add a new Install Application action with the following settings:
      1. Name: Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 - x64
      2. Install a Single Application: Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 – x64
   3. State Restore / Windows 7 Applications. After the Install - Microsoft IE 11 for Windows 7 SP1 – x64 action, add a Restart Computer action.
3. Click OK.

The IE 11 application and Computer Restart added to the task sequence.

Done! You can now start your virtual machine, and run the build and capture task sequence.

Deploying a Windows 7 image with Internet Explorer 11

If you are still using MDT 2012 Update 1, once you have created the Windows 7 SP1 reference image with IE 11, you also need to update the Unattend.xml file for the task sequence you use to actually deploy it. If not, the deployment will fail with the infamous error: “Windows could not parse or process unattend answer file for pass [specialize]. A component or setting specified in the answer file does not exist.”. This is because the native template in MDT 2012 Update 1 contains settings that are not compatible with IE 11.

Note: Again, this is not needed if you are using MDT 2013.

In these steps I assume you have created your reference image with IE 11 per the previous instructions, and imported into your production deployment share.

1. Using Deployment Workbench, right-click the Windows 7 SP1 task sequence and select Properties.
2. In the OS Info tab, click Edit Unattend.xml. MDT now generates a catalog file, which will take a few minutes, and then Windows System Image Manager (WSIM) starts.
3. In Windows System Image Manager (WSIM), in the Answer File pane, expand the 4 specialize node, and select the amd64_Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer_neutral entry.
4. In the amd64_Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer_neutral properties (right-hand window), right-click the IEWelcomeMessage property and select Revert Change.
   
   Note: Depending on your Unattend.xml template, you may need to to delete the "ShowMenuBar" = "true" setting in amd64_Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer_neutral entry as well. Thank's Nick for pointing that one out.
   
5. Save the Unattend.xml file, and close Windows System Image Manager.
6. On the Windows 7 SP1 Properties window, click OK.

Editing the unattend.xml file.

The error you get if still using MDT 2012 Update 1, and you don’t modify the unattend.xml.

link from : http://deploymentresearch.com/Research/Post/327/Adding-Internet-Explorer-11-to-your-Windows-7-SP1-reference-image