Tag Archives: Windows 10

Provision Windows Store Apps for Windows 10 Imaging

When building fat Windows 10 Images it is necessary to sometimes install Windows Store apps, however you can’t just install them from the standard Windows Store, doing so will cause sysprep to fail. At no point should you try to run any Windows store apps when building an image.

DISM can be used to provision the app for all users in your image. The following is an example command using Microsoft Reader, it’s dependance of Microsoft VCLibs and finally it’s licence file:

Dism /Online /Add-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackagePath:Microsoft.Reader_2017.612.315.3642_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.AppxBundle /DependencyPackagePath:Microsoft.VCLibs.120.00_12.0.21005.1_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.Appx /LicensePath:Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe_e5086f30-ff13-cf16-91fb-0cc6ed9c5613.xml

To obtain the app files you must download them from the Microsoft Windows Store for Business. Sign in with a user account and find the package you are looking for.

Once you have found the app you’re looking for select offline for the licence type.

Click Manager, then no the next screen click Get App.

Now Select your Processor architecture, if 32 bit windows select x86, for 64 bit select X64, Finally select your language. Ignore the Download button at the end of the line this will download a JSON file not required for this process.

Scroll down and click the Download link under “Download the package for offline use”, this will download the Package for Reader.

The next link down the page is the licensing file for Offline install, download this preferably to the same location.

Finally after the licence link you will see “Required frameworks”, this of course depends on the app you are trying to download, these may be architecture dependent also. Download these files into the same location as well.

Once you have all the files in a single folder or location open a command prompt or powershell window with administrator privileges and change directory to the location of your downloaded files from the Windows Store.

Execute the DSIM command like the following:

Dism /Online /Add-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackagePath:PackageFileName /DependencyPackagePath:DependencyPackageFileName /LicensePath:LicenceFilename

Once this as executed the package will install for all users, and your windows image will seal correctly.

TechNet – DISM App Package (.appx or .appxbundle) Servicing Command-Line Options

Upgrade Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro

From your Windows 10 Home running Version 1511, enter the Windows 10 Pro Default key under change product key.

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This default key will not activate the system, just take you to Pro so you can activate using a valid Pro key that you will provide.

Once you have done this, the system will go through an upgrade process from Home to Pro, but will not be activated on Pro.

You will require a genuine product key to then activate Windows.

Windows 10 Update P2P Distribution

In Windows 10 there is a new feature added to Windows update, the P2P distribution of Windows updates. This is done to to reduce the load on Microsoft’s servers and that’s probably pretty heft given how many Windows computers are actually in the world, but maybe not so good for people with data caps or excess changes on there data usage.

Lots of people have panicked about this with some major sites saying you should turn this feature off completely, which is a stupid move on their part. This feature can be leveraged in your favour to save you some metered data.

My advice is to set this feature to On and set it to only use PCs on my Local Network.

Follow these steps:

  1. Search for “Check for updates” in the Start menu.
  2. Under “Windows Update” choose “Advanced options.”
  3. Under “Choose how updates are installed” click “Choose how updates are delivered.”
  4. Click on the option “PCs on my Local Network.”

Windows 10 Updates Advanced Settings

This will restrict the sharing of updates files to your local network meaning other Windows 10 computers in your network will be able to leverage updates that they all have saving you data by only needing to download the update files once.