Booting in WDS Capture Disk and No IP Address

Warning
This blog post is included for archival purposes and may contain outdated information. While it provides historical insights, we strongly recommend that you double-check the details before relying on any of the information outlined here.

I was trying to deploy an image to a server I had never used using Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and faced a big problem: the machine would not acquire an IP address and could not contact the WDS server. I got a message about “WDS server could not be contacted”, which was kind of weird since it had been the WDS server that had helped this server PXE boot in the first place.

I pressed “F10 + Shift” to bring up the command prompt whilst in the boot screen of the WDS deployment and issued an “ipconfig” only to find I did not have an IP address.

After a bit of searching online, I found the command that takes care of this issue:

wpeutil initializenetwork

Once I ran that command, the server acquired an IP address and then I could successfully restore an the image.

About Author

Christian Saborio

Christian is a seasoned computer engineer with a rich career spanning collaborations with industry leaders such as Artinsoft (now Mobilize.net), Microsoft, HP, and Intel. As a technical evangelist and trainer, Christian honed his expertise in Costa Rica and Seattle, delivering impactful solutions and sharing his knowledge.

Now based in Sydney, Australia, Christian channels his passion into web development, leading a talented team to tackle diverse projects with innovation and precision. His commitment to crafting exceptional digital experiences reflects his deep-rooted enthusiasm for technology and problem-solving.

Comments

    Comments are closed

    Your one-stop shop for professional, lightning-fast websites.
    ScorpioTek, based in Sydney, Australia, is a seasoned web development firm with a proven track record of delivering cutting-edge, user-friendly websites for a diverse range of clients.
    Let's Talk
    Nougat Chatting
    Thank you for your interest. Please fill out this form to provide us with your contact information. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.