Windows Vista: Deployment

This collection provides deployment and migration step-by-step guidance for the Windows Vista® operating system as well as information about the User State Migration Tool (USMT) 3.0, Multilingual User Interface (MUI), Windows Deployment Services (WDS), Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK), and Volume Activation 2.0.

The following documents provide guidance on how to optimally deploy or migrate to Windows Vista.

How to Start a Windows Vista Pilot Deployment

Windows Vista Deployment Step-by-Step Guide

Windows Vista Migration Step-by-Step Guide

Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003

The following documents provide information and instructions for building a custom multilingual installation of Windows Vista operating system.

Guide to Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface

Windows Vista Multilingual User Interface Step-by-Step Guide

USMT migrates user files and settings during large deployments of Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems. The following document provides information on getting started with USMT.

User State Migration Tool 3.0

The Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) is designed to help corporate IT professionals customize and deploy the Microsoft Windows Vista™ family of operating systems. By using the Windows AIK, you can perform unattended Windows installations, capture Windows images with ImageX, and create Windows PE images.

This Windows AIK documentation describes the concepts and procedures used to configure and deploy Windows. Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK) http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=96105

To download the Windows AIK tools, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=79385.

To review the latest known issues and workarounds, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=98410.

To review the Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) tools and documentation, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46852.

The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) version 5.0 enables software developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and IT professionals who work in a corporate environment to determine, before rolling out within the organization, whether their applications are compatible with a new version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. ACT also enables such individuals to determine how an update to the new version will impact their applications. 

You can use the ACT features to:

You can download the ACT 5.0 and its associated tools at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=82101.

The Application Compatibility Toolkit Technical Reference contains the following sections:

Compatibility Evaluators Technical Reference

Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit Data Collector (ACT-DC) Technical Reference

Microsoft Compatibility Exchange Technical Reference

ACT Community Technical Reference

Setup Analysis Tool Technical Reference

Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool Technical Reference

Creating Application Compatibility Fixes

Volume Activation 2.0, the new method of activation designed for volume license customers, is a set of technical and policy related solutions provided by Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform. Volume Activation (VA) 2.0 is a configurable solution that helps IT professionals automate and manage the product activation process of Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Server 2008 systems licensed under volume licensing. VA 2.0 helps manage and increase the protection of volume license keys in both managed and unmanaged environments. VA 2.0 eliminates the use of product keys at the time of software installation and enables better protection and management of customer-specific product keys through new and enhanced activation management tools. Volume Activation 2.0 should be integrated into Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 deployment.

For information covering Planning, Deployment and Operations of Volume Activation 2.0, go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/volumeactivation

To download the Volume Activation 2.0 documentation, go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=75674.

Volume Activation 2.0 is integrated with Microsoft Deployment solutions.