Divide the sequence

Separate hardware readiness, disk preparation, operating system application, driver injection, client installation, and post-build configuration. Each phase should produce a log signal that identifies the next investigation step.

Control driver and content risk

Use model-specific driver packages and validate content on the destination distribution point. Keep a known-good baseline available while introducing new hardware families.

Phase: Apply operating system
Input: Approved WIM and content version
Timeout: 45 minutes
Failure action: Preserve logs and stop

Operational checklist

  • Give each phase an owner and timeout.
  • Version WIM and driver content.
  • Preserve failure logs.
  • Test recovery from each checkpoint.