Managing Modern Desktops Certification Exam MD101

Plan, purchase, and deploy enterprise desktops across planning, deployment, and operation phases to manage hardware, licensing, security, updates, and end-user support for an efficient lifecycle.

Identify devices and deployment needs across desktops, tablets, and BYOD; plan imaging, branding, and tools; forecast growth, and manage cost, licensing, and security for continued operations.

Describe the operation and support phase with routine local and cloud backups, security tools, and daily maintenance. Train users and use a ticketing system to document and resolve issues.

Assess asset lifecycles, back up user data, and migrate profiles with USMT during upgrades to Windows 10, then retirement plans emphasize data scrubbing, recycling, and proper decommissioning.

Explore the Windows Store and Windows Store for Business, browse and download apps with a Microsoft account, and review cross-device compatibility across tablets, phones, desktops, and Xbox.

Explore the Windows Store and Windows Store for Business, learn how administrators deploy via Intune through a company portal, assign and force-install apps, and create line-of-business apps.

Identify deployment planning approaches and readiness tools to streamline Windows upgrades. Use ACT and MAP for compatibility, inventory, and cloud versus on-prem solutions like the desktop optimization pack and App-V.

Explore application compatibility tools and workarounds, including the application compatibility toolkit and compatibility administrator, and compare virtual desktop infrastructure and remote desktop services to run legacy apps on modern devices.

Learn to use the compatibility administrator to create a database and build application fixes. Test legacy mode for Internet Explorer across XP SP3 and Windows 7, with optional run-as-admin.

Explore the Microsoft deployment toolkit (MDT) to create and deploy images, using the wizard-based console to manage task sequences, applications, updates, and deployment shares.

Discover how to set up MDT to create a deployment share, build a task sequence, and deploy or capture a Windows 10 image across professional and enterprise editions.

Discover tools for traditional imaging, building a reference computer, applying SIST Prep for mass deployment, and capturing and deploying images with WinPE, DISM, and image mounting.

Discover System Center Configuration Manager's imaging, deployment, application packaging and catalog, plus hardware and software inventory, software metering, remote administration, and extensive reporting.

Explore co-management of devices using SCCM and Intune to combine on-premises Configuration Manager with cloud-based Intune for unified management of both in-office and remote endpoints.

Explore installation types, including high touch and light touch, highlighting manual vs automated deployments. Learn imaging strategies, WDS and MDT workflows, answer files, and zero touch automation for large-scale deployments.

Explore the WDS role in server manager and how Windows Deployment Services deploys images via PXE boot to bare metal in phased deployments, with driver packages and optional answer files.

Shows configuring Windows deployment services on a Windows server, including deployment and transport roles. Imports install.wim and boot.wim, configures PXE boot, and prepares driver packages for bare-metal and multicast installs.

Explore Windows 10 installation methods, including in-place upgrades, clean deployments, migrations with US MDT, and provisioning via Windows Configuration Designer and Autopilot.

Learn Windows 10 deployment options, from clean installations and imaging to unattended, attended, and high-touch methods, using imaging tools like NCCAM, MDT, and WDS to deploy images.

Use Windows autopilot to brand and configure devices with Windows 10 preinstalled, delivering a business-ready out-of-box experience without imaging. Vendors provide a CSV of device IDs for automated enrollment.

Prepare a csv or CSP file with device hardware IDs and signatures for Windows Autopilot, then import it into Intune or the Microsoft Store for Business via the Azure portal.

Explore Windows autopilot deployment through the Microsoft Store for Business and the Intune blade in Azure portal. Autopilot requires Windows 10 preinstalled and supports professional, enterprise, and education editions only.

Export a Windows Autopilot CSV with PowerShell, import it in the Azure portal, create a deployment profile, and assign it to all devices.

Use DISM to create a Windows 10 capture image from a prepared reference computer. Generalize hardware to produce a hardware-agnostic WIM for deployment across devices.

Demonstrates using DISM to create a capture image, locate the images directory, and reset a PC with a fully clean reinstall to a default Windows state.

Explore in-place upgrades from legacy operating systems to Windows 10, preserving data and profiles while covering upgrade paths, Windows.old data, and the Windows 10 media creation tool.

Identify upgrade paths for Windows, including Windows seven, Windows eight, and eight point one; note direct upgrades to Windows 10 via ISO or Windows Update from Vista's bridge head.

Perform a Windows 10 in-place upgrade by running setup from the existing installation, checking compatibility and hardware readiness, and optionally automate with ADK and MDT to deploy via software library.

Migration considerations include moving data between old and new desktops, using autopilot or Windows configuration designer, and deploying fresh images; replace and refresh scenarios back up data and import data.

Learn how usmt uses scanstate and loadstate to back up and restore user data across legacy and newer Windows, using usmt utils for certificates and encrypted file system.

Explain USMT migration rules as Excel templates that guide user data transfer, including three built-in options. Show how to preserve application data and customize what migrates.

Demonstrates migrating user state with USMT by exporting user accounts and profiles to a shared store, using scanstate and loadstate, and applying migration rules before a wipe.

Explore user state, the user's data and settings, and how to synchronize it across devices using UE-V, enterprise state roaming on Azure, and USMT.

Learn how user experience virtualization on Windows 10 synchronizes apps, credentials, language, printer shortcuts, and accessibility settings across devices, with two-factor authentication for credential verification.

Demonstrates enabling Enterprise State Roaming in Azure Active Directory, grouping devices and users, and managing sync settings like theme, passwords, and language in the Azure portal.

Explore Windows 10 activation options, including retail, oem, and subscription activation. Learn volume licensing with kms and mak, plus vamt for automated enterprise activation.

Explore the Windows configuration designer for provisioning devices with Windows 10 already installed, using provision packages to join domains, rename computers, and apply business-ready configurations.

Demonstrates using Windows configuration designer to create a provisioning package for a desktop, including device naming, wifi, domain or local enrollment, app deployment (Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer), and optional reboot.

Explore the Windows imaging and configuration designer’s advanced settings, IT pro profiles, and policy controls for user accounts, connectivity, updates, and BitLocker encryption.

Learn how MDM auto enrollment works with Azure AD Join, enabling auto enrollment and seamless domain joining for devices, including provisioning methods and Autopilot configurations.

Explore Windows 10 servicing channels, including the Windows Insider program, semi annual channel, and long term servicing channel, and manage them via group policy for testing.

Organize computers into groups and apply Windows 10 deployment rings to test previews, release to production, and defer updates up to 120 days for broad and 180 for critical devices.

Create Windows 10 deployment rings by building profiles, selecting semiannual channel and Windows Insider options (fast, slow, release preview), and assign groups for testing and production.

Explore methods to apply updates to Windows 10, including Windows Update, wsus, Windows Update for Business, and System Center Configuration Manager, with group policy controlling deployment.

Explore Windows update settings directly on a Windows 10 client by opening the Settings app and reviewing the available Windows Update options.

Learn to install and synchronize Windows Server Update Services, approve updates, organize computers into groups, and configure group policy settings for WSUS.

Explore the Windows Insider Program by navigating to the Settings app, updating security, and joining the Insider Program for individual computers.

Explore Windows 10 update for business, including feature, quality, and non deferrable security updates. Understand maintenance windows, peer-to-peer delivery, and integration with existing tools to enable secure, stable deployments.

Configure Windows Update for Business manually via the update client, or the settings app, and centrally with Windows Update for Business using group policy.

Demonstrates configuring Windows Update for Business with Group Policy using a local policy editor, selecting update channels and deferral periods, and controlling Windows Insider Program access.

Access Intune from the Azure portal to configure Windows Update for Business, noting interim portal and that Intune requires a directory service via Azure with a basic membership or subscription.

Explore desktop analytics, a cloud based service that inventories devices and apps, integrates with System Center Configuration Manager, and provides readiness reports for Windows upgrades and feature updates.

Assess upgrade readiness and compatibility with desktop analytics, which inventories devices and applications from the cloud, provides insights and risk classifications, and helps test and monitor crashes and sessions.

Configure device profiles in Microsoft Windows Intune to manage restrictions, connectivity such as Wi-Fi and VPN, and authentication, and use custom profiles when built-in options fall short.

Explore various Intune device profile types for Windows 10, including device restrictions, endpoint protection, and kiosk configurations, with options for auto logon and custom profiles when standard types fall short.

Learn to create custom device profiles when built-in windows intune configurations fall short, leveraging oma uri and scripting with powershell to manage Windows, Android, and iOS devices.

Create a kiosk profile for a Windows 10 device, set single app mode with Edge browser in full screen, then assign it to users or devices and monitor in Intune.

Explore how a user profile initializes on first logon, creating a personalized, isolated desktop with saved settings and shortcuts, while roaming profiles and folder redirection are introduced for cross‑machine consistency.

Explore local and roaming user profiles and how a shared server folder maintains a consistent desktop across logins, using folder redirection, group policy, and quotas on NTFS and FSRM.

Differentiate local and roaming profiles, showing how roaming copies to a network share and follows the user’s desktop and start menu. Understand mandatory and super mandatory profiles.

Trace how roaming profiles evolve across Windows versions—from XP through Windows 10—using versioned dot extensions and a month-year release scheme for server and client editions.

Configure folder redirection to map user folders to a network share through group policy, using home folders or other shares, providing persistent access without roaming profile uploads or downloads.

Create and configure a roaming profile by setting a shared profiles folder with proper permissions, linking it in Active Directory, and validating roaming behavior on client logons.

Practice configuring folder redirection with a group policy object, redirecting the documents folder to a shared network location, and forcing policy updates to apply across domain users.