How to fix WdsClient error when install images using Windows Deployment Service?

Posted by Muhammed Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2014

When you install images through Windows Deployment Service (WDS) in a system which have latest mother board, you may see the below error. 

"WdsClient:  An error occurred while obtaining an IP address from the DHCP server.  Please check to ensure that there is an operational DHCP server on this network segment."

It indicate that your Network Interface Card (NIC) did not received valid IP address from DHCP server, it may be because the DHCP server is not serving IP address or your NIC may be required additional drivers and in most case that could be the problem. 

Solution:- 


First of all make sure your DHCP server is up and running and serving IP addresses. Then you need to add network driver to the boot image. For this 

1. Open Windows Deployment Management Console and Expand the server and right click on Drivers and select "Add Driver package"

WDS


2. In Add Driver package wizard enter the location of the driver software. The package must be extracted means it should not be .msi or .exe files


Add Driver


3. Then select the appropriate driver package and click next and follow the onscreen instructions

Add Driver

4. When it come the driver groups, choose the existing driver group or create a new one


Add Driver


5. When it Finish, you will get an optional settings  to “Modify the filters for this group now”. Using this you can set  which clients should get this drivers on network boot. If you do nnot want to set any filters, you can just ignore it and click on finish

Add Driver


6. It will add driver package in drivers

WDS


7. After successful adding driver package in to server you need to update boot image. For this go to the boot image and right click, then select Add driver package to image. 

Add driver package to image


8. You will get a welcome screen with warning that recommend you to back up the boot image before proceed.  It is highly recommended because, if any goes wrong over here may corrupt the boot image. 

Add Package to Boot image


9. Then select the appropriate driver package depend on the version of your boot image and follow the onscreen instruction to complete the process. 

Add Package to Boot image

10. Once it done, reboot your client and start it from network boot and load the image. You will not see any errors :).