🚀 DeployWorkstation

Zero-Touch Windows Workstation Provisioning & Maintenance Toolkit

A PowerShell-based, automated provisioning solution that transforms Windows 10 & 11 workstation deployment from a 30-step manual process into a single "plug-and-play" operation. Whether you're imaging bare metal, cleaning up an existing PC, or running routine maintenance on already-deployed machines, DeployWorkstation handles bloatware removal, essential application installation, and in-place app upgrades.

🆕 What's New in v5.11

• 🔄 App Update Support — detects and upgrades already-installed applications in-place; safe to re-run on existing machines
• 🛡️ Winget Auto-Bootstrap — automatically downloads and installs winget on OEM machines where it's missing or outdated
• 🔁 Network Retry Logic — automatic retries with delay on transient network errors during installation
• 🖥️ Windows Edition Awareness — detects Home vs. Pro/Enterprise and warns when policy keys will have no effect
• 🗑️ OEM OneDrive Removal — three-path removal covering both Appx and embedded OEM binaries
• 🌐 Multi-Language Support — auto-detects locale via Get-Culture; ships with en-US and es-ES
• ✅ Real-time Progress — Write-Progress console bars throughout all major operations

✨ Key Features

• 🔐 Self-Elevating & Policy-Bypassing — automatically relaunches under Windows PowerShell 5.1 with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass and UAC elevation
• 🗑️ UWP "Bloatware" Purge — comprehensive removal of built-in apps including Copilot, Teams, New Outlook, Clipchamp, OneDrive, Xbox, and more
• ⚙️ Win32/MSI Removal & DISM Cleanup — enterprise software removal via WinGet, DISM, and registry manipulation
• 📦 Standard App Installation & Upgrade — automated install and in-place upgrade of essential third-party tools via WinGet
• 💾 Offline Fallback Support — bundles proprietary installers for network-independent deployment
• 📋 Centralized Logging — detailed operation logs plus an HTML report with pause-for-review functionality

🛡️ Automated Removal Capabilities

UWP Applications Removed

• 📧 New Outlook & Mail
• 🤖 Copilot Assistant
• 👥 Microsoft Teams (Consumer)
• 🎬 Clipchamp Video Editor
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Safety & Parental Controls
• ☁️ OneDrive Sync Client (Appx + OEM binary)
• 💼 LinkedIn Integration
• 📞 Skype for Windows
• 🎮 Xbox Gaming Suite
• 🎵 Groove Music
• 📰 News & Weather Apps
• 🗺️ Maps Application

Legacy Features Disabled

• 🆘 Quick Assist Remote Support
• 🖥️ Remote Desktop Services
• 🥽 Mixed Reality Platform
• 🎮 Game Bar & Gaming Features
• 📺 Windows Media Player Legacy
• 🔍 Windows Search Indexing (Optional)

Enterprise Software Removal

• 🛡️ McAfee Security Suite
• 🔒 Norton Antivirus
• 📺 Bloatware Media Applications
• 🎯 Manufacturer-Specific Utilities
• 📊 Trial Software & Demos

📥 Essential Applications Installed

Security & Maintenance

• 🦠 Malwarebytes — premium malware protection
• 🧹 BleachBit — system cleanup and privacy tool
• 🔒 Windows Defender — enhanced configuration

Productivity Suite

• 🌐 Google Chrome — modern web browser
• 🗜️ 7-Zip — universal archive manager
• 📄 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC — PDF viewer
• 📹 VLC Media Player — universal media player
• 📝 Notepad++ — advanced text editor

Development Runtimes

• ⚙️ .NET Framework 4.8 — legacy app compatibility
• ⚙️ .NET Desktop Runtime 6 / 7 / 8 — modern app support
• 🔧 Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributables (x64 & x86)

🚀 Installation & Usage

Prerequisites

• 💻 Windows 10/11 (Any Edition)
• 🌐 Internet Connection (for WinGet packages — winget auto-installs if missing)
• 👤 Administrator Access
• 💾 USB Drive or Network Share (Optional)

Quick Start

1. 📥 Download the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/Pnwcomputers/DeployWorkstation.git
   cd DeployWorkstation

2. 💾 Prepare Deployment Media

   copy DeployWorkstation.ps1 E:\
   copy DeployWorkstation.bat E:\

3. ▶️ Execute Deployment

   # Method 1: Double-click the .bat launcher (recommended)
   DeployWorkstation.bat
   
   # Method 2: Direct PowerShell execution
   powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\DeployWorkstation.ps1

4. ⏳ Select Deployment Mode The launcher presents four options:

   Option	Description
   1 — Full Deployment	Bloatware removal + app install + system config
   2 — Bloatware Removal Only	Skips app installation
   3 — App Installation Only	Skips bloatware removal
   4 — System Config Only	Registry/policy hardening only

5. ✅ Review & Reboot

   • Script pauses for final review on completion
   • HTML report generated: DeployWorkstation.html
   • Detailed log available: DeployWorkstation.log
   • System reboot recommended for a clean finish

Re-Running on Existing Machines

v5.11 is safe to run on already-deployed workstations. The upgrade logic updates any managed apps with newer versions available via winget.

# Re-run for app updates only (skip bloatware removal on a previously cleaned machine)
.\DeployWorkstation.ps1 -SkipBloatwareRemoval
 
# Dry-run to preview what would change without making any modifications
.\DeployWorkstation.ps1 -DryRun

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Command-Line Parameters

Parameter	Description
-SkipAppInstall	Skip all application installation
-SkipBloatwareRemoval	Skip bloatware and UWP removal
-SkipDefaultUserConfig	Skip default user profile configuration
-SkipSystemConfig	Skip registry/policy hardening
-SkipJavaRuntimes	Skip Java runtime installation
-ExportWingetApps	Export currently installed winget apps to apps.json
-ImportWingetApps	Import and install apps from apps.json
-DryRun	Simulate all actions without making changes
-LogPath <path>	Custom path for the log file

Custom Application Lists

# Core Applications (Always Installed)
$CoreApps = @(
    "Google.Chrome",
    "7zip.7zip",
    "VideoLAN.VLC",
    "Malwarebytes.Malwarebytes"
)
 
# Optional Applications (User Selectable)
$OptionalApps = @(
    "Microsoft.VisualStudioCode",
    "Git.Git",
    "Docker.DockerDesktop"
)

Offline Package Management

$OfflinePackages = @{
    "CustomApp1" = "\\NetworkShare\Software\App1.msi"
    "CustomApp2" = "E:\Installers\App2.exe /S"
}

Logging Configuration

$LogLevel = "Detailed"   # Options: Basic, Detailed, Verbose
$LogRetention = 30       # Days to keep logs

🎪 Configuration Profiles

Profile	Use Case	Applications	Configuration
Corporate	Business workstations	Office tools, security software	Details
Developer	Programming workstations	IDEs, development tools	Details
Home User	Personal computers	Media, communication apps	Details

📊 Feature Comparison

Feature	Manual Deployment	Other Tools	DeployWorkstation
Automation Level	❌ Manual (8+ hours)	⚠️ Partial (2-4 hours)	✅ Full Automation (30 minutes)
Bloatware Removal	❌ Manual deletion	⚠️ Basic removal	✅ Comprehensive purge
Enterprise Software	❌ Manual uninstall	❌ Often skipped	✅ Registry-based removal
App Updates	❌ Manual per-app	⚠️ Separate tool needed	✅ In-place upgrade on re-run
Offline Support	✅ Media required	❌ Internet dependent	✅ Hybrid approach
Error Handling	❌ Manual intervention	⚠️ Basic logging	✅ Retry logic + HTML report
Customization	✅ Full control	⚠️ Limited options	✅ Highly configurable

📈 Performance Metrics

Metric	Traditional Method	DeployWorkstation
Total Time	4-8 hours	30-45 minutes
Manual Steps	30+ operations	1 double-click
Error Rate	~15% (human error)	<2% (automated)
Consistency	Variable	100% standardized
Scalability	Linear time increase	Parallel deployment

🎯 Use Cases

🏢 Enterprise Deployment

• New employee workstation setup
• Hardware refresh projects
• Standardized corporate imaging
• Remote office provisioning

🔧 IT Service Providers

• Client workstation deployment and routine maintenance
• Malware cleanup and rebuild
• Hardware upgrade services
• Maintenance contract fulfillment — re-run to keep apps current

🏫 Educational Institutions

• Lab computer preparation
• Student workstation imaging
• Faculty equipment setup
• Semester refresh operations

🏠 Home & Small Business

• Personal computer setup
• Family PC maintenance
• Small office standardization

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Script won't execute

• Ensure PowerShell execution policy allows scripts
• Verify UAC elevation is working
• Check Windows PowerShell 5.1 is available WinGet installation failures
• The script will attempt to auto-install/repair winget on OEM machines
• Verify internet connectivity if bootstrap also fails
• Update Windows to latest version Bloatware returns after reboot
• Run script as Administrator
• Ensure all user profiles are processed
• Check Group Policy restrictions Offline installers not found
• Verify installer paths in script
• Check file permissions on USB drive
• Ensure installers support silent installation

Log Analysis

# Check for errors and warnings in the deployment log
Get-Content .\DeployWorkstation.log | Select-String "ERROR|WARNING"
 
# Verify WinGet package status
winget list --source winget

The HTML report (DeployWorkstation.html) provides the same information in a readable format — open it in any browser after the run completes.

🛠️ Project Structure

DeployWorkstation/
├── DeployWorkstation.ps1      # Main PowerShell script
├── DeployWorkstation.bat      # Self-elevating launcher with menu
├── Installers/                # Offline installer directory
│   ├── CustomApp1.msi
│   └── CustomApp2.exe
├── Logs/                      # Auto-created log directory
│   ├── DeployWorkstation.log
│   └── DeployWorkstation.html # Post-run HTML report
├── Config/                    # Configuration files
│   ├── AppLists.json
│   └── Settings.xml
└── README.md

🔮 Roadmap

• 🖥️ GUI Configuration Interface (pre-run checkbox dialog)
• 🌐 Web-based Management Console
• 🚀 Domain Integration
• 🚀 Cloud Configuration Sync
• 🚀 Windows Server Hardening Mode (no app install)
• 📊 Analytics & Telemetry (CSV/JSON export for fleet tracking)

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

• 📖 Documentation — improve README clarity, add configuration examples, create troubleshooting guides
• 🐛 Bug Reports — open issues with detailed descriptions, system info, and log excerpts
• 💡 Feature Requests — open issues with [FEATURE] tag, describe use case and benefits
• 🔒 Security Issues — email [email protected] with proof of concept; allow reasonable disclosure time

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

📞 Support & Contact

• 📖 Documentation: Check this README and the project wiki
• 🐛 Bug Reports: Open an issue on GitHub
• 💡 Feature Requests: Open an issue with [FEATURE] tag
• 💬 General Support: [email protected]

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📊 Statistics

🎯 Transform your Windows deployment process from hours to minutes — and keep it current with every re-run.

Built with ❤️ for efficiency, reliability, and zero-touch automation.

⭐ Star this repo if it saved you time and effort!

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Tested on Windows 10 (1909+) and Windows 11 — Enterprise, Pro, and Home editions