Target Windows Imaging with Smart Groups

What Smart Groups do in imaging

Use Smart Groups to select Windows devices for imaging based on inventory or Custom Field criteria such as hardware model, UEFI, or legacy MBR boot mode.

When to use Smart Groups

Smart Groups reduce manual target selection when many devices share the same image or driver requirements. Build criteria from inventory that FileWave already reports, then review the resolved device list before creating the imaging associations.

Consider the following simple (imaginary) environment:

• 1,000 Windows devices scheduled for re-imaging
• Three hardware models: Lenovo P50, Dell 5550, and HP 1210
• The Lenovo devices use UEFI; the others use legacy MBR
• Two base Windows images: one for UEFI and one for MBR

In this example, Smart Groups can separate the UEFI and MBR devices and can further group devices by model for the correct driver pack. The administrator can then create the required imaging associations from those resolved device sets.

Create the imaging associations

In the Imaging view in FileWave Central or FileWave Anywhere, choose the image, any model-specific driver pack, and the Smart Group that contains the intended Windows devices. The video below shows the selection workflow.

A Smart Group appears in the Imaging view only when it contains Windows devices. FileWave saves imaging associations for the devices resolved at that moment; later Smart Group membership changes do not automatically rewrite those existing associations.