ADK and Windows 2019 Server

Question

Hi,

ADK 10.1.26100.1 (May 2024) + WinPE is supported for Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025. Microsoft doe not mention anything about Windows 2019 in the article https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install, only Client OS. Is this and Future ADKs + WINPE version backward compatible (supported like Windows 2019 Server)?

If I use the WINPE Version for a boot Image will it work with Windows Server 2019?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hello Ismail Sen (International Supplier),

thank you for posting on the Microsoft Community Forums.

Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) and Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) tools are typically designed and tested with the versions of Windows listed in the documentation. While Microsoft may not explicitly state backward compatibility for older versions, in many cases tools like WinPE and ADK are backward compatible with previous releases of Windows Server, including Windows Server 2019.

Here are a few key points to consider:

Compatibility:

• Official Support: Always refer to the official Microsoft documentation for any statements about official support. Lack of mention does not necessarily imply incompatibility, but it does mean you might not get official support if issues arise.
• Empirical Compatibility: In practice, many IT professionals find that newer versions of WinPE and ADK work with older versions of Windows, but this can't be guaranteed for every tool or every feature.

Creating Boot Images with WinPE:

• Basic Functionality: Basic functionality, such as booting a WinPE image created with a newer ADK, generally works for older operating systems. Since WinPE is designed to provide a minimal Windows environment, it usually includes broad drivers and support that enable basic tasks like imaging and recovery.
• Specific Features and Tools: Some specific features or tools in WinPE might not work as expected if they rely on newer capabilities introduced in later versions of Windows.

Testing and Validation:

• Test Thoroughly: Before deploying a WinPE image created with a newer ADK to production environments involving Windows Server 2019, thoroughly test the image in your environment to ensure it works as expected.
• Fallback Plan: Always have a fallback plan in case the new WinPE image does not perform as required with Windows Server 2019. This might include retaining older versions of ADK and WinPE that were explicitly supported for Server 2019.

Conclusion:

While it's likely that WinPE from ADK 10.1.26100.1 (or future versions) will work with Windows Server 2019 for common tasks, this is not officially confirmed by Microsoft.

If you require official support, you might consider using the versions of ADK and WinPE that were released in alignment with Windows Server 2019. For precise needs and mission-critical deployments, adhering to officially supported configurations is always the best practice.

Hope it helps.

Best regards,

Lei