Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1 Update

The Windows ADK enables two key scenarios: Windows deployment and Windows assessment.
Windows Deployment is for OEMs and IT professionals who customize and automate the large-scale installation of Windows on a factory floor or across an organization. The Windows ADK supports this work with the deployment tools that were previously released as part of the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (AIK) including Windows Preinstallation Environment, Deployment Imaging, Servicing and Management, and Windows System Image Manager.

IT Professionals can use the tools in the Windows ADK to facilitate deployment of a new version of Windows. The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) inventories applications used in your organization and identifies potential applications compatibility issues. With the User State Migration Tool (USMT), IT Professionals can migrate user data from existing Windows installations. Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT) enables IT professionals to deploy Windows installations in their organization and manage the activation status of their PCs.

Assessments are for OEMs, IHVs, enthusiasts, and IT professionals who measure the operational characteristics of a computer, including its performance, reliability, and functionality. Windows assessments are tools that help you make these measurements, diagnose problems, and determine how to make improvements. Windows assessments can help reduce support costs by identifying potential issues as you create your hardware and software experiences. By using these tools, you can help ensure that the hardware and software that you develop are responsive and high-quality.

The tools available in the Windows ADK include:

• Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT)
The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) helps IT Professionals understand potential application compatibility issues by identifying which applications are or are not compatible with the new versions of the Windows operating system. ACT helps to lower costs for application compatibility evaluation by providing an accurate inventory of the applications in your organization. ACT helps you to deploy Windows more quickly by helping to prioritize, test, and detect compatibility issues with your apps. By using ACT, you can become involved in the ACT Community and share your risk assessment with other ACT users. You can also test your web applications and web sites for compatibility with new releases of Internet Explorer. For more information, see Application Compatibility Toolkit.

• Deployment Tools
Deployment tools help you customize, manage, and deploy Windows images. Deployment tools can be used to automate Windows deployments, removing the need for user interaction during Windows setup. Deployment tools include Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management (DISM) command line tool, DISM PowerShell cmdlets, DISM API, Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM), and OSCDIMG. For more information, see Deployment Tools.

• User State Migration Tool (USMT)
USMT is a scriptable command line tool that IT Professionals can use to migrate user data from a previous Windows installation to a new Windows installation. By using USMT, you can create a customized migration framework that copies the user data you select and excludes any data that does not need to be migrated. USMT includes ScanState, Loadstate, and USMTUtils command line tools. For more information, see User State Migration Tool.

• Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT)
VAMT helps IT professionals automate and centrally manage the activation of Windows, Windows Server, Windows ThinPC, Windows POSReady 7, select add-on product keys, and Office for computers in their organization. VAMT can manage volume activation using retail keys (or single activation keys), multiple activation keys (MAKs), or Windows Key Management Service (KMS) keys. For more information, see Volume Activation Management Tool.

• Windows Performance Toolkit (WPT)
Windows Performance Toolkit includes tools to record system events and analyze performance data in a graphical user interface. WPT includes Windows Performance Recorder, Windows Performance Analyzer, and Xperf. For more information, see Windows Performance Toolkit.

• Windows Assessment Toolkit
Windows Assessment Toolkit is used to run assessments on a single computer. Assessments are tasks that simulate user activity and examine the state of the computer. Assessments produce metrics for various aspects of the system, and provide recommendations for making improvements. For more information, see Windows Assessment Toolkit.

• Windows Assessment Services
Windows Assessment Services is used to remotely manage settings, computers, images, and assessments in a lab environment where Windows Assessment Services is installed. This application can run on any computer with access to the server that is running Windows Assessment Services. For more information, see Windows Assessment Services.

• Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
Windows PE is a minimal operating system designed to prepare a computer for installation and servicing of Windows. For more information, see Windows PE Technical Reference.

Windows 8.1

To install the Windows ADK, your computer must be running one of the following operating systems:

• Windows 8.1
• Windows 8
• Windows 7
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Vista
• Windows Server 2008


The Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 is required and Windows ADK installs it automatically.

Be aware of the supported platforms and requirements for the following features in the Windows ADK.

• Application Compatibility Toolkit: You can install the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) on any of the supported Windows ADK operating systems and also on Windows Vista. Note that ACT supports inventory on Windows XP PCs.

• Deployment Tools: To use the PowerShell cmdlets for Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management (DISM) or Volume Activation Management Tool (VAMT), you must install PowerShell 4.0. For more information, see this Microsoft website.
Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 include PowerShell 4.0 by default.
Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2012 include PowerShell 3.0 and will need to be upgraded to PowerShell 4.0.

Note: Whenever an item in the Windows ADK is updated, the entire kit is rebuilt and version numbers for all features in the kit are updated. Even though the version number has been updated, there might not be any changes to a feature. For a complete list of changes, see the Windows ADK Release Notes.

• Windows Assessment Toolkit: The Windows Assessment Console can be installed on the following operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 with SP 1.

• Windows Assessment Services: To install Windows Assessment Services, your server must be running one of these operating systems: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Enterprise, Standard, or Datacenter edition. Windows Assessment Services is not supported on Server Core or on Domain Controller Servers. By default, the Windows Assessment Services-Client is installed on the server where you installed Windows Assessment Services. You can also install it on a client computer. To install Windows Assessment Services -Client, your computer must be running one of these operating systems: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows 8, or Windows 7 with SP1.

• Windows Performance Toolkit: The Windows Performance Toolkit can only be installed on the following operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 R2.

• User State Migration Tool: The User State Migration Tool (USMT) tools can be manually copied to other versions of Windows. For more information, see USMT Requirements.