Managing BIOS settings across Dell fleets can be fiddly, especially when you need the work to run inside Task Sequences and WinPE. The DeployR repository’s Dell BIOS folder provides two pragmatic approaches—CCTK (Dell Command | Configure) and a native WMI-based method—so you can pick the one that best fits your environment and constraints. I wrote all of this and have been keeping content on GitHub as it’s easier to update and maintain there vs here on WordPress. I’m providing an overview here, but all content is on GitHub with additional details.
What’s in the Dell BIOS folder on GitHub
- A clear README that explains the intent: help you set BIOS settings during a Task Sequence using DeployR, with a reminder that the examples use clear-text passwords for demonstration and should be secured for production.
- Two implementations:
- CCTK (older, highly reliable in WinPE): scripts and a step-by-step guide for creating a DeployR Content Item containing the Dell Command | Configure files, uploading them to DeployR, and using PowerShell to call CCTK.exe during a Task Sequence.
- Native WMI (modern, no external tools): a set of PowerShell functions that call Dell’s BIOS WMI classes directly. These work in WinPE and full OS and can detect and handle attribute types (enumerations vs strings) and password states.
CCTK: simple, reliable, works in WinPE
The CCTK subfolder includes:
- A README showing how to create a DeployR Content Item with the CCTK source files (grabbed from the installed Dell Command | Configure location).
- A PowerShell sample (SetDellBIOSSetting.ps1) that demonstrates grabbing the content location (either from TSEnv when run inside a Task Sequence or from the script folder when run standalone), locating
CCTK.exe, and looping through configured BIOS settings to apply them. - Helpful screenshots and step-by-step guidance for packaging CCTK into a DeployR content item.
When to use it:
- You need reliability in WinPE.
- You prefer a known CLI tool that has stable behavior across multiple Dell models.
- You’re okay bundling the Dell Command | Configure binaries inside a content item.
Native WMI: no binaries, works in WinPE and full OS
The NativeWMI folder contains:
- SetDellBIOSSettingsWMI-Functions.ps1 — a comprehensive module of functions:
Test-DellBIOSWMISupport— checks whether the device exposes Dell BIOS WMI classes.Test-DellBIOSPassword— detects if Admin/System passwords are present.Get-DellBIOSSetting— reads settings and returns detailed metadata (current value, possible values, read-only, max length, attribute type).Set-DellBIOSSetting— writes settings and detects whether a password is required, supporting pipeline input as well.Set-DellBIOSAdminPassword— simplified password management (set/change/remove).
- SetDellBIOSSettingsWMI-Example.ps1 — a practical example intended for Task Sequence usage; modify it to match the settings you want to enforce.
When to prefer Native WMI:
- You don’t want to ship external binaries.
- You want to run completely within native Windows tooling (especially useful for modern devices that expose well-behaved Dell WMI classes).
- You need richer introspection of BIOS settings (current values, allowed values, attribute types).
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