WdsClient: An error occurred while obtaining an IP address from the DHCP server. Please check to ensure that there is an operational DHCP Server on this network segment.

If you get the error following error when you boot into WinPE using Windows Deployment Services (WDS).

WdsClient: An error occurred while obtaining an IP address from the DHCP server. Please check to ensure that there is an operationgal DHCP Server on this network segment.

To resolve this issue you will need to enable spanning-tree portfast on your switch. To do so you can run the following commands on your cisco switch.

Switch1(config)#interface “interface name”
Switch1(config)#spanning-tree portfast

To enable spanning-tree portfast on all interface use the following command

Switch1(config)#spanning-tree portfast default

Note: This will enable portfast by default on all interfaces. You will have to disable portfast explicitly on switched ports eading to hubs, switches and bridges as they may create temporary bridging loops.

Adding drivers to wim file

If  you’re trying to set up a boot wim file for Windows Deployment Services or creating a WIN PE boot on a USB key then you may find that you will need to install the corrent NIC drivers for it to work.

Here are some steps that you can follow if you need to inject drivers to your wim file

1.  Install Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0, download link
2. Install Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK), download link
3. Once you have installed Windows Automated Installation Kit, navigate to the C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86 folder, right-click wimfltr.inf and Select Install.
4. Create a folder D:\VistaMount
5. Run cmd – command line
6. cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\x86
7. Mount wim file with the following command, imagex /mountrw “source location\wim file” 2 d:\vistamount

Note:  Make sure that you use the 2 in the command to specify the second image of the boot.wim file.  If you don’t, you may recieve problems with detecting the network drivers when booting into WinPE.  This is a known problem with the new HP DC7900 Desktops.

8. Download the drivers from the manufacturer and extract them to D:\drivers
9. Run cmd – command line
10. cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools
11. peimg /inf=”driver source location\inf file” d:\vistamount
12. unmount and save changes to wim file with following command, imagex /unmount /commit d:\vistamount

Note: Make sure you use the /commit parameter to ensure that changes are saved to the wim file.