Server Fault Stack Exchange
Server Fault Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sysprep]

Sysprep is the name of Microsoft's System Preparation Utility for Microsoft Windows operating system deployment.

History

Sysprep was originally introduced for use with Windows NT 4.0. Later versions introduced for Windows 2000 and Windows XP are available for download from Microsoft and included in the Windows CD. Windows Vista marks the first version of Microsoft's NT operating system to include a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) independent version of Sysprep in the "out of box" installation.

Purpose

Desktop deployment is typically performed via disk cloning applications. Sysprep can be used to prepare an operating system for disk cloning and restoration via a disk image.

Windows operating system installations include many unique elements per installation that need to be "generalized" before capturing and deploying a disk image to multiple computers. Some of these elements include:

  • Computer name
  • Security Identifier (SID)
  • Driver Cache

Sysprep seeks to solve these issues by allowing for the generation of new computer names, unique SIDs, and custom driver cache databases during the Sysprep process.

Administrators can use tools such as SetupMgr.exe (Windows XP) or the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows Vista/7/Server 2008) to generate answer files that Sysprep will process on new computer deployments.

Screenshot

enter image description here

185 questions
10
votes
6 answers

What happens if you don't sysprep an image?

I've been researching WDS and other imaging tools, and the best practice seems to be to sysprep the master machine before imaging. However, where I've been working they simply build a machine then use Ghost to create an image. I asked them about…
Eric Haskins
  • 257
  • 1
  • 3
  • 11
9
votes
2 answers

Editing Sysprep Unattend.xml after Sysprep

I have an image of a Server 2008 R2 system which has been Sysprepped and was shutdown prior to its first boot. Now, it would seem I screwed the XML file up as it fails halfway through the Serialize section when booted. (To be clear, it fails on the…
Dan
  • 15,280
  • 1
  • 35
  • 67
8
votes
2 answers

Are the SID, admin tokens, etc. created on the first boot after SysPrep, before going through setup?

I have a virtual machine running in hyper-v that I would like to clone a dozen times. I ran sysprep, shutdown and then duplicated the VHD, assigning it to the other servers already setup in Hyper-V. Before I copied/assigned the VHD to all the…
Blackjack00
  • 323
  • 1
  • 5
  • 12
8
votes
3 answers

What is a minimal useful unattend.xml file for SysPrep on Windows 7

Could you provide a minimal unattend.xml file for use in Windows 7, which will be manually installed, updated and configured on one workstation, then SysPrep will be run like this: C:\Windows\System32\sysprep> sysprep /generalize /oobe…
Tometzky
  • 2,649
  • 4
  • 26
  • 32
8
votes
2 answers

Does doing sysprep too many times cause issues?

I've been told that one should not sysprep a Windows image too many times... kinda like using a Nuralizer too many times on one person :) Can anyone provide additional information on this? We like to periodically roll updates into the image we…
newmanth
  • 3,913
  • 4
  • 25
  • 46
7
votes
1 answer

SysPrep Windows 10 Pro Error (0x0f0070 & 0x0f00d8)

So I seem to be experiencing an issue where Windows 10 and Windows Store apps (I am assuming) are interfering with Sysprep /oobe /generalize. When I attempt to run the above command, I receive the following error in the setuperr.log: Error …
Proxy
  • 574
  • 1
  • 4
  • 14
7
votes
2 answers

WS2008R2 First run after sysprep did not prompt for new administrator password, I'm completely locked out

After running sysprep to OOBE and generalize a master disk for cloning, at first run it prompted only for language/region and a machine name, then proceeded on to the CTRL+ALT+DELETE to login screen. It did not prompt for new administrator…
Chris
  • 73
  • 1
  • 3
6
votes
5 answers

Moving Vmware Workstation VM to another host causes reactivation

I need to find a solution for developers using virtual environments with VMWare Workstation 7. We develop in different and incompatible environments. Presently almost a week is lost when modifying a developers PC for a particular environment. We…
PaulWaldman
  • 508
  • 5
  • 14
5
votes
1 answer

Where can I find a beginner's guide to using sysprep for deploying Windows 7?

I am new to Windows 7, but want to deploy it in a Netware (read: no Active Directory, no domain, etc.) environment. I have used Novell Zenworks for imaging and deploying Windows XP in the past, and have never used sysprep because it was never…
eleven81
  • 417
  • 6
  • 13
  • 29
4
votes
1 answer

KMS Activation for Windows and Office Fails

I have cloned and deployed several PCs with similar hardware as they are of the same model. The steps are as follows: Computer A: Install Windows Install applications/drivers/updates Capture Image Version #1 Run sysprep Join domain Activate windows…
user1508820
  • 41
  • 2
4
votes
2 answers

How to determine sysprep status

I have a requirement to be able to determine how far Windows is through a sysprep sequence. After running sysprep /generalize we are creating an image of the OS which is then being used to create other VMs. When the created VM starts up, sysprep…
0E322070
  • 141
  • 1
  • 2
4
votes
0 answers

Is there a way to prevent Sysprep from destroying your IIS installation?

Ok, so that may sound a bit cataclysmic, but at least in many cases this is true. I have done a lot of searching but not found a great thread that has it simply stated like this. In fact, the KB article from MS titles this... IIS settings are…
ebol2000
  • 141
  • 1
  • 4
4
votes
2 answers

Remove Windows Server from Domain While it is Airgapped?

I am working on a scheme to clone a production, domain-joined virtual machine, bring that machine up off the network in order to prepare it to be converted to a template. One issue that comes to my mind is that I will have an issue removing it from…
MattUebel
  • 927
  • 4
  • 13
  • 30
4
votes
4 answers

Is a new SID applied when sysprep-ping a Windows image or when deploying?

My organisation currently has Windows XP (yes, I know official support for it ceases in less than 24 hours) and Windows 7 system images made with Symantec Ghost 11 that we routinely deploy to machines. A required step after deployment is to run…
hpy
  • 835
  • 3
  • 18
  • 28
4
votes
2 answers

What is the proper way to change the product key for Office 2010 Professional Plus?

I am trying to clone a VM. I've done sysprep successfully and all is well with my new box, except Office 2010 Professional Plus product key did not get wiped by sysprep (not too surprising), and I am unable to change the product key. When first…
Barumpus
  • 91
  • 1
  • 1
  • 7
1
2 3
…
12 13