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We are setting up a number of new machines with new user names, all running a brand new Windows Home installation that came pre-installed. However, as we all know, at first start of windows there are several dozens of types of questions and actions that need to be set. This is all rather tedious and repeated. Especially when you've got >> 10 PC's to setup.
The most important settings we would like to copy are:
- Disable almost all of the initial Windows setup questions (Cortana, Ad ID, etc)
- Selection of Keyboard and language layout
- The screen Desktop settings (after having been adjusted)
- Folder display settings
- Windows Update & Firewall settings
- Default Network settings (i.e. WiFi password)
- Add a folder with some default applications like (browser, email client, 7zip, etc)
- Set the Windows default Browser and email client
- What would be the most convenient way to accomplish this?
- Are there any free tools available for automating this?
- Can we use the windows profile or some other user template mechanism to do this?
PS. We don't have a Windows expert/administrator to do this for us.
Possibly related posts (but either very outdated or over technical):
not2qubit
Posted 2019-12-18T11:06:04.983
Reputation: 1 234
Are all the computers of the same model? – CaldeiraG – 2019-12-18T11:10:14.170
Windows unattended installation and/or imageing. – Seth – 2019-12-18T11:11:02.513
@caldeirag Yes, they are exactly the same.
Seth: Not sure I understand your question. I suppose it can be attended, but automated. (I..e plug in a USB stick that runs a PowerShell script to set it up or a copy some profile "stuff" onto an image. But I have no idea how that could be done, when windows is already pre-installed, but not started for the first time. – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T11:25:38.847Just reinstall it. Install your customized version of Windows and possibly reenter they key. That might be quicker than figuring out how to do this without logging in. If you don't have any prior experience and don't need to do this often it might be easier to just sit down and do it manually. – Seth – 2019-12-18T11:41:25.760
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@not2qubit I agree with Seth that the "just do it" method is likely to be faster. If you want to see what is involved, start at Windows Setup Automation Overview.
– Andrew Morton – 2019-12-18T11:46:11.660@Seth We rather not do this manually, as we will probably add another number of PC's in the near future. Can you explain or direct me to how to create and setup a
customized version of Windows? If you do that , then how can you automate the entering of the keys etc? – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T11:47:53.070I'm quite disappointed if this is not doable. After a good 30 years of Windows nightmare, why is this still not a walk-in-the-park? What the heck have all those MS Dev's been doing all this time, apart breaking updates? – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T11:50:19.073
@AndrewMorton Yes, that look promising, but quite complicated. As usual MS doc site are not able explain stuff for non-experts. – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T11:55:13.063
@PimpJuiceIT Thanks. I suppose we just need to bite the bullet. I was not aware that disk cloning could still be used for Windows deployment. I though Windows keys and UEFI settings prevented this type of things. (I.e. How would you prevent all machines from getting the same name is such a scenario?) – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T12:02:27.523
I'm not familiar with Home edition that much but I always sysprep and then make the image after sysprep shuts down in a domain environment with Enterprise versions. I've only use Symantec Ghost with my Windows 10 experience but I do more server stuff than PC stuff nowadays. Even it you have to rename the 10 machine and cut out 85% of the other stuff, wouldn't that be better than doing it all. It's only 10 machines here, but when you get into the 100's or 1000's, it's even more worth the effort in figuring it out. Weigh the pros and cons and start testing to know for sure!! – Pimp Juice IT – 2019-12-18T12:05:30.100
I think I'll give
sysprepa shot, on a test machine. Are you aware if there are links to better "how-to" descriptions for this process? – not2qubit – 2019-12-18T12:21:36.1601
@not2qubit what you want to do is usually done with an enterprise edition and an active directory server to manage all those features. Even years ago that was the case. Microsoft has quite a bit of documentation available as well (or this). Depending on what you got available to work with there are dozens of ways to do what you want.
– Seth – 2019-12-18T13:47:06.1931
Here's a MS link about sysprep https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/sysprep--generalize--a-windows-installation but you basically want to either go to the folder and click the applicable options after executing sysprep.exe or run the
– Pimp Juice IT – 2019-12-18T15:15:48.560%WINDIR%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown /oobecommand as per that post AFTER you make your adjustments. Once shutdown, this is what you make the image from before it loads Windows.1Furthermore, using an unattend file, you can edit the file and add in parameter values, etc. and then once you get it set with parameters you need (you'll need to read and test this to), you then copy it to the
%WINDIR%\System32\Sysprep\Pantherdirectory naming it as required per the docs and then run sysprep and do those steps next as mentioned. At least in a nutshell, that the main parts that are as simple as that once you configure the machine and define the file accordingly. Good luck and remember, I've never done this with Windows 10 Home edition. – Pimp Juice IT – 2019-12-18T15:15:52.9871
Probably the best and easiest tool to customize a W10 installation disk>>>>https://www.ntlite.com/download/
– Moab – 2019-12-18T17:36:15.223