Create system image and install it on different machines

Question

I want to make a system image for a fresh Windows 7 installation that contains only some basic software like google chrome, winrar, vlc, avira, etc and then install it on a number of machines that have different hardware.

• How do I create the image?

• How do I install it?

• How to deal with different drivers without getting a blue screen?

Answer 1

We do this where I work using Sysprep. I won't go into all the details since plenty of tutorials are out there. But here is the high level overview.

1. Set up a computer exactly how you want it, programs, settings, etc.
2. Run sysprep and make sure you select "generalize" (this removes specific drivers so it doesn't blue screen on different hardware)
3. Reboot the computer into a WinPE environment (could be from a CD, or PXE, or USB)
4. "capture" the image using imagex

Now that you have the generalized image (it's in a .wim file) you can deploy that to any hardware using WinPE again.

I know this sounds fairly complex but it's really not all that bad once you wrap your head around it. Microsoft actually has pretty good tools and tutorials like THIS ONE.

Answer 2

The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is a free tool from Microsoft to help IT Pros create and deploy images in their organization. MDT can run Sysprep and capture the image for you, manage device drivers (installs the correct drivers for you during deployment), and can install software after Windows is installed (some programs cannot be installed prior to Sysprep), and can even check Windows Update or your local WSUS server to make sure your deployed image is fully up to date.

These two videos will get you started with MDT:

Deployment Day Session 1: Introduction to MDT 2012

Deployment Day Session 2: MDT 2012 Advanced

FYI: Imagex is deprecated. The new tool is DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management). This is part of the WADK (Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit) which replaced the WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit). You can find many tutorials and walk-throughs (along with all of Microsoft’s free deployment tools) on the Deploy Windows 7 page of the Springboard Series on TechNet.

Hope this helps,