What does generalize do in sysprep Steps in this process include removing SSH host keys, removing persistent network MAC configuration, I have a Windows 2012 R2 Server that has had sysprep run however, the built-in admin password is not blank as it should be. Even through the account already exist mini-setup will see the accounts exist and not do anything. wim. Once your system has gone through the SYSPREP process, before the computer boots again, it is safe to create a master image using your imaging software. This pass is You don't need Audit mode just: Sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown >"Oh, so I have to capture the image of the reference/test computer I'm working with, right?" Yes, capture is process to pack all files to one file [MyImage]. generalize. 1 comment Show comments for this answer Report a concern. IMO you should generalize it, dupe it, then boot and OOBE each machine, as it ensures they are each working. then apply the image to the computer, then get ghost to take the image of the computer, and then do sysprep via ghost. If sysprep doesn't give you the behavior you need, you can try cleaning up non-present devices in Device Manager. And, if you’re not virtualized, consider doing that now. The reason I do this is a hold over from WES7. What I do is take the computer out of the box, turn it on, let it do all of its install this, install that, create a user Windows 7 System Preparation Tool is a powerful, native Windows tool. i want to inclde the taskbar . You should really just try what you seem to want to do (generalize and OOBE in one step before duping), and see how it goes. If you are deploying 2003 or XP, you have to copy the sysprep files for those OSes to the vCenter Server for this to work. . and that works just fine. This removes the installation specific details such as SIDs so that a unique set of IDs are created on each system that the new image will be installed on. Then, I power up again on a recovery/portable Windows environment (Paragon HDM or Windows installation media), interrupting the normal installed Windows boot-up, & where I can run DISM to build the WIM. To Sysprep Windows 11, you need to open the Sysprep tool, choose The setupact. I capture it and then PXE boot the target machine and apply the image. You will have to launch Sysprep in your Sysprep is most frequently used in virtualized environments to prepare a system image that will be cloned multiple times. Cruising the forums I see this has been asked a zillion times. com If you plan to apply the cloned Windows image to other computers, you must run sysprep /generalize to clear the SID. I want to do an unattended join to the domain and also get the drivers in the audit (sysprep) phase. :start echo off echo Choose the appropriate sysprep stage: echo. I just got a refurbished pre-built PC from NZXT and powered it on. Next, customize Windows by adding drivers, changing settings, and installing programs. Some applications are sensitive to sysprep, but those are rare exceptions. When the image is deployed new unique IDs are automatically created and configured. When doing sysprep generalize with Windows 10 20H2 Build 10. and it runs sysprep on the VM, shuts it down and it is ready to import into my shared image gallery. Penguin22 is half-right, but sending you down the wrong path. Yes No. How do I get sysprep to delete the user I originally created when I first started the computer fresh out of the box? To explain a different way. If you create & log into a normal local user account, it starts provisioning in-box apps, and these are what break sysprep in the way that you're seeing. If this is correct there are ways around that which can make your life much easier, you can grab the current key you are using with software like magical jelly bean or produkey ( Reveal product keys and ID's with ProduKey | Lifehacker) and then . To start Windows in audit mode, press Ctrl+Shift+F3 when the screen gives you a choice of set up or by typing C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep. Sysprep generalize Windows image without OOBE. The specialize configuration pass is used together with the generalize configuration pass. Verify that your B I OS is updated. Windows may update apps and interrupt the Sysprep process. Applies To. You Sysprep, or System Preparation, is a tool to prepare a Windows installation for imaging or deployment. auditSystem. When you delete the VM, the cores will be released. Improve this answer When you use vm list-usage, you will find the core CurrentValue does not change. xml Run: sysprep /generalize /shutdown /unattend:unattend. Share. Sysprep using OOBE and check generalise, shutdown. This is where we’ll configure the settings for our preparation process. Shimi • Sysprep does more than just regen/change SID. However, Sysprep does not delete any user data, such as files, folders, or settings. One that goes Valid Configuration Passes. Changing the SID without running sysprep /generalize is not supported. If you wanted to keep installed (and unloaded) drivers, edit autounattend. You can use an answer file together with the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool to configure unattended Windows Setup settings. Controversial. log. For newer OSes, it calls the built-in sysprep in the Guest OS. How Do You Use Sysprep to Create Generic Windows Images? Since I keep seeing this myth thrown around on Spiceworks, I decided to make a thread: Sysprep does not remove device drivers. The Sysprep /generalize command removes unique information from a Windows installation so that you can safely reuse that image on a different computer. Sysprep does more than just run NewSID and is still considered best practice for imaging. The difference being, if I type it in You can also enter Audit Mode using Sysprep. It does this without having the same identity of the previous server. xml file exists in C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep. If I then go through and enter the command again, either by typing it, or through the sysprep gui, it enters OOBE without any problems. exe from the System32 folder. Another option would be to use Audit mode. Specify a network-shared folder or NAS device to save the system image. Boot into WinPE from the bootable disk. So if this image is deployed to a new pc, the "Ethernet" name will be assigned to that old (not visible) network adapter. To do this, open the Sysprep folder with File Explorer, hold down Shift, right-click on an empty space and select the Open PowerShell windows here or Open in Windows Terminal The Audit Mode, although originally intended to be used in corporate environment in preparing Windows images for deployment (a fancy geek word , installing same image on multiple computers) is a nice and flexible tool also for private users, easy to use to customize Windows. xml file. So when I tried to redo it, I get the failed to there are other things that sysprep does during generalization that may be required depending on your needs. Does Sysprep remove all my files? No, Sysprep doesn’t delete personal files but removes unique system data such as SIDs. The problem is that the target computer boots directly to the login screen and I get "defaultuser0" and "defaultuser1" and I SYSPREP will, of course, generalize the image so that Windows knows to rebuild the HAL on next boot. That's why VMware has the option to do it automagically :) I doubt they would have put the 99% of the time this is due to not using Audit Mode. When we do this, we have to install all the same updates every time we use the image. The way I understand Sysprep is to generalize and/or repackage a windows install so you can remove unused drivers After reboot, I would select to OOBE, shutdown & generalize on the Sysprep instance that is left pre-opened. Sysprep cannot be run under the context of a System sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:unattend. Sysprep is an essential step in this, becauase migrating to a new system might fail on dissimilar hardware. One of the missing options of sysprep in my opinion is to just generalize an installation. However, now we are trying to determine what to do about these 200 PCs that were cloned without Sysprep. Custom Script Extension will run under the LocalSystem Account. Running Sysprep on a PC with a weak password may disable the user from logging in again. Russinovich was right, but he was wrong to - sysprep runs with /generalize parameter - there is an answer file including the <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> directive. Finally, administrators must ensure strong passwords for all user accounts. I think, these are the most important Sysprep features. For more information about Windows components and settings that you can add to an answer file, see the Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ – type cd \Windows\System32\Sysprep: Sysprep can be run in 2 modes, the GUI mode or command line. After that, capture this image with DISM and deploy image to another computer in the OOBE screen. xml Everything in the answer file should be applied and next boot after imaging should be according to the answer file you have made. Run capture in WinPE environment. When you get to the OOBE screen, do CTRL+SHIFT+F3 and computer will reboot and auto login. Whichever image is default depends on whether Sysprep/CopyProfile has been run or not; if it has not been run, then the default image is C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows\img0. If this option is specified, all unique system information is removed from the Windows installation. This boot image boot (for us) a PXE image that connect to SCCM and deploy the VM automaticaly. Out of curiosity, what does the PersistAllDeviceInstalls do? Mike So, I think I found 50% of my answer: to change the default background, simply replace whatever the current default image is. To learn about generalizing a Windows installation, see Sysprep (Generalize) a Windows installation. Sysprep removes all your personal account information, among other things, and prepares the machine to be used as an image. Once you confirm this and Windows is shut down, THEN clone the drive. However, Sysprep does not always run smoothly. The only two options available in the sysprep utility are: The out-of-box experience: this will reinitialize the screens that you will usually see when you first start a new computer. 14" with options to either Enter System Out-of-Box Experience or Enter System Audit Mode, both with an additional box I can check to "Generalize. I will find again this configurations in new cloned VMs. By following these steps, you’ll prepare your Windows 11 to be cloned or deployed across multiple devices. To retain additional drivers that do not exist in the default driver store, we have to make sure the answer file includes the Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep\PersistAllDeviceInstalls option before running sysprep /generalize. Best. If you need to keep the original VM functioning, you should create a snapshot of the OS disk, create a VM from the snapshot, and then generalize that copy of the VM. Important. I usually start the VM in audit mode, as it keeps the environment and user profile clean while I do my installs and then sysprep. Do a complete Veeam backup. exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown /unattend:C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\unattend. THis is what I did, i. * If you want to explore the command line, type sysprep /h and then press Enter. We managed to do something cleanier (it'S actually a problem with the VMWare sysprep from template). On the other hand, if you have an image you want to deploy, sysprep /generalize should get rid of the IP address just fine. You can use the sysprep /generalize command to reset Windows Product Activation a maximum of three times. Only "shutdown", because we were using Windows Deployment Services to capture the sysprepped image. Generalizing the image removes computer-specific information such as installed drivers and the computer securi Before you can deploy a Windows image to new PCs, you have to first generalize the image. xmls for imaging on mass deployment. The builds mostly work, but every time I run the Sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown /unattend:unattend. Sysprep and unattend. exe -ArgumentList ‘/generalize /oobe /shutdown /quiet’ Click Run . To display What does sysprep with the generalize option do on Windows Server 2008 R2? 0. Next, customize Windows by adding drivers, changing settings, and installing When you use vm list-usage, you will find the core CurrentValue does not change. If Sysprep has been run with CopyProfile If your intention is to transfer a Windows image to different hardware, you will want to use the /generalize switch only once and then capture the image. The 2 models would not be simial either. That way you never have to remember to modify the registry. This is problematic because sysprep does NOT support running under a system user context: source. You must deploy the VHD on a Virtual Machine (VM) or hypervisor with the same hardware profile. On the next reboot after you run the Sysprep /generalize /oobe command, Windows runs the specialize configuration pass, Plug and Play, and other Setup tasks before Windows starts OOBE. log file. EDIT: u/xerolan reminded me that it's useful to run sysprep with an unattended file. e. The sysprep /generalize command removes unique information from your Windows installation, which enables you to reuse that image on different computers. exe with some arguments. exe to launch the Sysprep tool. While booted into audit mode on the reference IoT device, run Sysprep from an Administrative Command Prompt to prepare the image for capture: Stack Overflow for Teams Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers; Advertising & Talent Reach devs & technologists worldwide about your product, service or employer brand; OverflowAI GenAI features for Teams; OverflowAPI Train & fine-tune LLMs; Labs The future of collective knowledge sharing; About the company Visit the blog Hi,What I'm trying to do is a full install from original disk + install apps in audit user while the VM is in a dmz with dhcp/pxe booting capability, generalize, then reboot and specialize with a customizable fixed ip and oobe preconfigured. Once the tool opens, you’ll see a dialog box with options for what actions to perform. Five to 10 minutes later, you will have a sysprepped VM. I don't know for certain that sysprep is the reason, but I DO know it was sysprepped, and I suspect that is causing the "object reference errors" that occur when trying to update and launch QB. log file is the main log file. Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep | DoNotCleanUpNonPresentDevices. If an application does Therefore, you need to understand what Sysprep does. The Sysprep /generalize command removes unique information from your Windows installation so that you can reuse that image on a different computer. Sysprep is just a native Windows tool. Once you're booted to OOBE, press Shift - F10 to get a Cmd prompt and enter shutdown /s /t 1 and you're all done! Un-generalize a sysprepped image? I have a computer my client wants to use for Quickbooks which is currently unable to run Quickbooks. The only thing I can recommend without seeing more of your setup is creating a separate deployment share and only create the "sysprep and capture" task sequence and keep the customsettings. Now I deploy a vanilla image with SCCM and do all the customizations with a task sequence. I have an existing, fully-setup Win10 install on one system. Try using an online sysprep file generator. Please sign in to rate this answer. You’ll find them under the administration tab. Identifying Sysprep errors in setupact. Windows does not just go to Audit Mode by itself, it must be specifically told to do If Sysprep fails to create the generalized image, the first step is to check the setupact. Before you run sysprep make sure the unattend. So how does Sysprep affect devices? It removes the history of devices connected to Look at virt-sysprep from the guestfs-tools package. You can only do this three times before you aren't allowed anymore and sysprep will fail. echo 1) For Deployment (Limit three, final step before capture, take a backup first) echo 2) Create Build Process Restore Point (Can be done an infinite number of times) echo. This involves creating a reference installation of the OS tailored to their specific needs. Around 50 of those are at remote locations such as residential houses and most of them have standard ADSL connections (I added this as it rules out certain types of deployment). 2) Run SYSPREP to "generalize" Windows. If you have more than 2 computers that need to be prepped for a Windows Active Directory domain (or possibly workgroup), sysprep is The generalize configuration pass runs only when you use the Sysprep command with the /generalize option. So we would turn on the machine hit F12 a bunch of times, and select PXE boot. When preparing a computer with this tool, you must select the Generalize option and shut down the computer. Why is OOBE running on every boot of a sysprep`d virtual machine? 1. GUI mode is highly recommended. Instead sysprep should be a part of the deployment process so every Sysprep allows admins to dynamically generate unique SIDs as part of the sysprep deployment, which is something a simple disk-imaging tool cannot do. If you install Windows images by using the Sysprep /generalize /oobe command, the user experience will not be ideal. " DevOps & SysAdmins: What does sysprep with the generalize option do on Windows Server 2008 R2?Helpful? Please support me on Patreon: https://www. The process of generalizing a VM is not reversible. So you don’t really want to run that on your “golden image”. I don't se the user accounts listed. :) The rearm count only matters when you hit 3, as you get to start all over from scratch. Once AOMEI Backupper loads up, tap on Backup > System Backup to create a system image without SID (Generalize Windows Server 2022 with Sysprep beforehand). Generalize prepares the computer to be captured as a reference image immediately after other answer-file settings are processed. If Sysprep fails to create the generalized image, the first step is to check the setupact. 3) Create a new Windows image file (this is the large INSTALL. Please type sysprep and then press Enter. 0. xml is on the computer before I sysprep it. I schedule the capture task in FOG, then pxe boot the computer into FOG image capture. Not sure what you've managed to do, but sysprep works perfectly fine in windows 11. 1150 and after audit I did 1-4 steps, but in 3rd step sysprep without "/generalize" (sysprep /oobe /shutdown) and I repeated test (enabling BitLocker in deployed image) and this time Windows 11 24H2 boots normally, but SID of this instance remains unchanged (lack of /generalize step). (Without the /generalize parameter, sysprep will not parse the "specialize" pass to which the CopyProfile directive belongs). For some I can tell that in w7 after 8 years of extensive use of non-sysprep images and a thousand of machines all around the company, no strange things have been observed that can be linked to the absence of sysprep. exe /audit, at any time, into a command line. Some software can run into issues without a new SID too. And for testing, a vm dhcp server is an option, but of course, be careful. During the specialize configuration pass of Windows Setup, computer-specific information for the image is applied. Back up your data and files. You cannot generalize a domain controller. That's it! 1. Run the sysprep /generalize command. And Going forward we plan to use Sysprep on all cloned PCs. Users can do this using a physical computer or a virtual machine, but Microsoft generally recommends using a virtual machine for this deployment. Answer file settings in the <generalize> section of an answer file are applied to the system before Double-click sysprep. The next time you boot the Windows image, the specialize configuration pass runs. All scripts according to that name will fail. I am talking about the startmenu and taskbar. Old. During this configuration pass, many components have actions that must be processed when you boot a Windows Step 3: Type sysprep. Note. How to Find a User’s SID in Windows 10. Sysprep allows you to do the following: Generates a new computer SID; Set a new computer name; Clear out event logs; Run mini setup to deal with hardware differences; Sysprep isn't necessary, as long as you change the SID and computer name. When Generalize is set, Windows Setup will: Many admins prefer to use a customized image rather than Microsoft's standard image for deploying Windows 11. The boring reason is that Microsoft says Sysprep doesn't support the Active Directory Domain Services role; see "Sysprep Support for Server Roles. " Some specific reasons are: Domain controllers literally do not have a local account (SAM) database. set /p type= if %type% == 1 goto 1 if %type% == 2 goto 2 goto 3 :1 c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep However, the clock for Windows Product Activation begins its countdown the first time Windows starts. Create a system backup without SID. First, navigate to the Sysprep tool directory. jpg. Meaning that, if I load the correct drivers for another model before syspreping, I would be able to use that image on another model computer than what it was orginally syspreped on. For the shutdown options, select “Shutdown” to turn Don’t sysprep the original machine. What we did is we have a template that only have a boot image. 572 the network adapter will not be removed from the device manager (as it is done in previous versions). You can review the number of In the Sysprep GUI, select the options to generalize the image and shut down the computer. WIM file located in the \sources folder of your installation media). xml Unless I’ve misunderstood what’s being asked for that is, in which case I’d say the best bet is as a couple of people above said and go OOBE but configure your unattend file to enter all the details for you. the taskbar doesnt show up in the exported file. But not all programs/files/settings will carry over with this operation. I just want to know what exactly goes away apart from the hardware-bound things. Select Shutdown in Shutdown Options. Do not let it boot or you won't capture the sysprep'd image properly, make sure you have your imaging software ready to capture and any boot orders configured properly. Do not boot Windows from disk before capture. When for instance used in so called Audit Mode, it let's you to freely configure Windows 7 to be then deployed to other computers as hardware independent image. but when you export. It does this by removing unique identifiers from the system, such as the computer name, product key, and SID. If you intend to create an image of an installation for deployment to a different computer, Sysprep generalizes Windows by removing the security identifiers and other computer-specific information. The command you run will be something like: C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep. Sysprep can also be used to generalize a Windows operating system, which makes it ready for deployment to multiple users. 2. Windows Welcome (OOBE) always creates a local user, but Without using sysprep, is there another way to generalize an image for use with Clonezilla? I created a sysprep image and forgot to add a few things. I would like to duplicate it to a second system. This topic describes some considerations and processes for using answer files together with Sysprep. PersistAllDeviceInstalls setting indicates whether all plug and play devices on the destination computer remain installed during the generalize configuration pass. xml. From the manual: Virt-sysprep can reset or unconfigure a virtual machine so that clones can be made from it. When you sysprep, you deactivate Windows and remove the product key, and "rearms" the activation counter so you have 30 days or whatnot to activate. Keep in mind that there is a limit to the number of times you can sun sysprep /generalize on a single Windows install. How does Sysprep work? The first step in the process is to install Windows 10/11 or Windows Server. As you can enter Audit Mode before any user accounts are created, computer Sysprep /generalize /oobe /mode:vm. Step 1: Open the Sysprep tool. Possible Duplicate: Is the audit mode of SYSPREP practically useful in Windows deployment? The MS docs say when you should use it, and for what, but I can't find any description of what going When we use Sysprep, it removes all Windows updates. Sysprep does not remove installed applications but will reset the system to OOBE, which might affect some app configurations. I am writing a simple program and the first part of it is to launch sysprep. Type the following then press <Enter>: SYSPREP /generalize /audit /shutdown . Generalizing the image removes computer-specific information such as installed drivers and the computer security identifier (SID). Again, I just want to do that in a runbook. Sysprep Type the command below to change the working directory to “Sysprep” in the command prompt window that appears:cd c:\windows\system32\sysprep; Now, type the command below to run Sysprep How do I run Sysprep? To run Sysprep on your Windows 11, you need to fulfill the following requirements: Disable automatic updates or turn off your Internet. I Cannot log in using any of our know local admin passwords If you have an image deployed that you have now configured with a static IP address, after deployment, then no sysprep does not do that. Step 3: Choose the Generalize Option. The Sysprep Creator Wizard provides a setting to keep all plug and Start-Process -FilePath C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep. To use SysPrep, specific informations on a System like SID are removed, and it's possible to configure new Windows settings. The security ID (SID) resets, any system restore points are cleared, and event logs are deleted. The official way is to generate an answer file and then use Sysprep /generalize command to generate the image for deployment. You can incorporate the skiprearm into your unattend. Sysprep generalizes Windows by removing the security identifiers and other computer-specific information. In this article. Sysprep the reference IoT device. Please tell me if I forgot something. I have found this via stack-overflow search but no one has given a solution that works. Admittedly, Microsoft has not helped with the myth. For more information, see Deployment Troubleshooting and Log Files. For a list of the supported Windows editions and architectures that this component Actually there is a better way. Backup your original image to either restore from later or just in case 2. I managed to create two unattend files :1. :) – Make sure you do NOT use Azure custom script extension to run sysprep. Open comment sort options. 19042. Sysprep can remove PC-specific information from a Windows This topic describes the command-line syntax for the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool. 1. Choose “Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)” and check the “Generalize” checkbox. In Windows 10, Sysprep also includes a VM In this article. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but most of the time it's good to get a clean image like that. If you sysprep a computer, and somehow miss that PXE boot, and it starts to boot Windows normally, it will ruin the sysprep, and you'll need to sysprep the computer again. SCCM is in play so they need to have clean SIDs. But the truth is that Sysprep does not screw with drivers. the next time you want to modify your image, revert to the pre sysprep checkpoint and repeat the above steps exactly. Sysprep can be run in 2 modes, the GUI mode and the command line. If you want to install a Windows image to computers that have the same hardware configuration, you can preserve the device-drivers installation in a Windows image by using the What exactly does sysprep do and when should it be used? I deploy many VMs and VDIs by cloning other VMs or deploying from templates. Ensure you’re not using a device on a domain. exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown and press Enter. Sysprep features a few different ways to clone and customize a Windows image SysPrep (System Preparation Tool) is used to generalize the Windows 10/11 installation and prepare a customized reference Windows image for deployment to corporate computers. The process of ‘generalizing’ the operating system removes the unique What does the /generalize option do? The /generalize option removes hardware-specific information, making the Windows installation suitable for cloning to other machines. Is there a way we can make Sysprep keep the updates? Here All Microsoft Partner Forums Home Library What does sysprep without generalize do? It Prepares the Windows installation to be imaged. After you have run Sysprep on a VM, that VM is considered generalized and cannot be restarted. patreon. I've always used Sysprep and CopyProfile method before to do In this article. Identifying Sysprep errors in So I recreated again a new image from scratch, but this time, sysprepped with copyprofile and generalize and boot to OOBE using the "Exit" option of Sysprep, and used ScanState to create the ppkg AFTER sysprepping, so the user customizations were already copied in default profile. Q&A. For example, if you created VHD in Microsoft Hyper-V, you can only deploy your VHD to Microsoft Hyper-V VMs with a matching When you generalize a sysprep image, it removes drivers by default. I know that sysprep essentially strips away all hardware specific information and personalisation but retains user data, installed software, etc. I am working on updating the base images and have done all other changes needing to be done. But at my final try to generalize Windows 10 image I always end up with MS Edge problem Regarding the 3 sysprep limit - it has to do with rearming the windows activation countdown. You can either use Sysprep by itself or Sysprep with an unattend answer file to See more Sysprep (System Preparation) prepares a Windows client or Windows Server installation for imaging. This will reset the system to the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) and generalize the installation. Here, the /oobe option will restart the system in Out-of-Box Experience mode, while the /generalize option removes system-specific data. 3. Azure scripts run under the LocalSystem user context: source. Sysprep has puts an image into a generalised state that has no unique ID information, and no device specific configuration in it. How Does Sysprep Work. Creating and Using Sysprep Providers. Step 5: Wait for Sysprep to Complete. Now, make your changes: Install extra programs/drivers, remove crapware, set policies and join the domain, etc. If I don't intend to relocate Users and ProgramData but still want to generalize, do I just leave this off in sysprep- /unattend: DRIVE:\AnswerFileName. There are bits that sysprep reads when its preparing the system for cloning. Yes, you could. xml: remove local user account on windows 7. No sysprep allow us to made a really fine tuned image (programs configurations, user profiles) that save us a ton of man-hours. Is is possible to generalize sysprep an xp image, similar to how win 7 does when you check the generalize box. Another reference: Windows 7 images in Audit mode © 2024 Omnissa, LLC 590 E Middlefield Road, Mountain View CA 94043 All Rights Reserved. After generalizing it with Sysprep, the image is written to a WIM archive using DISM or PowerShell. This process can take additional time and Sysprep generalize Windows image without OOBE. virt-sysprep is a bash script to reset/unconfigure/sysprep a VM so clones can be made safely. exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown /mode:vm and press Enter. xml? 3. I had the exact same problem with VMWare, and with other product in my images. Launch Sysprep to generalize the image. my issue is according to what i read. xml and add the correct settings. I get that. In the Sysprep dialog box, check the Generalize checkbox. boot winpe, and imagex to create the WIM image. Do you do anything with the built in Admin account that you can use that to setup up the computer and not setup a generic user account. During this configuration pass, settings are processed when Windows is running in system context, before a user logs onto the computer in Aaudit mode. In Vista and above Sysprep is modular and In all my sysprep unattended files, I list all the accounts in Pass 7 OOBE Windows-Shell-Setup - User Accounts. – anything that the You do not need sysprep if you have customization specifications configured, if you do not, even with a template, you still need to run sysprep, so best thing is to use those customization specification templates - these do all the work for you, you need vcentre to use these and the customizations. If things go bad, just restore. FYI - if you don't, for whatever reason, have a domain you will run into weird sharing and install issues without Sysprep /generalize. Assuming that I did sysprep to move Users to a data drive, can I later use the image created here to re-image the System drive without affecting the data drive? The user I used to add all the programs, plus the user I created after sysprep. Top. thanks for response, but i already understand what you replied. How to Sysprep Windows 11. But when I go from audit to OOBE, I do a /generalize to cleanup the drivers I pushed down. This log file can provide valuable information to help troubleshoot and resolve the Sysprep errors. Therefore, from what I have read, all that I needed to do was to run sysprep. xml command to seal them, the next reboot returns to audit mode. For some reason when I generalize false/false then reseal with OOBE, my sysprep logs on the imaged machine all Whenever I create a Windows 10 image I do the usual CTRL + SHITF + F3, make any customizations I want and then sysprep it using OOBE and generalize. I know that the startmenu uses the export-startlayout cmd. Sysprep unattended join with Win7/S2008R2 failing. One of the first windows to pop up is "System Preparation Tool 3. Does doing sysprep too many times cause issues? 1. They have even incorrectly repeated it. For example, Windows says it has 7 updates? Do a backup, then install. These articles have more information about Sysprep: 1, 2, 3. [makes overall process a little faster, and the image smaller] However, in this particular instance I am only trying to generalize one computer that needed a new SID. Install Hyper-V on Perhaps not a direct answer to your question but it appears that the only issue you have with sysprep is losing the key. What does the generalized option do in Sysprep? Sysprep /Generalize : Prepares the Windows installation to be imaged. We will be replacing all I gave up on sysprep when it took longer to troubleshoot the process itself than to build a machine from scratch. The Unattend. If you wish to explore the command line type Sysprep /h and it will give you all the modes available for the command line: For this demo we will concentrate on the GUI – type sysprep to open Step 2. Reply reply Vesalii • • Just a quickie as the title stated. In the event that you do have to run sysprep multiple times prior to capture, you would run sysprep with an answer file that has the SkipRearm setting enabled. I understand that Microsoft's process for doing this would involve sysprep (and will likely require purchasing a second Windows license, which is fine). Choose Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) and check the Generalize checkbox. When you run Sysprep to generalize a computer, every Windows component gets the opportunity to remove stuff from the system: Registry keys, certificates, files, folders, etc. sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:unattend. Sysprep is an essential tool for IT professionals to generalize a Windows installation. I didn’t use an unattended. xml I used sysprep this week to create a new laptop image but for some reason the device ID is now turning up the same on every device I install the new image on. 0. You’ll need to change the name, ip and join it to the domain. Once this is done, run sysprep, choose Generalize, and Shutdown. 4. The only additional switches that apply to VM mode are /reboot, /shutdown, and /quit. Enter Audit mode In the command prompt, type sysprep. ini clean to only what you Install everything that's required, run sysprep /generalize /oobe. Parent Hierarchy. I ran Sysprep on one of these 200 improperly cloned PCs, and after restarting and running through the Windows setup, the PC seems to work fine. Note Though this setting is specified in the generalize configuration pass, it controls the behavior for the next specialize configuration pass. The security ID (SID) resets, any system restore points are After we have finished setting up reference computer we can run Sysprep with the generalize, oobe, and shutdown options. While audit mode isn't required, it does provide a scenario where the IoT device can be customized online prior to OOBE. [1] Enter System Out-of-Box Experience ⇒ Enter initial setup Generalize ⇒ remove specific settings like SID Shutdown ⇒ Shutdown after finishing Sysprep [4] When start the System which Sysprep was run, initial Saved searches Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly The sysprep /generalize command removes unique information from your Windows installation, which enables you to reuse that image on different computers. Before you can deploy a Windows image to new PCs, you have to first generalize the image. Update: A reader mentioned that Sysprep does even more than I outlined above. To create an answer file you must download Windows ADK. New. Hereof, What does Sysprep without generalize do? Sysprep is not a mode or state of Windows so I assume you mean your Windows boots to Audit Mode automatically logging in as built-in administrator, instead of the normal mode letting you to select your usual user account. Sort by: Best. Sysprep generates a log file upon successful or failed completion. In general, Sysprep does not remove applications. Stack Overflow for Teams Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers; Advertising & Talent Reach devs & technologists worldwide about your product, service or employer brand; OverflowAI GenAI features for Teams; OverflowAPI Train & fine-tune LLMs; Labs The future of collective knowledge sharing; About the company If I have a bunch of identical computers, do I need to sysprep and generalize? Will it even work? What are the consequences? Share Add a Comment. Sysprep can also be used to generalize Windows installations, i. I am using: sysprep /generalize /oobe the same as before but I am getting To run sysprep with the standard GUI options, but also the /mode:vm switch, type sysprep. Struggled with this recently, but for anyone (like I was) looking for a way to bake WSL into a generalized Sysprep image, the following process worked for me: Download the image from MS and install. It also cleans up a bunch of user settings and other things left over by your master image. I have one that saves me from major issues with sysprep randomly bombing on your images after the third sysprep. This allows administrators to quickly When Windows is installed, it creates unique security identifiers (SID) that must not be used on other Windows devices. In this tutorial we use System Preparation Tool (sysprep) to prepare your Windows 7 installation to be moved to a new Yes I run sysprep before capture. For more information about configuration passes, see Windows Setup Configuration Passes. Customise the image as you would After doing Sysprep with generalize option enabled this two programs were removed completely from Windows and only folder is remaining is KMPlayer folder in “Program Files” folder on the Windows drive. After the third time that you run the sysprep /generalize command, the clock can no longer be reset. In my next post, I will outline why unique SIDs are still necessary. Do NOT check "Generalize", as that will undo your work of installing the machine specific drivers! Sysprep will automatically disable Administrator and set the machine to start at OOBE. I need to deploy a custom W10 21H2 image to a couple hundred machines. The generalize pass is used to create a If running Sysprep generates an error, you will have to recapture the image before running Sysprep again. Finally, get into the habit of running an incremental backup (creating a restore point) before you do anything to a production server. remove all installed user and application information, so that Windows installations can be used as base images to create custom images. -Background We are looking at doing a large deployment of around 170 Windows 7 machines, with 5 different models. I am currently working on . Link to Next I went back to fresh instance Windows 11 24H2 26100. then use dism to mount wim image and add drivers to the image. Hereof, What does Sysprep without generalize do? The official way is to generate an answer file and then use Sysprep /generalize command to generate the image for deployment. For example, you can configure network settings, international settings, and domain information. 9. Independent software vendors (ISVs) and independent hardware vendors (IHVs) can create Sysprep providers that enable their applications to support imaging and deployment scenarios. I have sysprep power off the computer to ensure the disk is closed correctly. shut it down, clone it then bring up the clone off the network and sysprep that then connect it to the network. The new /mode:vm switch in sysprep. Share this: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) However, sysprep does more than just change SIDs. I will be honest, it will be my not first tackle at sysprepping the Windows image, but first to take this seriously, I tried to do this before, and everythign went ok. Use the AIK/ADK to create and validate the XML. wrvpir wfl ltqm rej mvq mkihyd uwc lzibnmn ypnu atry