Disk image question

Mark M

Mark M

Mark M

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I have just set up a new laptop and have it ready to go with all software installed etc. Is it worth taking an image of the disk to use for future installs or if something breaks and I need to reformat it?

If its worth doing, how does it work with Windows licencing? It currently has Win8 on it so when you install the image on a new computer are you just prompted for a new licence key once the install is finished?

Oh and what software do you recommend?

Thanks.
 
What I tend to do..

Format new laptop with a clean Winodws disc, install all updates, nothing else (as few drivers as possible) then take an image.

That will be for one PC only, unless it's a retail licence. You can use a Microsoft tool to 'remove' the user details and key if you want to put it on multiple machines. I forget the name of the program, been years since I've used it.


Personally, I use Macrium Reflect for taking/restoring images.
 
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In short, yes it is worth it. Saves installing drivers and them flaming Windows updates.
If your putting the image on other machines run sysprep with generalize before taking the image and make sure you don't boot into windows after sysprepping before taking the image.

I personally would run sysprep if I was putting it on the same machine
 
Prior to using sysprep, it is first best to fully understand what sysprep is and what its purpose is for. Also, when it comes to deploying, attempting to deploy, or simply refreshing any Windows media, you first might want to check out the reimaging rights document available from Microsoft here. The document reviews the rights of creating images and using those images for deployment scenarios.

If you want to remove your user account and have the system boot straight to the Windows Welcome screen, you will want to first boot into Audit Mode which will also allow you to prepare and customize the system as needed.
Audit mode enables you to add additional device drivers or applications to a Windows installation. After you install the additional drivers and applications, you can test the integrity of the Windows installation. In order to boot out of audit mode and back in to OOBE (Out-of-box-experience), you will want to run the following command from an administrator command prompt:

sysprep /oobe /generalize

Please note that the command and switches are also stated and explained in the library article provided above as well.

Also, it is important to note that each time you run the sysprep command with the /generalize switch, the licensing state of the Windows is reset, otherwise known as rearmed. 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.

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. You can review the number of times you can use the SkipRearm setting by running the Slmgr.vbs /dlv command in an elevated command prompt. Bear in mind, that by using the SkipRearm setting, you are not resetting the licensing state of the Windows installation. The command you would use in this case is as follows:

sysprep /generalize /unattend:answerfile (the answerfile part would be the name / file path of where your unattend.xml file is located) More information on this can be found in the How Sysprep Works TechNet library article referenced above.

Finally, there is also a great deal of resources for various deployment, virtualization and management scenarios available from the Springboard Series on TechNet.

I hope this helps and keep us posted on your progress!

Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro
 
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