Imaging for roll out to multiple machines

shopper150 · 8 Feb 2019 at 19:33

If I want to roll out exactly the same Windows 10 set up across multiple machines, what is the best way to achieve this?

I had read a few years ago that sysprep needed to be run, but is this still required under windows 10 and is there an easier way? I found it quite difficult/complicated to use sysprep.

TIA

Sin_Chase · 12 Feb 2019 at 22:04

Volume Licence key or individual ones?

I'd say using sysprep is the cleanest way but I've not done or for donkeys years so things may have come along.

shopper150 · 13 Feb 2019 at 06:57

Sin_Chase said:
Volume Licence key or individual ones?

I'd say using sysprep is the cleanest way but I've not done or for donkeys years so things may have come along.

OEM licenses
I thought Windows 10 automatically detects OEM keys from each machine where necessary?

Django x2 · 16 Feb 2019 at 16:43

Sysprep is still a thing yes. Or MDT with an unattend/answer file.

If going into a domain, then just let GPOs fix the settings.

I have a good unattend file you can use to sysprep with, skips all the oobe stuff and the first logon stuff and creates a default account with no password if you need any more info

TrojanWhore · 18 Feb 2019 at 12:56

In terms of whether you're allowed to with OEM licenses:

Hello,

If you buy a single volume license of Windows, you can reimage using the VL image.

Your 50 count of OEM licenses are still valid even though you are using VL media as long as you are using the same edition and same version.

From the licensing brief: referenced by Mark Heitbrink

Reimaging licensed - Microsoft Download Center
https://download.microsoft.com/download/3/d/4/3d42bdc2-6725-4b29-b75a-a5b04179958b/reimaging.pdf

Source: https://social.technet.microsoft.co...image-of-windows-10-oem?forum=win10itprosetup

and for the technical aspect of actually doing the imaging, clonezilla is about the best of the free tools I've used. If you need to image a large number of PCs at once, it can be set to run from a server over PXE boot environment (image over the network, 1 to many)

If it's just to do a handful, I'd use the USB version.

If the machines are (or are going to be) connected to a domain, then sysprep would be necessary (or do the domain join per PC after imaging), if it's just a small network with no domain/AD, then I think you'll get away with just changing the host name (or not, but would get massively confusing to keep track of!)