Windows 7 sysprep

anything I don't mind · 6 Jul 2011 at 21:16

What is the recommended way to do a corporate windows 7 image. I was reading this from microsoft. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/828287

I was going to sysprep the installation after copying over the default profile but now I see that it is not supported, this creates additional work for myself. Now all of the auto configuration has to be done with scripts. I was going to use clonezilla and pxeboot and after syspreping it. We don't have sccm and using group policy to and login scripts to do auto configuration would mean that users would have to wait on first login for all the software and scripts to run. Very amateur. The other way which seems like a purposelly poorly designed ui. http://theitbros.com/sysprep-a-windows-7-machine-–-start-to-finish This seems like the approved way but it is also rubbish because you don't know if it has worked until after the installation is complete. This means that we either deploy an image that is not support by microsoft or spend hours testing the auto configuration via the itbrosmethod or have users wait 30 mins on first login.

I will probably end up just copying over the default profile. What do you think?

anything I don't mind · 7 Jul 2011 at 11:19

They don't want to purchase SCCM. Is sccm extensions different ?

I found this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973289

Just looking for another KB now saying it is not supported. But then does anyone even use microsoft support.

anything I don't mind · 7 Jul 2011 at 14:27

I do not think that SCCM is free. But MS licensing makes little sense to myself. Have to ask someone with a certification in Microsoft licensing.

I doubt that i will be able to convince the people i work with to use fog because it runs on linux.

I tried to sysprep a windows 7 machine with an unattended.xml that added the pc to the domain automatically after manually specifying the computer name and the pc won't boot, just loops.

For the people that used WDS and MDT did you have to manually configuring each pc. Based on MS recommendations, on deployments with less 100 pcs, they recommend manually installing each pc and configuring it manually. LOL.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd919185(WS.10).aspx

anything I don't mind · 7 Jul 2011 at 15:03

Ok thanks, that would be helpful.

I am going to install vmware workstation and keep trying to get the unattended.xml to work.

anything I don't mind · 11 Jul 2011 at 10:39

I have managed to get sysprep to prompt for computer name only and just testing auto join of domain. After I have got the sysprep to work I am going to try and create an image with clonezilla and try to pxeboot with that. Then I am going to create a default network profile using a method that is probably not supported, but i don't care

lets hope it works...

anything I don't mind · 13 Jul 2011 at 17:14

What a long week. Finally got it working. I used waik to generate a unattend.xml and prompts for pc name and auto activates with MAK key. Then the pc auto logs in with local admin account and i set up a powershell script that auto adds it to the domain. All works great.

The only problem now is that i would like to restart and then end up with domain login screen. I tried automating it with scripts but no luck. In the end i have a cleanup.cmd file that is on a usb that has to be run and then after the scripted reboot it ends up with a login screen. But i disable the local admin and then does not say press ctrl+alt+del to login, it says administrator was disabled and then you have to click other user and login. Would be nice if i could get it to be ctrl+alt+del to login. here is the cleanup.cmd script.

Code:

powershell Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
powershell e:\UserModify.ps1 -user Administrator -password Yb2asdasd9gbfCL -a d
shutdown -r -t 10 -c "Windows 7 will reboot in 10 seconds..."

del /F C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\import.ps1
del /F C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\unattend.xml
del /F C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\cleanup.cmd

The usermodify.ps1 is a powershell script i found on the net to modify accounts. Works great.

Anyone know of a better way to disable administrator autologin and have it at domain login prompt

anything I don't mind · 13 Jul 2011 at 21:23

I did not use WDS so that restart command will not work. I used sysprep and clonezilla. I ended up just changing a autologin registry value and added to the cleanup.cmd. But i would still like to be able to add the cleanup.cmd to some sort of logout script or something after it finishes. As now we have to run it from a usb stick.

I had Setupcomplete.cmd in the c:\windows\setup\scripts\ try and disable the administrator account but then it would do that before it logged on. I tried setting sleep timers in powershell but it still ran before it logged on. I might take that admin disable command out and try it.