Windows 7 Imaging.

For the past 8 years I have been using sysprep and an answerfile for prepping images for the network using xp. It created a temp computer name, joined the network, then I manually renamed each pc. Nice and simple. Quick too.

We are moving to windows 7 and there just does not seem to be a simple answer that I can find as to what the windows 7 method would be.

Can I still build an image and clone it around the network? Do I have to sysprep? Will the VLK automatically activate either way?

Links to a simple walkthrough, or just a brief description of the steps involved would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance.

1 create image on reference pc
2 create a sysprep xml file (probably on a n other pc)
3 apply sysprep to pc (from an admin command prompt)
go to c:\windows\system32\sysprep\

sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.xml
4 capture somehow wds/fog/ghost/whatever else (without it rebooting and starting the oobe bit )
5 deploy
if your using wds you can keep your sysprep file small and simple and add a better one to the image when deployed

better option if starting from scratch use mdt

1 set up reference image
2 use mdt to capture it
3 add drivers and additional packages to mdt
4 net boot pc and install

You Can use WAIK to create the answer file unattend.xml.

Build the reference machine from DVD/USB accept all default. When you reach the first logon welcome screen press ctrl+shift+f3 this will put you in the builtin administrator account.
Then install all the software / drivers you need the machine will stay in that state until you run sysprep.

Please follow the link below for more information.

Sysprep a Windows 7 Machine

I use MySysprep2 and WDS

The Guide I used is Deploying Windows 7 to a domain

Worked for us

Thanks for the replies. It looks like a bit of a learning curve.

Looks like there will be a do not disturb notice on my office door for people to ignore for the next few weeks.

I found it better to do all this in audit mode (sorry if it was mentioned), it will then apply the setting to your default profile (don't forget copy profile in the answer file, like I did first time... :( )

I also didn't install any drivers at all, got windows to do it, then I have applied one image to the whole school network, all working sweet as a nut :) Better than having loads of XP images for each machine.

I am going to try MDT next, for next year anyway :)

Get a master pc with all the software installed ....... use REDO to make an image (its free!) Use REDO to copy the image to a new machine .. rename the new machine and attatch to the domain .. Works very well for small numbers of pc's but cant reimage multiple machines at the same time ...... Also the hardware has to be ideally the same.

im trying to use mysysprep2 and wds too. when i seal an image with mysysprep2 and turn the machine back on the process of using the answer file works perfectly. As soon as i capture a sealed image with imagex and import it to my wds server then deploy it the local answer file is apparently invalid and this message pops up which causes the setup to go into a loop.

have you had this problem before and if so how did you overcome it? I am using a unattend file on the wds server to which passes the windows pe stage and i have found without this answer file applied and manually go through the windows pe phase the image is deployed as it should and the local answer isnt corrupt. do you know of anything in the windows pe part that would effect the image unattend phase?

any help or advice would be appreciated

Have a look here for an answer file 'ready made' :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Michael

Have a look here for an answer file 'ready made' :)

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My answer files work great on their own just not together, that's what I don't quite understand

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ghu_ferry

My answer files work great on their own just not together, that's what I don't quite understand

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Really depends what you're trying to do. You could always post what script you're using.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by clywedog

I found it better to do all this in audit mode (sorry if it was mentioned), it will then apply the setting to your default profile (don't forget copy profile in the answer file, like I did first time... :( )

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Is there any way of manually copying the audit profile to a specified (standard, non admin) user profile?

I ask because as usual there isn't enough free time to go through the procedures mentioned above *and* get a half dozen machines prepped for the weekend.

Oh for a win7 version of newsid.... .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scotstech

Is there any way of manually copying the audit profile to a specified (standard, non admin) user profile?

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you can run this unattend file from audit mode:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="generalize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="Error" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="Error" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="blah blah blah" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

This will copy the current settings, to the default user account (i.e. should be applied to all local user accounts), and will make sure that any drivers you have installed, are not knocked out of the system by entering OOBE mode.

If you need a 64-Bit version, drop me a line!

^ Don't forget the CODE tags! :eek:

32-bit

Code:

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
  <settings pass="generalize">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
      <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <settings pass="specialize">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
      <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="blah blah blah" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

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64-bit

Code:

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
  <settings pass="generalize">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
      <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <settings pass="specialize">
    <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
      <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
    </component>
  </settings>
  <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="blah blah blah" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

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