Image Prep - Any tips?

[EmperorPeng]

Hi all,

 

Although there are probably numerous threads on this subject, I wanted to come at it from a slightly different angle. What I'm looking for is criticism and questions! Let me outline what I do on a Windows 7 image:

 

- Put a new HDD into the PC/Laptop (this HDD NEVER gets Sysprepped)

- Install Windows 7 via USB stick

- Add all drivers from Dell CD

- Install all Windows Updates via the web

- Install all departmental software and essentials such as Java from our shared "Software" drive that sits on an Application server, and register all software that requires it

- Final check for additional Windows updates

- Scandisk & Defrag

- Reboot to Ghost session and capture HDD in image file

- Swap HDD back out and place in safe, insert original laptop HDD

- Deploy image taken previously

- Reboot and allow laptop to settle down installing hardware if required

- Reboot, run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml

- Boot to Ghost session and capture SYSPREPPED image to network

- Reboot laptop and allow sysprepped installation to run through the oobe, join domain etc.

- If successful, deploy sysprepped image to second laptop for testing

 

I don't use Microsoft RIS, or any other deployment tools other than those listed above.

 

My question is this:

 

Am I making work for myself? Doing it wrong? Leaving myself open for malfunctioning images?

 

I've done it the above way since Windows XP and any issues I've had were usually down to me not doing something properly!

 

I would appreciate a wide range of thoughts, opinions, laughter, shakes of the head and puzzled looks! Helps me grow as an underpaid IT monkey

 

Thanks again,

 

Jason

[Zourous]

I do the same, more or less, minus the hdd swapping bit. If you want to update the image later, just deploy from the image server, update it and then upload again.

[sted]

why not use a vm and just snapshot before sysprep

[EmperorPeng]

why not use a vm and just snapshot before sysprep

 

 

We have yet to take the VM plunge, but will bear it in mind for future reference

[sted]

We have yet to take the VM plunge, but will bear it in mind for future reference

 

if its just or image creation just add the hyper v role to a server and use as needed not much of a plunge/drain/learning curve

[RTFM]

We have yet to take the VM plunge, but will bear it in mind for future reference

 

You could just purchase a copy of VM Workstation for yourself and use it for your image creation

[sted]

You could just purchase a copy of VM Workstation for yourself and use it for your image creation

 

or virtualbox which is free iirc vmware player cant do snapshots but is also free

[milnesy]

This is similar to what I do with XP... but I don't use sysprep. Instead, I just use Ghost... build the image with the OS, install drivers, update ms, install software, update ms, join domain, create standard profile, unjoin domain, copy domain profile to all users profile, defrag, chkdsk, capture image. Once image is captured, open ghost image and delete pubkey.crt and dnscache.txt so that I can use this image on any of my 3 ghost servers (since they're in different locations.) When pushing out the image, just enable ghost-walker ... and that scrubs the SID.