[mdt] default user profile question

[jjohnsoncantell]

Hi All,

 

I need to confirm the best way to create a default user profile for deployment as part of my main image. I have a couple of questions that I would appreciate your help on.

 

1: I've been told a number of different ways to create a default user profile , most of them involved having a user profile with admin rights, or using the local admin account, then customising that and copying it to the default user profile manually or using copy profile. Which is the best way to do this that has bought you the least problems? I personally have only done it manually using a locally created user for that purpose.

 

2: I'm concerned that where I will be running programs to "customise" them, that this will put information into the registry pertaining to the user that run it (in this case the local admin). If I do it the Microsoft way, will using copy profile strip out all references to the user or do I then have to manually strip the registry of all user references before its copied to default? If so, how can I guarantee I would have got everything.

 

I hope this makes sense?

Thanks.

[Norphy]

The most effective way that I've found to make a default user profile is to do the following:

 

When you're making your image, log on as the local administrator. Do not log on as any other user. Make all of your tweaks and settings there and sysprep/generalise the image. When it comes to deploying it, make sure that you apply an unattended.xml file which has the following in the Specialize section:

 

       
           true
       

 

When the machine builds from the image, it will copy the local administrator profile into the default user profile and all of your settings will be applied to new users from there.

[Gatt]

Just been doing this myself and it works a treat!

[Muz]

This is the same method I use as well when I build a new base image, it works well enough.

[jjohnsoncantell]

Thanks guys, it's because I was adding it when I captured the image. Your help is much appreciated.

[SHimmer45]

i do the profile creation as listed about and works well

[tech-man]

Just jumping slightly on the end of this, what else do you guys do to images before you re-capture them? Windows updates? What things do you customise in the default user?

 

Thanks

[Gatt]

I mainly make sure that:

 

 

• Images are fully patched (to the time of capture)
  
• Background / Login Screen (Win7) set
  
• Win8.1 Start Screen decluttered
  
• Win8.1 Start Button context menu set to Powershell rather than command prompt
  
• First Run dialogs / settinsgs applied to appropriate apps
  
• Notification icons are pinned /removed as required (AV, Action Center, etc)