Image deployment + domain join?

[cooka]

Hi guys,

I have a Windows 7 pro image which was on a domain, which I took off the domain to sysprep. After syspreping and capturing the image, I have tried to deploy it, and as the machine starts - before oobe, the machine joins the domain with a weird name e.g. WIN-hahajdg. I have checked the registry for domain keys and set them to 0, I have checked the run registry keys and I can't find anything that would join the machine to the domain automatically. Any ideas?

[Norphy]

The name that you're getting is an automatically generated one that Windows assigns to computers when it doesn't know any better. You can assign names to machines but the method of doing so will vary depending on your deployment solution.

 

What are you using to deploy the image? WDS will automatically join PCs to your domain when you use it for deployment. It's also possible that there's an answer file in there which joins the PC as well.

 

What is the problem here? Is it that the PC is joining or is it that it's joining with a dodgy name?

[cooka]

I'm literally just using imagex in a winpe environment to deploy the image to the disk - I can't find any answer file anywhere. Admitantly the machine is plugged into the network when being booted up but that's never mattered before.

 

So I write the image to a new hdd, put it into a new machine and boot.

 

Thanks for your response.

[cooka]

Hi guys,

Just to let you know that today I think I found out what was happening... basically the image had been part of the domain and Symantec installed before hand. Symantec then added the machine back to the domain each time the image was deployed (even though the image was not on the domain - if that makes sense). I have now deployed Symantec to the image without it being on the domain to begin with and all seems to be working OK.

[MatthewL]

An image should never be joined to the domain until its deployed to a computer.

[Michael]

An image should never be joined to the domain until its deployed to a computer.

 

This has never been a problem in my experience - Windows 7 or Windows 10, but I always disconnect Ethernet and remove wireless profiles before running Sysprep, Shutting down ready for capturing.

[sparkeh]

This has never been a problem in my experience - Windows 7 or Windows 10, but I always disconnect Ethernet and remove wireless profiles before running Sysprep, Shutting down ready for capturing.

 

Although it's a supported scenario it's generally considered better not to capture a domain joined machine due to capturing gpo settings that that might cause issues down the line.

 

Having said that, in a well managed environment sysprep does a good job of preparing a domain machine for image capture (removing SIDs etc).

 

So if you are going to do it, do it carefully

[Michael]

Although it's a supported scenario it's generally considered better not to capture a domain joined machine due to capturing gpo settings that that might cause issues down the line.

 

Having said that, in a well managed environment sysprep does a good job of preparing a domain machine for image capture (removing SIDs etc).

 

So if you are going to do it, do it carefully

 

Sometimes though, I come across database (server), client (workstation) kind of scenarios, so at some point you're realistically going to be forced to join your reference machine to the domain and then optionally/manually disconnect afterwards; in saying that I agree with you 100% it's all about the quality of your Sysprep Answer file.

 

Either I'm just lucky or exceptionally awesome at creating Sysprep Answer files Pretty sad really!

[MatthewL]

Yes plug a machine into the network when getting it ready but any software that requires installing and joining the domain should be scripted to be done after machine deployment.

[cooka]

Personally I have done it on many builds and not had any issues at all.

[snagrat]

I've never had issues joining to domain before sysprep.

 

I put reference machines in a separate OU to ensure no GPO get applied