Sheridan Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I've just about had it with Windows 7 and trying to get it to sysprep ANY image. Atfer many attempts I only managed to get it to sysprep when the PC wasn't joined to the domain. But I decided to try again and got a fully loaded Win7 Pro laptop ready. Disjoined from the domain and sysprep'd with the Generalize option. Rebooted and tried to upload the image to our WDS server which naturally failed as the NIC drivers have to be added every time - but at least I had the image created on the local drive. But now the laptop is stuck in a boot loop 'Windows installation cannot proceed. etc' at the Setup is preparing your computer for the first use stage. I can't believe how unreliable win7 sysprep is - this must be the 10th attempt I've had and now a different error. I surely can't be doing anything that wrong to cause the installation to be completely ruined? I created a very basic unattend.xml file using System Image Manager mainly just to set the local administrator account. I guess at this point its reinstalling and configuring the damn thing all over again! Won't be using sysprep again at this rate.
simpsonj Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I've never had an issue Sysprepping a Windows 7 machine, other than the Domain issue you've mentioned. I haven't had to keep adding the NIC drivers either, those are injected into the Boot image and the Install image with no issues. I used this guide: HOW TO: inject drivers into Microsoft's free OS, Windows PE 2.0 To be slightly more useful, I highly recommend using some of the blog posts from here: Blog.BrianLeeJackson.com
timbo343 Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I use a program called MySysprep and it works a treat with image roll out via WDS.. all it asks for is the computer name and then adds it to the domain etc, just like in windows 7
Sheridan Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 Thing is, this was a dead simple straightforward image. Disjoined from the domain etc. I can understand why the image didn't upload to the WDS server but now the 'donor' laptop is completely ruined and needs a full re-install. I never had an issue with XP sysprep but I've never got it to work with Windows 7 and I cannot work out why! I've even tried with OEM and VLK installs - they just fail in different ways.
witch Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I had a problem with the antivirus - once I took that off the Win 7 image, I could sysprep it. Don't know if that helps
IKWeb Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Hi Never had an issue here, done about 30 images in the past month. General steps I do are :- Never join the machine to the domain, install all applications needed for the image, if there are application which need to be installed when one the domain then these are done after the machine has been imaged by WDS I use the windows sysprep, and select the OOBE (out of the box experience) and also tick the Generalize box. once machine re boots, boot into WDS and then the disk shows up as been able to be captured. Hope this helps, as I say not had any machine fail when doing it like this.
Sheridan Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 I had made sure no antivirus was installed this time! Only thing on it was Office and a local user account with some tweaks. Just before the sysprep I disjoined from the domain, dropped in the unattend.xml (very basic) and ran sysprep with generalize and specified the path to the unattend.xml. The actual sysprep process seemed to complete ok and WDS created the image file OK. Its only the post-sysprep reboot into the oobe type of startup that is failing. All I want to do is create a basic Windows 7 image for deployment (well maybe 2, 1 for desktops and 1 for laptops) but at this rate I'll be clinging onto XP.
Domino Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Thing is, this was a dead simple straightforward image. Disjoined from the domain etc. I can understand why the image didn't upload to the WDS server but now the 'donor' laptop is completely ruined and needs a full re-install. I never had an issue with XP sysprep but I've never got it to work with Windows 7 and I cannot work out why! I've even tried with OEM and VLK installs - they just fail in different ways. I had the same issue a while back. I just tended to not domain join them before sysprepping. did the trick.
Bezwick Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 We had the same problem until i can across a random key press that sorted it. If you install off the Windows 7 cd and when it comes up asking for the computer name press CTRL+SHIFT+F3 the computer will reboot and log you in. Install all your programs, profiles, drivers etc now. Then when you run sysprep it works. Good luck
soveryapt Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I don't know if this ---> http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/73294-sysprep-problems.html <-- will help at all? More specifically the link to the Hotfix for Windows 7 SysPrepping at A Windows 7 or a Windows Server 2008 R2 image deployment process stops when you try to deploy the image on another computer .. it worked a treat for me when I was having a pig of a time to get SysPrep to work ..
IKWeb Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 Sheridan - Try it again BUT DONT JOIN The PC to the domain AT ALL see how far you get??? Let us know if this works.
Sheridan Posted May 27, 2011 Author Posted May 27, 2011 I'm setting up another 'test' and also a virtual machine as well. This one was joined to the domain,then disjoined so I won't do that again! I'll check out that hotfix as well - anything might help!
TheMan100 Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 I don't know if this ---> http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-7/73294-sysprep-problems.html <-- will help at all? More specifically the link to the Hotfix for Windows 7 SysPrepping at A Windows 7 or a Windows Server 2008 R2 image deployment process stops when you try to deploy the image on another computer .. it worked a treat for me when I was having a pig of a time to get SysPrep to work .. "This issue occurs if the original operating system contains a registry key that is larger than 8 kilobytes (KB). " Sometimes I really do wonder how problems occur over the tiniest of things.
dhorowitz Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 I have tried installing the hotfix on my test machine and then running sysprep. After rebooting the machine, I'm experiencing the same issue with my image. It's not asking for a name or joining the domain. My workstation was never joined to the domain prior to running the Win 7 sysprep.
IKWeb Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 I have tried installing the hotfix on my test machine and then running sysprep. After rebooting the machine, I'm experiencing the same issue with my image. It's not asking for a name or joining the domain. My workstation was never joined to the domain prior to running the Win 7 sysprep. What options did you select from the SysPrep menu? Also have you tried to drop down the image you have created to a new machine? If so what options are you getting once the image has been downloaded to the machine?
dhorowitz Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) false true false Eastern Standard Time true Windows 7 Product Key password administrator 1 net user administrator /active:yes name of domain domain admin password domain admin username name of domain EN-US EN-US EN-US EN-US UUFSD UUFSD false Work 1 true true true 1 That's my XML file. It runs through the sysprep process completely, no errors or bangs and reboots. I'm back where I started from. I'm using sysprep with oobe and generalize set. Edited May 31, 2011 by dhorowitz
IKWeb Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 so when you say your back where you started, it goes though the OOBE again ? I.E loops? P.S you may want to remove your product key from your XML file!!!
dhorowitz Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) OOPS! When it runs, the only thing it seems to do is generate a new computer name. The computer comes back to me in a usable state, however needing to re-name and manually join about 4000 PCs district wide is not going to be fun. Looking at the setup logs, I'm getting error 1355 on my attempt to join the domain which points to DNS/WINS...I can ping my DC and I can also browse the net from this machine. Edited May 31, 2011 by dhorowitz
IKWeb Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 The scripts for unattended install is not something I have had much experience with, I tend to name and the machines, and use a script to join them to the domain after the image has been installed. I am guessing if you remove the XML file from your WDS the machine will image fine? and then ask you to name it and select all the options manually?
dhorowitz Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 If I remove the xml file, it runs through the sysprep no prompts for names or anything. It generates another random name. This is very frustrating.
IKWeb Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 ahh yes. that random name you mention will be based on the username you use to connect to WDS - You need to tweak your WDS settings from the server. Under the properties of your WDS server there is a tab called AD DS in there you can see the format of the name it will auto generate, if you dont have a config file. The settings I have are - Computer Account Location - Same as the WDS Server Also under the Client tab, there is a check box, Do not join the client to the domain after install, your choice on this one, but I have it ticked as I use another script to do this. Also if I remember right if you leave this checked you will then be asked for a machine name after you image the machine. But the reason your getting a funny name is from the AD DS tab. Hope that helps.
dhorowitz Posted June 1, 2011 Posted June 1, 2011 I understand your input about WDS, however we don't have any WDS servers configured. Is that something that is required to do this with Windows 7?
IKWeb Posted June 1, 2011 Posted June 1, 2011 Hi No, sorry my assumption. WDS is away of deploying your images after you capture them. WDS = Microsoft's version of Norton Ghost.
cryan Posted June 27, 2011 Posted June 27, 2011 Hi, This post won't solve the big issue - but if you want it to prompt for a computer name you have to remove the I also encountered errors revolving around using Win7 Sysprep to name and join a computer to a domain. In the end I removed the area that joins it to the domain, just made it prompt for a name and then set it to Autologin, on first logon it automatically joins the domain (as well as activating office and Windows) before rebooting and leaving the computer in a usable state.
Jamo Posted June 28, 2011 Posted June 28, 2011 Is there any reason why you aren't using MDT2010? It links in with WDS (for PXE boot) sorts out driver injection and computer naming as well and its free! Not had a problem with the sysprep for W7 with it, whereas I couldn't get a good working image (to use on our ancient ghost server) because of the way W7 installs with the help of the unattend file.
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