Sysprep gurus?

[evilsatan]

I have spent a very long time on this already and now can't work out what is wrong.

I am formatting an entire suite of identical Dell Optiplex 760 PCs, my plan was to make a master image using sysprep to streamline the process and also allow me to get them back up and running as quickly as possible if a HDD was to fail.

I followed this guide:
http://theitbros.com/sysprep-a-windo...-to-finish-v2/

First time I had errors but after checking the logs found out it was because I installed Eset Smart Security before running sysprep, apparently most security suites mess this up so it is best to install manually after image deployment. Now I have it boot but failing with an error message

Windows could not parse or process the unattend answer file for pass [specialize]

I went through the logs and found that the ProductKey part of the unattend.xml was being flagged up

installation failed 0x80070057

These PCs all have Home Premium licences but have been activated by Dell using SLIC tables and a volume key. I have tried leaving the ProductKey section of the unattend.xml file blank as per the guide and I have also tried using the volume key that Dell used on the machines originally. Both methods cause the same problem.

Any ideas what I can try now? It seems I am not the only one with this problem but I haven't found a solution yet and am losing the will to live with this image!!

Cheers


My unattend.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="generalize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" 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">
            <SkipRearm>1</SkipRearm>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" 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">
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>net user administrator /active:yes</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>
        <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>
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
            <TimeZone>GMT Standard Time</TimeZone>
            <ProductKey></ProductKey>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" 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">
            <SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" 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">
            <InputLocale>en-uk</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-uk</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-uk</UILanguage>
            <UserLocale>en-uk</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <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">
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>Removed</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Username>administrator</Username>
                <LogonCount>5</LogonCount>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
            </AutoLogon>
            <FirstLogonCommands>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <CommandLine>c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 6RBBT-F8VPQ-QCPVQ-KHRB8-RMV82</CommandLine>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
                </SynchronousCommand>
                <SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>2</Order>
                    <RequiresUserInput>false</RequiresUserInput>
                    <CommandLine>cscript /b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato</CommandLine>
                </SynchronousCommand>
            </FirstLogonCommands>
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
                <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <AdministratorPassword>
                    <Value>Removed</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </AdministratorPassword>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>Removed</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Description>Local Administrator</Description>
                        <DisplayName>Administrator</DisplayName>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Name>Administrator</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <RegisteredOrganization>Kickstart</RegisteredOrganization>
            <RegisteredOwner>Kickstart</RegisteredOwner>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:g:/sources/install_windows 7 homepremium.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

[reverend]

What version of Windows mate?

It might be worth trying a KMS client key to see if that works:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../jj612867.aspx

Also try removing the entire ProductKey line if you haven't already and see what that does

[evilsatan]

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. I was going to remove the line but having had the same error twice with no key and a key I thought it wouldn't work but I will try again now.

Unfortunately it takes ages to try each thing as I have to imagex the PC back to the sysprep image then use cmd to overwrite the old unattend.xml before trying to boot to the sysprep again.

As far as I am aware I can sysprep a Home Premium system, if I can't then I would be annoyed!! Originally I was using Win 7 pro but when it came to creating the unattend.xml I realised I was supposed to be using Home Premium sop started again from scratch.

[evilsatan]

I recreated the answer file from scratch and whacked that and the original into a difference checker, strangely enough the option to disable auto activation is now higher up and there is no product key line. I think what probably happened first time round was I entered a product key but efore saving the answer file I then removed it. This must have added the line for product key and adjusted the order of the answer file and so saved a different version to the guide. I will try with my new answer file now!

[evilsatan]

I am still imaging the machine so haven't tested yet but whilst I wait I had another question. I want to automate the deployment as much as possible, my idea was to make a batch file that could be ran when booted to the WinPE image.

So I have created a WinPE boot USB with ImageX on it, I thought I could store my sysprep image on the root of the USB and then when it boots to command line I could navigate from X:\ to F:\ (USB root) and run automate.bat which would look like this:

X:\windows\system32\diskpart
select disk 0
clean
create partition primary size=300
format quick fs=ntfs label="System"
assign letter=S 
active 
create partition primary
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows"
assign letter=W
exit
X:\windows\system32\imagex /apply F:\SYSPREP.wim 1 W:\            
W:\windows\system32\bcdboot.exe w:\windows /s S:\
exit

Will this work or can't those commands run like that in a batch file?

[evilsatan]

FFS, same error again, product key with same 0x code.

Here is my unattend.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="generalize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP" 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">
            <SkipRearm>1</SkipRearm>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" 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">
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Path>net user administrator /active:yes</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" 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">
            <SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>
        </component>
        <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>
            <ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
            <TimeZone>GMT Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" 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">
            <InputLocale>en-uk</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-uk</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-uk</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-uk</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-uk</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <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">
            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>Removed</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Enabled>true</Enabled>
                <LogonCount>5</LogonCount>
                <Username>administrator</Username>
            </AutoLogon>
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <NetworkLocation>Home</NetworkLocation>
                <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>Removed</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <DisplayName>Administrator</DisplayName>
                        <Description>Local Administrator</Description>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Name>Administrator</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <RegisteredOrganization>Org</RegisteredOrganization>
            <RegisteredOwner>Owner</RegisteredOwner>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:g:/sources/install_windows 7 homepremium.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

[evilsatan]

Out of interest, when I had finished customising the machine I put the unattend.xml file into the sysprep folder and ran this command:

sysprep /generalize /oobe /unattend:unattend.xml /shutdown

I thought that gave instruction for sysprep to load the unattend file on next boot so I shut down and imaged the drive to use as my sysprep image if it went ok. This is the image I have been restoring to. When running the sysprep command does it use the unattend file at that point or tell the machine to read the unattend file on the next boot? If the latter then I have been doing it right by overwriting the unattend.xml file but if it uses that file at the point of running the sysprep command then I have been messing it up!!

[evilsatan]

Took it back to pre-sysprep command and used my fresh unattend.xml and it seems to have worked first time. I have wasted ridiculous hours on this but I have always meant to try sysprep and hope it will be faster next time. Just trying to test the deployment batch file now.

[consoles]

been doing this for 10 years and sysprep is a pain in the ass, all we do now is build 1 machine run all progs once, no windows or office activation or AV ghost image it.
then ghost the whole suite 32 machines at a time in our case, set ghost to rename each instance, then boot activate windows and office install AV job done in an hour.

1 machine 15 mins to reimage if drive fails.

[DJ OD]

Yeah same as above. Never bothered with sysprep. Easier to make one machine the way you want then image that. Just manually do activation. It shouldn't be but it is. That's MS for you!


DJ OD

[Over Carl]

If you just restore clones of the same machine, I know you can run into problems when joining these to a domain because they all have the same SID.

Also I was told by someone who cloned loads of copies of one Windows install and sold these on computers he sold that eventually they got blocked for updates.

However, my opinion is what we can merge the two processes to get everything we need while keeping life simple.

1. Set up your Windows system and take image as normal if not using sysprep.

2. Then load a copy of this image and run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown

3. Then image this again (before booting it).

Now when you restore this image you should have a nice fresh install running oobe.

The only reason for imaging before step 2 is because I found once in a blue moon sysprep would destroy my lovely fresh windows install for no good reason.

I remember when Win 7 came out I was worried about sysprep for a while, spent a day installing WAIK and making notes on the official MS procedure until I realised that was all that was needed. I never tested this with home versions though.

[evilsatan]

The problem I had using conventional imaging utils in the past (I tend to use clonezilla) is as OC said, some IDs are cloned across which cause problems. I found out a workaround for the teamviewer ID but I don't think it's possible to change other Bits.

consoles- does Ghost have a facility to work around this? From how I read the post you setup a master pc, then clone that to others and it causes no problems? Do the computer names change automatically and other unique IDs?

[tombott]

If you just restore clones of the same machine, I know you can run into problems when joining these to a domain because they all have the same SID.

Also I was told by someone who cloned loads of copies of one Windows install and sold these on computers he sold that eventually they got blocked for updates.

However, my opinion is what we can merge the two processes to get everything we need while keeping life simple.

1. Set up your Windows system and take image as normal if not using sysprep.

2. Then load a copy of this image and run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown

3. Then image this again (before booting it).

Now when you restore this image you should have a nice fresh install running oobe.

The only reason for imaging before step 2 is because I found once in a blue moon sysprep would destroy my lovely fresh windows install for no good reason.

I remember when Win 7 came out I was worried about sysprep for a while, spent a day installing WAIK and making notes on the official MS procedure until I realised that was all that was needed. I never tested this with home versions though.

Just finished a roll out of 150 PC's.
I setup one PC with the Lenovo stock image. Joined domain installed all software (Office, Novell Client, Novell GroupWise, Trend AV) and printers I needed and removed various crap with PC Decrapifier. I then disjoined from domain, and took image using CloneZilla. I then used this image on all 150 PC's.
Once booted rename and join domain, not had one issue with activation of Office or Windows and no errors joining domain.

[Over Carl]

There's something I think no-one fully understands there.

There was a utility called NewSID to get round the duplicate SID issue.

Loads of people round the world found a problem, then loads of people round the world found NewSID fixed it.

Then the creator of the tool declared the tool was actually useless, despite it having previously fixed loads of people's issues.

Btw, if I did have problems, it would be normally a few weeks after the duplicate got joined to domain. Message saying something like trust relationship failed between client and dc.

[tombott]

There's something I think no-one fully understands there.

There was a utility called NewSID to get round the duplicate SID issue.

Loads of people round the world found a problem, then loads of people round the world found NewSID fixed it.

Then the creator of the tool declared the tool was actually useless, despite it having previously fixed loads of people's issues.

Btw, if I did have problems, it would be normally a few weeks after the duplicate got joined to domain. Message saying something like trust relationship failed between client and dc.

Interesting, I've never had that and have pretty much always rolled out new PC's in this way. Be it using Ghost or CloneZilla.
Only thing I will say is our domain level is still at 2003, moving up to 2012 later on this year.

[ant3b]

we dont use the ghost method due to duplicate sids...

sysprep is the way

[tombott]

An interesting read on the matter:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussi...3/3291024.aspx

Like I said I've never had issue's, and have been using the Ghost / CloneZilla method on Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP & 7.

[Over Carl]

That's what I was on about - read the article and it all makes sense.

But then read through the comments and see the information offered doesn't match many people's real life experiences.

[evilsatan]

Well looks like I could have just imaged then as each of these machines is independent with Time Freeze software on them so they reset when reboot (due to being open for public use)

At least I finally learned how to use sysprep properly though, I hadn't used answer files in the past.

Imaging my sysprep oobe with imagex and clonezilla just in case one is more beneficial than the other going forward but clonezilla has always been my 'go-to' imaging util.

[ant3b]

With programs such as WSUS you may have problems This uses the SID afaik and mcafee also...

WSUS keeps thinks the same machine is on the network and so does the EPO console