Sysprep Alternatives?

[Cyron]

Hello again folks,

I'm trying to clone approximately 50 machines. All of these machines
have identical hardware and so I have setup my template computer with
all drivers thats will be required by the various components (NICs,
video card, etc.). After running sysprep on the template computer and
ghosting this image onto a blank machine, I find that I am prompted for
many of the drivers that I had previously installed. Ideally, I would
like my driver settings to verbatim to what I had taken the time to
define on the template machine -- but if sysprep insists on deleting
those settings I would like it to automatically restore them.

In an earlier thread someone had mentioned just cloning the template
computer (without sysprep) and then using newSid (by sysinternals.com)
on each of the clones. I tried this and things appear to work just
like I want, however the other problem is I don't have a volume license
for the 50 machines. Instead I have 50 boxes of XP with 50 different
serial numbers. Sysprep was attractive because it prompted me for the
serial number information at startup and detected that Windows needed
to be activated. In my testing, if I clone the computer without using
sysprep, change the SID and use a product key changer to enter the
correct code, I never get promped to activate Windows (since the
template computer was activated)

Now I really don't care for product activation -- especially since
none of these computers are permitted to be connected to the Internet
and therefore I'll be spending about 6 hours with Microsoft's automated
phone system reading off insanely huge code numbers -- but I just feel
like the software needs to be activated in some way for it to be legal.
Also, the applications that run on these systems are very important
and I don't want anything breaking due to something stupid related to
activation problems.

So in summary, I would really like to avoid using 3rd party tools
outside of what Microsoft recommends, but their sysprep doesn't seem to
do what I want. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you
do to fix it?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Guest]

So in summary, I would really like to avoid using 3rd party tools
outside of what Microsoft recommends, but their sysprep doesn't seem to
do what I want. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you
do to fix it?

Yep, on about every site I setup from scratch, and quite a few I inherit
from other IT guys ;-)

If the machines are identical then you're in rollout-nirvana, and you can
forget sysprep. More often I have to deal with a motley crew of Dells, HPs,
selfbuilds... and even Packard-Bells :-/

Basically I'd just set one machine up the way you want it, install all the
apps it needs, check the settings carefully for a test user-account, create a
default userprofile with these settings, activate, then ghost.

Tip: Before ghosting, use a WinPE bootCD to remove pagefile.sys and (if
present) hiberfil.sys - this will make the image a lot smaller. It's also
worth making sure the recycle-bin and system-restore cache are empty.


After restoring the image to each computer, remember to run NewSID (freeware
from sysinternals.com) and assign a new computer-name (and IP address if not
using DHCP) before connecting the network cable to it.

 

[Guest]

Oh, and perhaps I should've added that if the mobos are identical then an OEM
disc and key _should_ work for all of them without reactivation. However, I
have encountered situations where this is not the case, I think because
manufacturers sometimes sell differing hardware under the same model-name and
number, but don't tell the purchaser it's different!

If that situation arises, I resort to methods that cannot be mentioned in
here. I think you know what I mean. The downside of these methods is that you
can't then use Automatic Updates. (Not that it matters if they're not
Internet-connected)

The machines should each have a valid licence sticker, of course, to be
legal.

 

[Adam Leinss]

Hello again folks,

I'm trying to clone approximately 50 machines. All of these
machines
have identical hardware and so I have setup my template computer
with all drivers thats will be required by the various components
(NICs, video card, etc.). After running sysprep on the template
computer and ghosting this image onto a blank machine, I find that
I am prompted for many of the drivers that I had previously
installed. Ideally, I would like my driver settings to verbatim
to what I had taken the time to define on the template machine --
but if sysprep insists on deleting those settings I would like it
to automatically restore them.

I would first suggest getting volume licensing. That will make your
life a lot easier. If the company doesn't want to spend the dough,
that's understandable.

In terms of the driver issue, take a look here:
http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html. Read the part about OEMPnPDrivers
and the OEM.INF files.

Adam

 

[Guest]

If the drivers actually exist on the image then the issue probably lies with
your sysprep.inf file. The OEMPnPDriversPath should include the folder paths
for drivers that are not included with Windows. i.e. put the NIC drivers in
c:\drivers\nic and video in c:\drivers\video then

OEMPnPDriversPath=\Drivers\NIC;\Drivers\Video

sysprep prepends the system root which would be C usually. Then Mini-setup
will use this path to search for PnP drivers to detect during setup.

See the ref.chm help file for sysprep.inf syntax from the Deploy.cab file
located in support\tools on your XP CD.