Using SYSPREP to Create XP Pro Images

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Introduction
Once you have installed and configured all the software required for a workstation the
best way to deploy the contents of the hard disk onto other systems is to use the UEA site
licenced utility GHOST. In order for a GHOST image to operate correctly in the UEA
Network environment each workstation must have a unique workstation name. Under XP
this can be assigned when an existing GHOST image is transferred to a new workstation.
However, before you deploy the GHOST image all the unique details of the workstation,
that will form the basis of the image, must be stripped out. This is performed by the
SYSPREP utility.

In order to create Sysprep installation file you must use the Microsoft Setup Manager
Wizard utility (SETUPMGR.EXE) which is part of the XP Pro Deployment Tools. Click
here for details of how to install the Deployment Tools.

To fully automate the installation of Windows XP you need to provide a Sysprep

installation file. To create this file Microsoft provides the Microsoft Setup Manager
Wizard utility. For Sysprep installations the wizard will create a Sysprep.inf file, in the
%systemdrive%\sysprep folder and the required folder structure. This folder will be used
by the Sysprep utility when the workstation is re-started after cloning. Upon restarting
Sysprep will delete the folder when it has completed the setup. The same applies to the
source workstation.

Creating a SYSPREP Installation File

Running the Setup Manager Wizard

Start the Microsoft Setup Manager Wizard by navigating to the C:\WINDOWS\DEPLOY

folder and double clicking on SETUPMGR.EXE.

At the Welcome to the Windows Setup Manager Wizard screen click Next.

At the New or Existing Answer File screen ensure that the Create a new answer file
radio button is selected and click Next.

At the Product to Install screen select the Sysprep Install radio button and click Next.

At the Platform screen, ensure that the Windows XP Professional radio button is
selected and click Next.
At the License Agreement screen select the No, don't fully automate the installation
radio button and click Next.

The small wizard that was displayed will close and the main wizard will become the
focus.

At the Customize the Software screen type the following information:

Name: Leave this blank so that SYSPREP will prompt for it when XP restart on a
new installation.

Organization: University of East Anglia

Click Next.

At the Display Settings screen, accept the default settings unless you are sure that the
destination workstations are capable of using higher resolutions. If this is the case then
ITCS recommends the following settings:

Select True Color (24 bit) from the Color drop-down menu.

Select 1024 X 768 from the Screen area drop-down menu.

Select Use Windows default from the Refresh frequency drop-down menu.

Click Next.

At the Time Zone screen, ensure that (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin,
Edinburgh, Lisbon is selected from the drop-down menu and click Next.

At the Providing the Product Key screen enter the product key provided with the
installation media and click Next.

At the Computer Name screen select the Automatically generated computer name
radio button and click Next. Note: The computer name can be changed at a later date to
conform to UEA standards. Distribution applications such as GHOST provide a way of
changing the computer name following cloning.

At the Administrator Password screen, select Prompt for Administrator Password and
click Next.

At the Networking Components screen ensure that the Typical Settings radio button is
selected and click Next.

For a disk image that is to be used on Workstations that you wish to place in the UEA
Domain:
 At the Workgroup or Domain screen click on the Windows Server Domain radio
button and in the Windows Server Domain box, remove the text DOMAIN and
type UEA.AC.UK.

Do not select Create a computer account in the Domain radio button. Note: At
present ITCS advises Delegated Administrators to add machines into the Domain
manually. If a workstation is being re-GHOSTed, you should delete the existing
computer object and create another computer object with the same name, thus
ensuring that SIDs remain consistent.

Click Next.

For a disk image to be used on a workstation in a Workgroup

(Instructions to be completed, DFB)

Click Next.

At the Telephony screen, select Do not specify this setting from the What country/region
are you in? drop-down menu and click Next.

At the Regional Settings screen, select the Specify regional settings in the answer file
radio button.

From the Use the default values for the following language drop-down menu
double click English (United Kingdom).

Select Customize the default language settings and click Custom.

At the Specify Regional Settings screen:

For Language and message setting, set Language to English (United Kingdom).

For Number, currency, date and time setting, set Locale to English (United
Kingdom).

For Input Locale, set Locale to English (United Kingdom).

Click OK.

Click Next.

At the Languages screen ensure that the Western Europe and United States option is
selected from the list and click Next.
At the Install Printers screen add any network printers that should be installed
automatically on the destination computers and click Next.

At the Run Once screen add any commands that should be run the first time a user logs
on and click Next.

At the Additional Commands screen add any commands that are required to be run at the
end of unattended Setup and click Next.

At the OEM Duplicator String' screen enter a brief description of the desktop, for
example 'ITCS, Staff Desktop v3', and click Finish.

A window will prompt for a location for the answer file created by the Windows Setup
Manager, accept the default path, ensure that the filename is sysprep.inf and click OK.
The wizard will save the answer file in both the path specified and in the required
SysPrep folder that the wizard created.

From the Windows Setup Manager screen, click File, Exit.

Adding Support for Mass Storage Devices

Modify the SYSPREP.INF file to support a wider range of Mass Storage devices. If this
is not done once the workstation has been sealed, shutdown and then restarted XP may
not be able to boot. Unfortunately, adding this option means that Sysprep may take a
considerable time to generate the information files for a sealed workstation. (On an
ancient Pentium P200 with 80MB RAM it took one hour! DFB)

With NOTEPAD open the file C:\SYSPREP.INF.

Navigate to the end of the file and add the following lines:

[SysPrep]
BuildMassStorageSection=Yes

[SysprepMassStorage]

Save the changes.

Preparing the SYSPREP Folder

Copy the following files:

C:\WINDOWS\DEPLOY\FACTORY.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\DEPLOY\SETUPCL.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\DEPLOY\SYSPREP.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\DEPLOY\SYSPREP.INF
 to C:\SYSPREP\*.*.

Sealing the Workstation

Execute the utility by double clicking on C:\SYSPREP\SYSPREP.EXE.

At the Windows System Preparation Tool dialogue box click OK.

At the System Preparation Tool window enable the MiniSetup and Pre-activated
tick-boxes. Ensure that Shutdown is selected from the Shutdown: drop-down
menu and click Reseal.

At the prompt to continue with current settings and regenerate the SIDs click
OK.

Sysprep will start to prepare the computer for duplication and shutdown the
system when completed.

The computer is now ready for duplication and distribution to other computers.

Installing a SYSPREPed Image

Once an image prepared with SYSPREP is copied to a new workstation and is booted the
SYSPREP Minisetup utility is executed and presents the following prompts:

At the Welcome screen click Next.

At the Licence Agreement screen select I accept and click Next.

At the Personalise your software screen, in the Name: box type the owner of the
workstation and click Next.

At the Computer Name and Administrator password screen, type in the Computer Name
and the local Administrator's password. Click Next.

Once the Minisetup has completed the system is rebooted and is then ready for use.