Ghost Solution Suite

Dear;

I still try to create a sysprepped Image of my Windows 10 Machine.

I have to mention, that I do not use Windows 10 Professional or Windows 10 Enterprise but Windows 10 Education. The Education-Edition is mostly like the Enterprise-Edition but has a few other Settings (e.g. no Cortana) and ist sold only to Schools etc..

When I try to capture an Image I use GSS-Sysprep-Setting of Windows 10 Enterprise (x64). Everything seem´s to work fine, an Image is created, but when my Master-Machine comes back up, it has still the same Name, same Workgroup, ... ,. Also when I distribute that Image to another machine, this other machine has the same Name and Workgroup like my Master (even when some Screens in the first Boot of this other Machine looked like Sysprep has worked, strange somehow, like "Half-Sysprepped")
Anyway: That leads me to "Sysprep has not worked".

Does anybody know: Is there a difference in sysprepping Enterprise vs Education?
May be I simply use the wrong Settings (for only Enterprise ist available in GSS but Education is not)?

As I don´t know very much about sysprepping: Where could I start to investigate what´s going wrong during the Sysprep-Attempt?

Thanks in forward!

TJ

The best place to find information in regards to sysprep is Microsoft as sysprep is a Microsoft product.

Sysprep (Generalize) a Windows installation

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824938.aspx

Your master image should have the same name and be disconnected from the domain after sysprep runs. Ghost Solution Suite runs a configuration task that changes the computer name and re-joins the domain on your client machines after deployment. Your master machine should only leave the domain when you create a sysprepped image.

Dear,

thank you!

I will have a look at the Microsoft-Link. Of course I know that Sysprep ist a MS-Product, but my thinking was to meet people here who use it.

Interesting to me sounds what Sysprep does (and does not) when using it in a GSS-Task.

My Master-Machine is not joined to a domain when creating the Image, I only entered a custom Workgroup-Name. IP is set to DHCP.

After the Image-Creation my Master-Machine comes up with the same Machine-Name it has prior to creating the Image. This is, according to your post, normal behaviour, right? The custom Workgroup-Name is also the same after Image-Creation and also it is still DHCP. Is this normal behaviour too?

And what about the (different) Machine I deploy this Image to? I see even the same there, same Name, same custom Workgroup and DHPC. I also see no OOBE-Screens after first boot.

Should all this be this way? Because that is what leads me to "Sysprep did not work", but may be this was the wrong conclusion? Where else could I confirm that Sysprep has worked (or not)?

Thanks in forward!

TJ

After the Image-Creation my Master-Machine comes up with the same Machine-Name it has prior to creating the Image. This is, according to your post, normal behaviour, right? The custom Workgroup-Name is also the same after Image-Creation and also it is still DHCP. Is this normal behaviour too?

Yes this is normal behavior.

And what about the (different) Machine I deploy this Image to? I see even the same there, same Name, same custom Workgroup and DHPC. I also see no OOBE-Screens after first boot.

This is not normal behavior, you should see an oobe screen (depending on the answer file you are using) after you deploy the image to a machine. The name, dhcp config and workgroup are all changed with the GSS configuration task (if you so choose). Sysprep creates a generalized image that removes the SID and assigns a volume license to the image for deployment.

I would check the panther folder on your client machine "C:\Windows\Panther" for log files that may indicate why sysprep is not running properly. Should see a file called "Setuperr.log"

You can also run sysprep manually from the location "C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe" and see if sysprep will run properly manually.

Dear,

thank you!

I gave it a 2nd try and now it looks a little different, even if - in my opinion - I did nothing different... 

Anyway: My Master-Machine behaves like before, but the other Machine I deployed to Image to does not.

After receving the Image the other Machine booted 3 times and I saw the screens "Geräte werden betriebsbereit gemacht .. X %" (~Devices are made ready for operation). After the final boot I had a different Machine- and a different Workgroup-Name than on my Master-Machine. These things both look to me like Sysprep has worked.

But I saw no OOBE-Screens. After the final Boot I saw the Login-Screen with the same User I had on my Master-Machine and could login with the same Password of course.

Now I´m (very) confused, did Sysprep work or did it not? It LOOKS allright to me, but I don´t want to run into WSUS, KMS or other Problems after doing the same thing with all my machines...

TJ

Did you run sysprep manually from "C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe"?

Can you post your log file from "C:\Windows\Panther\setuperr.log"? (you may have to go through this and black out i.p. address and license keys before posting) Alternatively you can send this in a private email if you would like.

Sounds to me like the configuration task is running but your image is still not being sysprepped properly.

Dear,

what I forgot to mention:

- I ran Sysprep also manually one Time, after Reboot the same Screens (Devices are made ready) PLUS OOBE-Screens.
- I just checked the SID´s of Machine and User in my Master- and my Target-Machine with "PSGetSID": They are different, so Sysprep must have worked somehow?

What kind of Log-File do you mean? Master- or Target-Machine? After Ghost-Sysprep or after manual Sysprep?

TJ

Logs would be on the Target machine and after either ghost sysprep or manual sysprep.

If the SIDS are different then sysprep did in fact work correctly, that ultimately is the goal of sysprep is to change the SIDS. You may need to specify the /generalize or /oobe switches when manually running sysprep to get the OOBE experience.

Dear,

thank you!

Just did it again: Target-Machine again boots three times after receiving the Image, including "made ready-Screens", but again no OOBE.
Checked SIDs: Are different again. BTW: I have THREE different SIDs: Source-Machine, Source-Machine after GSS-Sysprep, Target-Machine.

On my Target-Machine "C:\Windows\Panther\setuperr.log" is complett empty, 0 K, not a single Line. Can that be the Case or are Zero Errors = Zero Lines?

TJ

T.J,

I would assume if this file is empty then there were no errors during the sysprep process. If your sids are changing then sysprep is in fact running as it should. To get the OOBE you have to run a /serialize or /oobe switch when running sysprep.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc721973(v=ws.10).aspx

Dear,

thank you!

I would assume the same but I´m a little frightend about the "real reason" for the OOBE-Screens do not appear.
As you wrote earlier normal behaviour should be that they appear after a GSS-Sysprep.
I use stand the Standard-Answer-File from within GSS, no custom file, and I understood that this GSS-Standard-Answer-File has the OOBE-Switch. Or not?

TJ

The answer file does not contain the switch it would be the sysprep command that is sent from ghost to your client machine. Something like...

C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize

I would not worry to much whether or not you are getting the OOBE. You have verified the SID has changed and everything else is working as it should with the name, domain and I.P.

What OS are you trying to sysprep?

Dear,

thank you!

OK, the Command does it, not the Answer-File. Does the GSS-Command contain the OOBE-Switch by default?

At the moment in deed everything looks great, but I´m only testing with two or three Machines and not using WSUS or KMS (because of the minimum count). I try to prevent running into an error after imaging all my 250 machines, so I try to get to the bottom of things now.

What OS? Windows 10 Education.

TJ

The GSS command should contain the /generalize command by default. I am not sure how sysprep works with the Windows 10 Education version.

Dear,

thank you!

It just comes to my mind: Eventually we have a missunderstanding in what do I mean by "OOBE-Screens".

What DON´T GET are the Screens that are asking me for Product Key, Personal Settings ("Get Going Fast"), Create Microsoft or local Account, Password.
What I DO GET are the Screens AFTER first login [Hello; We ar setting things up for you; This won´t take long; Let´s start]

TJ

T.J,

After deploying a sysprepped image you will not see the create microsoft password or user prompt as it uses the default administrator account. The product key (volume license) should be saved in the master image that you are deploying. Settings for the administrator also should be saved to a certain degree.

Sounds like you are in fact getting the /generalized experience.. True OOBE would be if you were setting up the machine the first time from scratch.

...and I get "true OOBE" when I do Sysprep by Hand with the sysprep.exe.
I learned in the meantime that GSS-Sysprep places a special Answer-File on the Machine that might be the reason for "true-OOBE" not appearing.

THANK YOU!

The more information you put into the SYSPREP.INI file, the less you need to enter during mini setup.  So if you specify a volume license key in sysprep.ini, the machine will not ask for a product key but will instead attempt to activate silently over the internet when mini setup runs.