XP Professional Sysprep issues 2

[gowdy]

Hope someone can help...... Here is my issue :

I have been using sysprep for years with 9x and W2k machines with no problems. Now I am try to image a XP Pro machine. I am using the sysprep that ships with XP Pro. I boot up a PC and let the OS load. I logon as the local admin account and load all of the applications and configure the desktop the way I want it. I then copy the local admin account to the default account. I then run syspep -mini -reseal. I then image the PC with PowerQuest Drive Image. When this image is restored to a PC (same hardware platform) everything goes well. I have it ask for the product key and computer name, join the domain, and activate windows. This all goes off without a hitch...the problem is that the local admin account and the default account go back to default without any of the shortcuts that I placed there. I even tried logging on the machine as a different user account before I sysprep the PC and after retoring the image this account's desktop is blank also.

I read that mini-setup copies the local admin account to the default account, but for some reason my local admin account is getting set back before it gets copied ???

I have searched everywhere for the solution to this problem with no luck.....

 

[bcastner]

Rather than analyze the method you have employed to date, might I suggest two terrific approaches to realizing the end you seek:

. Simple excellent as a guide:

http://unattended.msfn.org/

. A linux boot alternative, very powerful alternative to RIS:

http://unattended.sourceforge.net/

 

[gowdy]

Thanks for the tip bcastner, but I am looking for the answer for my problem and not for another solution. Thanks anyhow.

 

[bcastner]

No problem.

But your older sysprep routines will not work under XP. That is why I was recommending you rethink the whole approach.

 

[gowdy]

They won't ??? I have read-up on the new sysprep for XP and have yet to read anything that would make me believe that what I am doing won't work. Like I said before, everything is working OK except for the local admin and default accounts are not keeping the changes I make.

 

[bcastner]

gowdy,

No, they will not work. There are SID and other issues that Win9x did not have, Win2k ignored in the main, and XP insists on.

One example:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q321281

I really do not want to debate your previous sysprep, or diagnose it. Modestly, I offered several XP specific alternatives to get your where you wanted to go.

 

[plewis68]

It was my understanding and experiance with XP that unless you setup the gpedit.msc that all configurations will be lost once you use sysprep. Gpedit.msc is limited to what you can configure but not to limited. Sysprep will just make the OS the way it was when first installed and generate a new SID. Anyways, I have never setup a computer and profile, then used sysprep and have all my settings transfered over on either a Windows 2000 or XP OS. I haven't messed with it to much either, I don't mind setting up the profile for each user, just takes a few more minutes to get it done. I hope you get it all worked out. Good luck.

Patrick

 

[wolluf]

gowdy,

What about creating a different account to set up as you want (and then copy its profile to Default User profile)? I've used this method with XP's sysprep successfully.

 

[gowdy]

plewis68,

Thanks for the tip.....hopefully this will help. I don't mind setting up the profile again either, but when I have to image a few PCs and get them to the users ASAP, it is nice not to have to do to much after restoring the image.

 

[bcastner]

This might help too:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...port/kb/articles/q307/5/43.asp&NoWebContent=1

 

[gowdy]

bcastner;

Sorry that it took so long to get back.....Alot of other things on the to-do-list. The KB you directed me to was the answer. Basically there was a Registry entry that was just cleaning the icons off of all of the profiles. There is nothing wrong in the way I am imaging XP. Once that was corrected, everything is OK.

Thanks again !!!

Gowdy