First time image creator - where to start and finish with KACE included?
Good evening all - I'm once more traveling into unknown territory and google is failing me at this time. I want to create a Windows 7 image that I can push out with KACE but I am having some trouble. One of the sites I used to set it up was:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee523217%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
This seemed like a great start and I got the USB made and installed all the programs I needed on the windows 7 blank machine. I went into Sysprep the first time and got stuck in a boot loop. Read the comments further and I had put the machine on the domain when I did a sysprep, OOPS. Oh well, let's start over. I formatted the machine and started over (since I couldn't get past the boot loop error even with MMC and cmd console).
I went through and reinstalled all the updates and programs and tried sysprep once more without being on the domain, SAME ISSUE!!!! I formatted, installed, went into a DIFFERENT sysprep and BOOM SAME ISSUE!!!!!
What am I doing wrong? Where can I find a better step by step? Am I missing something in thsi tutorial I'm just not understanding?
I am open to using a third party software to package up the image, if peopl ehave found that to be an easier solution.
Also - Should the KACE agent be a part of the image or is it best/better practice to just deploy the agent once the machine is deployed in the environment?
Once I GET the image, is there a way I can push this out using a k1000 or is that a different device that supports the imaging? It's not IMPERATIVE that i push the image via kace since the comp always starts in our hands either way, but figured it would be a cool party-trick if it's not too time consuming.
Again - Thank you for your help in learning this new little space, as I think this should truly be more simple than I've made it :(
Side note - There is not an issue with running out of rearms since it's coming off a fresh windows 7 disk for the image.
Another Note - I have not tried messing with this: 3. Renaming or deleting "Panther" folder on c:\windows\system32\sysprep\
Answers (1)
sounds like you have a bad parameter in your answer file. I use the WAIK to create my answer files and just use sysprep to package. I always create a windows system image backup of my master just prior to sysprep so if it blows up you can role back to it.
I have a couple of older blogs here.
http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/windows-7-image-process-for-the-college-s-classrooms
http://www.itninja.com/blog/view/creating-a-windows-7-sysprep-image-without-having-to-install-any-drivers-at-post-install-tasks
Here is my current answer file ( this one copies the logged in user to default), I have syspreped with the machine in and out of the domain without fail.
this is for Win7x64enterprise-KMS
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<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">
<Path>net user administrator /active:yes</Path>
<Order>1</Order>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
</RunSynchronous>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-IE-InternetExplorer" 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">
<AllowedSites>*.tmcc.edu;*.unr.edu</AllowedSites>
<BlockPopups>yes</BlockPopups>
<DisableFirstRunWizard>true</DisableFirstRunWizard>
<DisableWelcomePage>true</DisableWelcomePage>
<LocalIntranetSites>*.tmcc.edu;*.unr.edu</LocalIntranetSites>
<PrintBackground>true</PrintBackground>
</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">
<ProductKey>33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH</ProductKey>
<ShowWindowsLive>false</ShowWindowsLive>
<TimeZone>Pacific Standard Time</TimeZone>
<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<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">
<OOBE>
<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
<NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>
</OOBE>
<UserAccounts>
<AdministratorPassword>
<Value>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</AdministratorPassword>
<LocalAccounts>
<LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
<Password>
<Value>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</Password>
<DisplayName>DFault</DisplayName>
<Name>DFault</Name>
</LocalAccount>
</LocalAccounts>
</UserAccounts>
<RegisteredOrganization>TMCC</RegisteredOrganization>
<RegisteredOwner>Staff</RegisteredOwner>
<AutoLogon>
<Password>
<Value>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</Password>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<LogonCount>3</LogonCount>
<Username>administrator</Username>
</AutoLogon>
</component>
<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-us</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-us</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-us</UILanguage>
<UserLocale>en-us</UserLocale>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="generalize">
<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">
<OEMInformation>
<Manufacturer>TMCC ITO</Manufacturer>
<Model>Admin Image</Model>
<SupportHours>8 - 5</SupportHours>
<SupportPhone>673-7800</SupportPhone>
<SupportURL>http://www.tmcc.edu/ito/contact/</SupportURL>
</OEMInformation>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="catalog:c:/w7image64/install_windows 7 enterprise.clg" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>
Comments:
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Thanks, going to read through the blogs now (there are so many, hard to find relevant ones...)
I am going to make the image without the sysprep, as I didn't think of doing that as it seemed so... "necessary" - Wildwolfay 10 years ago -
Agreed. Always a good idea to take an image before you sysprep. I also keep an image of just the bare OS+Updates (also not sysprep'd) so I have a good starting point for any new images I might need to do in the future. - BHC-Austin 10 years ago
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so what is the true advantage of even sysprepping? To clear a local user profile? Doesn't seem very deal-breaking to me for all the trouble it's causing. What I read on sysprep seems very... fluffed. - Wildwolfay 10 years ago
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Lots of advantages. It allows you to customize the default user profile by copying the profile of the user that runs sysprep. It clears out all PnP info so that your image is device independent and can use the K2000 driver feed (or other method of your choice) to install drivers, rather than have to have a separate image for each model of PC. You can also set up Administrator accounts, pre-activate, etc. Those are just a few. Trust me, as I speak from experience, it is well worth the trouble/time to learn how to use it properly. - BHC-Austin 10 years ago
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you can take one user and trick out all the preinstalled software and then copy those settings/changes to default so all user get those settings. It resets the SID to be unique on each machine. and clears all drivers so they do not conflict with other hardware during the post discovery phase - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
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hit the reply limit so replying to your last thing here:
Well since our profiles are managed on the domain and through active directory, that really has 0 impact as the group policy kills local profiles once a computer is put on Domain. And since we don't have a K2000 (which answers my question as to whether this can even be used on K1000...) I don't get anything out of that.
I guess the only advantage is the different models of pc, although we stick to dell optiplex's of varying degree... - Wildwolfay 10 years ago-
You can use WAIK and Imagex to deploy with the k1000. But if you think the sysprep part is hard, just wait till you get to trying to image via the k1000 - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
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Even without the K2 and it's Driver Feed, you can still inject a collection of drivers into your image so that it can be model independent. We use all Dell Optiplex systems here as well, and with the difference in the 3xxx, 7xxx, and 9xxx models, it comes in handy to have only one image that can be applied to all of them.
And yes, you won't be able to do any actual imaging with just the K1. - BHC-Austin 10 years ago -
ha, I don't think it's hard, just been a pain to troubleshoot since it doesn't give much information as to WHY the "system failed to finish the install"
Per the link above, I was trying to use the imagex so it would be simpler and I could use the windows image tool to add the domain features and such. Imaging is not something I want to spent an incredible amount of time perfecting as I've already spent TOO much time on it for our environment and the frequency of needing an image (not often).
Going to make image pre-sysprep and play with it some more using the windows backup tool instead of imagex. - Wildwolfay 10 years ago -
for what you need it for you may want to look at a free imaging utility
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-drive-cloning-software.htm - SMal.tmcc 10 years ago
