First off, I want to preface my first post by saying I'm relatively new to the SCCM world. I use SCCM 2007 R2 for my company OS deployments, and I have a base set of images that I use for deploying new PC's/laptops, and I am pretty well versed in that area. However, these "images" were captured manually by me using imagex, (after they were all loaded with appropriate software and then sysprep'd manually). Deploying these images, installing appropriate drivers from driver packages I have created works fine.
I have now been tasked with a different situation that I need the use of SCCM for.
We are going to be deploying "identical system" images of windows 7 that have been pre-configured with all applications, user accounts and settings for those account. This image must be identical on every system we deploy it to (these are user workstations, they are control units that will be deployed out to companies across the nation to be used for very specific jobs--basically one job in particular. A program with a touch-screen unit attached to the system. Think of this like a kiosk of a sort, however it's running a full version of Windows 7 Pro, and 2 very specific user accounts setup on it, one of which autologs in upon boot up, and an application auto launches.
What this means is that this "image" is very specific in how it behaves, how it's configured, and all images must act the same way. Basically no individual configuration should be done on each machine: they need to be identical after I roll out the image.
HOWEVER; it does need to be sysprep'd, because we will be rolling out this image to different hardware.
So far:
1. We've create our working base PC, with all user accounts, configuration in those accounts (Basically 2 accounts, and Admin account and a "user" account that auto logs in upon boot up) windows desktop settings, firewall, windows update settings, etc. have all been configured the way we need it.
2. I then "virutalized" this image to be used in Hyper-V for updating the software on it as needed.
3. Once software has been updated as needed by the developers, I then create a "duplicate" version of this Hyper-V image that I use for sysprepping (So as to not increment the ream activation).
4. After image has been sysprep'd (I use sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown) I then create a .wim of this image and put it into SCCM for roll outs.
This process as I have it setup now works fine, however by sysprep'ing the PC, we are losing several things that need to be "reapplied" after the image has been rolled out
1. Windows Update gets re-enabled when we had it turned off previously;
2. The auto log on setting is lost after sysprep, we have to re-run netplwiz and reset the user login password to blank, and select the "user" account to auto log in automatically again
3. Many of the Action Center items in windows 7 have been changed and we need to reapply them:
A. Problem reporting settings> Change reports Settings for all users> Never check for solutions
B. Disable Custom Experience Program
C. IE and Media Player shortcuts get pinned to Task bar again in both user accounts....these need to be removed
D. Re-pin an application that we installed on the PC to the Task bar, which gets removed by sysprep
E. Configuration of an application called CLoudXplorer that somehow gets wiped during sysprep
I've been tasked to find a way to "fix" as many of these post-imaging issues as possible, so there's less that needs to be done manually on each PC we roll out. There is probably several different ways to go about this, I"m looking for help with determining what might be the *Best* and easiest way to do this, and then get specific instuctions on how to accomplish it.
1. is building an unattend.xml file the best way to go with this? If so, I have absolutely NO expereince building, creating or using unattend.xml files with SCCM. I looked into this, but was completely lost in all the functions in WSIM, and knowing what to put where, in which stage. I wouldn't think I would need much in an unattend.xml to accomplish what I'm looking to accomplish as far as restoring windows settings, but I have no idea where to look. If this is the best route to go, any assistance you can provide would be much appreciated, from the building of the unattend.xml to how to best implement it in SCCM along with the existing task sequences I already have setup to roll out the base image.
2. Maybe there's an easier way to do this without sysprep'ing, or even having to use an unattend.xml file? I have successfully imaged this system non-syprep'd (it's not part of a domain or specific workgroup) and rolled out the image that way....the only thing that needs changing at that point is the computer name, and windows key. We did run into some strange log-off issues with the system once we changed the comptuer name on them after deployment, so we though it best to stick with sysprep'd machines....but if there was a way to change computer name using SCCM on a non-sysprep'd system, that might be a solution? Is that even possible? The other downside is the inability to deploy these images to different hardware, but that's something we could live with for now. Right now in the short term, we're only deploying to identical hardware. A possible soution short term.
3. USMT? I tried capturing the user states (using USMT) on these machines by manuallying runing savestate, copying the state to a newly-imaged machine, running load state. It appeared to complete successfully, however it didn't appear to change anything; none of the items I listed above were changed back to how they were supposed to be before I sysprep'd. So maybe USMT isn't what I'm looking for?
4. Other options that I'm not thinking of?
This is the spot I'm stuck in. Any assistance anyone can provide in 1. determing the best route to take to reach my desitnation/need, and 2. help using the tools I need to use to get there, if it's one I've not tried (or in the case with WSIM, used but got lost in) before.
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Hello Gang,
First off, I want to preface my first post by saying I'm relatively new to the SCCM world. I use SCCM 2007 R2 for my company OS deployments, and I have a base set of images that I use for deploying new PC's/laptops, and I am pretty well versed in that area. However, these "images" were captured manually by me using imagex, (after they were all loaded with appropriate software and then sysprep'd manually). Deploying these images, installing appropriate drivers from driver packages I have created works fine.
I have now been tasked with a different situation that I need the use of SCCM for.
We are going to be deploying "identical system" images of windows 7 that have been pre-configured with all applications, user accounts and settings for those account. This image must be identical on every system we deploy it to (these are user workstations, they are control units that will be deployed out to companies across the nation to be used for very specific jobs--basically one job in particular. A program with a touch-screen unit attached to the system. Think of this like a kiosk of a sort, however it's running a full version of Windows 7 Pro, and 2 very specific user accounts setup on it, one of which autologs in upon boot up, and an application auto launches.
What this means is that this "image" is very specific in how it behaves, how it's configured, and all images must act the same way. Basically no individual configuration should be done on each machine: they need to be identical after I roll out the image.
HOWEVER; it does need to be sysprep'd, because we will be rolling out this image to different hardware.
So far:
1. We've create our working base PC, with all user accounts, configuration in those accounts (Basically 2 accounts, and Admin account and a "user" account that auto logs in upon boot up) windows desktop settings, firewall, windows update settings, etc. have all been configured the way we need it.
2. I then "virutalized" this image to be used in Hyper-V for updating the software on it as needed.
3. Once software has been updated as needed by the developers, I then create a "duplicate" version of this Hyper-V image that I use for sysprepping (So as to not increment the ream activation).
4. After image has been sysprep'd (I use sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown) I then create a .wim of this image and put it into SCCM for roll outs.
This process as I have it setup now works fine, however by sysprep'ing the PC, we are losing several things that need to be "reapplied" after the image has been rolled out
1. Windows Update gets re-enabled when we had it turned off previously;
2. The auto log on setting is lost after sysprep, we have to re-run netplwiz and reset the user login password to blank, and select the "user" account to auto log in automatically again
3. Many of the Action Center items in windows 7 have been changed and we need to reapply them:
A. Problem reporting settings> Change reports Settings for all users> Never check for solutions
B. Disable Custom Experience Program
C. IE and Media Player shortcuts get pinned to Task bar again in both user accounts....these need to be removed
D. Re-pin an application that we installed on the PC to the Task bar, which gets removed by sysprep
E. Configuration of an application called CLoudXplorer that somehow gets wiped during sysprep
I've been tasked to find a way to "fix" as many of these post-imaging issues as possible, so there's less that needs to be done manually on each PC we roll out. There is probably several different ways to go about this, I"m looking for help with determining what might be the *Best* and easiest way to do this, and then get specific instuctions on how to accomplish it.
1. is building an unattend.xml file the best way to go with this? If so, I have absolutely NO expereince building, creating or using unattend.xml files with SCCM. I looked into this, but was completely lost in all the functions in WSIM, and knowing what to put where, in which stage. I wouldn't think I would need much in an unattend.xml to accomplish what I'm looking to accomplish as far as restoring windows settings, but I have no idea where to look. If this is the best route to go, any assistance you can provide would be much appreciated, from the building of the unattend.xml to how to best implement it in SCCM along with the existing task sequences I already have setup to roll out the base image.
2. Maybe there's an easier way to do this without sysprep'ing, or even having to use an unattend.xml file? I have successfully imaged this system non-syprep'd (it's not part of a domain or specific workgroup) and rolled out the image that way....the only thing that needs changing at that point is the computer name, and windows key. We did run into some strange log-off issues with the system once we changed the comptuer name on them after deployment, so we though it best to stick with sysprep'd machines....but if there was a way to change computer name using SCCM on a non-sysprep'd system, that might be a solution? Is that even possible? The other downside is the inability to deploy these images to different hardware, but that's something we could live with for now. Right now in the short term, we're only deploying to identical hardware. A possible soution short term.
3. USMT? I tried capturing the user states (using USMT) on these machines by manuallying runing savestate, copying the state to a newly-imaged machine, running load state. It appeared to complete successfully, however it didn't appear to change anything; none of the items I listed above were changed back to how they were supposed to be before I sysprep'd. So maybe USMT isn't what I'm looking for?
4. Other options that I'm not thinking of?
This is the spot I'm stuck in. Any assistance anyone can provide in 1. determing the best route to take to reach my desitnation/need, and 2. help using the tools I need to use to get there, if it's one I've not tried (or in the case with WSIM, used but got lost in) before.
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