Windows 10: Customize Windows 10 Image in Audit Mode with Sysprep

Hi Ron, welcome to the Ten Forums. As an incredibly vain geek it gives me great pleasure that you joined us because of my tutorials. That's my story and I'm sticking to it *Smile.



Note Dear readers of this post, please notice that the Sysprep method to customize a Windows image as told in this tutorial works perfectly well, exactly as told. Member Itcinc (Ron) in his quoted post above is talking about another Sysprep related tutorial of mine, not this one and my response below is to that post, not to any issue in method told in this tutorial.

Seriously, at the moment I am not willing to believe this will remain as it is now, Sysprep failing catastrophically if the answer file contains FolderLocations > ProfilesDirectory tags in OobeSystem settings pass:
Code: <FolderLocations> <ProfilesDirectory>X:\Users</ProfilesDirectory> </FolderLocations>[/quote] However, it really will fail in Build 9879 although working perfectly on earlier builds of Win10TP. Before even thinking about saying something definitive about this subject I want to wait for the next build or two.

I have done some quite extensive testing with 9879, sysprepping it with various answer files, testing different scenarios, and at the moment it seems this ProfilesDirectory issue is the only major customization not possible to accomplish.

Let's wait what happens, I believe we have the next build to play with latest in mid January. In the mean time you can use the method in this tutorial on our sister site the Seven Forums to relocate main profile folder; although not doing the job completely it is as good an alternative as any other.

 

Sorry for the delayed reply - work and life keep getting in the way of the technical preview. I like your story and I think you should stick to it!*Wink

If you think having this post attached to the other tutorial is clearer or a better location please feel free to move it anywhere you like.

I did use one of the other Seven Forums tips to move subsequent profiles to D:\users and it worked properly. Since I was in audit mode all profiles were created on D:\users which was the result that I wanted.

I have another problem with autodiscover and Outlook that I will post in a new message.

Thanks for your assistance and keep up the good work.

 

Hi Kari,

This is a great tutorial... but I have to admit I got stuck at step 5.6.

I couldn't get it to catalogue the .wim file from Windows 10 TP Build 9926 (32-bit version)

I tried it from within (32 bit) Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 itself.

The error log file it generates contains the following:

The message at the top seemed to be the same whether I was running the later version (6.4.9600.17029) or the version mentioned in the log as being the one it needs (6.3.9600.16384). In both cases I would have thought the version was OK as I was using the same version or a later one.

As you mentioned a way round this (copy the XML file from elsewhere) I've got past this stage, but wondered if you had any ideas on how to do it properly?

Thanks
David

 

I am very sorry that I have forgotten to add a warning at the beginning of the tutorial! Adding a big warning now.

For some reason you cannot use the 9926 install.wim file, for the first when you open it in order to create the catalog it lets you choose between Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro, which is of course wrong. Second, the catalog creating end always with error.

Workaround: Use install.wim from Build 9879 if you still have the ISO. If not, use any Windows 8 or 8.1 install.wim; these work because they are only needed to create the catalog to write the answer file. Create the answer file as told in this tutorial using a catalog based on the Windows 10 Build 9879 or earlier, or Windows 8.1 / 8.1 Pro install.wim.

When you have saved the answer file, if you used a Windows 8 / 8.1 to create the catalog you have to edit the answer file, its last line (#3 in screenshot below) before using it. Change the OS Windows 8 there to Windows 10 Technical Preview.



Now you can use this answer file to sysprep Build 9926.

I'll add a video of the whole process this weekend here, I'll embed it to tutorial itself. It's 10 PM here, might be I'll do it first tomorrow but I promise you it will be posted *Smile.

 

Sorry, I mentioned a screenshot in my previous post (see highlighted text in above quote) but forgot then to attach it. The post now edited, screenshot added.

 

OK, I have just finished my tests and have several hours of video material which I have to edit before it's undestandable. It will be here earliest tomorrow morning, might even be tomorrow evening.

Anyway, here are the results of 16 hours continuous installing and sysprepping and failing and finally finding a working solution which I can now reproduce at will, every time.

1.) Build 9926 Pro edition (from Windows Insider) fails the sysprep every time on vm and two thirds of tries on real machine (my subjective, not automatically factual statistics). This seems to be (comical enough!) due Windows Insider app. Checking the error logs there's various errors every time, but always something common: "Package Microsoft.InsiderHub_1.1.0.400_x64 was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users". I tried removing the AppxPackage Microsoft.InsiderHub before sysprepping, did not work. Also trying to install offline, vm not connected to network when installing to avoid installing the Hub in the first place did not help, however logical solution that had been.

2.) Build 9926 Enterprise edition (from TechNet Evaluation Center), sysprep and customizations work every time like a charm as long as you remember to disconnect the computer or vm from the network before starting to install. As soon as you have arrived to desktop in Audit Mode you can reconnect the computer and download ADK and software to be installed. When connected to network while installing, all vm syspreps failed and over half on the real machines. As soon as I tried to install network disconnected, my success rate was 100%.

3.) You cannot create a catalog file (Part 5 Step 5.6 in this tutorial) using the install.wim file in Build 9926. Use Windows 8.1 Update, or Windows 10 Builds 9841, 9860 or 9879 install.wim. When you have saved your answer file, open it with Notepad and edit the highlighted part in below example answer file, everything between the double quotes. In this example it is wim:X:\Sources\install.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise, meaning that the Windows install media and its install.wim file used for Sysprepping (which as told above is not the same we use for catalog) are located on drive X:.
Code: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="specialize"> <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>TenForums</Manufacturer> <Model>TF-PC001</Model> <SupportHours>24/7</SupportHours> <SupportPhone>+1 (202) 456-1111</SupportPhone> <SupportURL>TenForums.com</SupportURL> </OEMInformation> <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> <ComputerName>TF-PC</ComputerName> <OEMName>TenForums</OEMName> <RegisteredOrganization>TenForums.com</RegisteredOrganization> <RegisteredOwner></RegisteredOwner> </component> </settings> <cpifflineImage cpi:source="wim:X:\Sources\install.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend>[/quote] 4.) The above answer file works if you want to save time and copy it, just editing the customized OEM information and path to Windows install media, I sysprepped my main image now with it. Although the whole process, from starting the install, to Audit Mode and customizations and finally capturing the image with Macrium took 1 hour 45 minutes, I am happy and satisfied; In my final tests I needed just 9 minutes to restore that image, getting a virgin clean installed Windows which is to begin with highly personalized and includes all my software.

That's about it. A complete video tutorial follows as promised.

Just for bragging purposes, this is what I get on a real physical machine with totally wiped HDD exactly 13 minutes after I have booted it up with Macrium WinPE disk and restored the sysprepped image ( (9 minutes to "Enter you MS Account", creating the first user account and then 4 minutes "Windows is installing your apps" and such):

Every customization I made in Audit Mode, every application is pre-installed:

The best of it is of course that this is a hardware independent image and can be restored (installed) on every PC capable of running Windows 10.

 

That explains a lot! Thanks for the update!

I've not had much success this weekend, but perhaps I've not been doing something wrong after all, then?

When I've tried it, I've always killed the Start Menu and the Search box next to it.

I take it that there's no point me trying further to make the Pro version of 9926 work then?

When sysprep fails, how do you know it's failed? Where do those log files live?

 

All Sysprep logs are located in C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Panther.

BTW, I edited my previous post adding some bragging screenshots after you posted. Check the post again *Smile.

 

Excellent work as always Kari *Nerd *Thumbs

 

This video added to tutorial today. Please read this post before watching the video.

[youtube]aorjTr1r5UE[/youtube]

 

Can these profile customizations be done after install?

 

My answer is a definite Naturally yes and Of course no *Smile.

Seriously, the CopyProfile=True setting in the answer file (see tutorial Part Five Step 10) is the one that when Windows is syprepped copies everything from the built-in administrator account to the default user profile. The problem is, when Sysprep finds even a single existing user account other than the built-in administrator account, the CopyProfile will be ignored and nothing will be copied.

OK. The real answer to your question, based on the above explanation is that you can customize the default user profile only when there are no existing user profiles on the system, except of course the built-in admin. If you are willing to delete all your user profiles on an existing Windows system and recreate them you can do this. Here's how:

1.) Boot to Audit Mode using this command (Command Prompt or WIN+R):
Code: %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit / reboot[/quote] 2.) When in Audit Mode, delete all user accounts.
3.) Reboot (no worries, a reboot brings you automatically back to Audit Mode; you can exit Audit Mode only by specific command).
4.) Check that the main profile folder (by default C:\Users\) really is has no by user created profile folders, it should only have three system profiles there (Administrator, Public and the hidden (Default). If any remains (folders) from the user accounts you deleted above in step 2 are still there, delete the folder manually.
5.) Now you can follow this tutorial starting from Part Three. Part Five tells yoyu how to edit the answer file, its Step 10 how to be sure the modifications are copied to default user profile.

 

Hi Kari,

Thanks for the video.

For some reason the video won't play on my work machine so I can't check this... but I seem to remember from a look at the first bit of the video earlier that there's a comment in the video about the ADK becoming available in Feb.

However it seems there is something along the lines of an ADK published already...
Download Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 10 Technical Preview from Official Microsoft Download Center

Is that the same thing mentioned in the video, or something different?

Thanks
David

 

Thanks for the link !
*Smile

 

That's the one! You have no idea how much I have awaited this to be released. I checked a few days ago, it wasn't online then.

Thanks for the link, seems it's going to be a long day as I have to remake half of the video and the tutorial *Smile.