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

Finally!

Got it working. Testing a few more times, I want to be sure the workaround is valid and works every time before posting it.

 

Interesting. How have the abilities and granularity changed as things have moved from Win 7 > 8 > 10?

Would it be able to do something similar to this? I really liked using this Win 7 tutorial.

Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer

I feel in the future Win 10 should be deployed to VHDs for Native Boot and we should be able to move it off a machine to a newer one when need as time moves forward - OS + Apps + Settings | Only hardware profiles + drivers need to change after a SysPrep.

Is there a similar tutorial for Win 7 on EightForums?

 

That tutorial works as it is in exactly the same way and applies to Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10. The principle is the same, the sysprep command is the same, the procedure, flow of things to do is exactly the same.

If you want to move a Windows 10 installation to a new computer simply follw instructions on the tutorial you mentioned at our sister site the Seven Forums.

 

Great. This is the thing. I'd like to create two .VHDs (Win 8.1 and Win 10) - for Native boot on Surface Pro 3. There seems to be some issue getting Win 8.1 VHDs to work on Surface Pro 3 as pointed out here.
Surface pro 3 - boot to vhd (Native Boot)
Surface Pro 3 - Boot to VHD (Native Boot) - Issues

Is there an Enterprise/ Admin guide that points to something different to be done for Surface Pro 3?

 

I am not aware of any Surface Pro 3 specific guides or tutorials. Sorry.

BTW, you know Disk2VHD? If not and if you want to create a VHD of your existing Surface Pro 3 Windows 8.1 or 10, see this tutorial: Hyper-V - Create and Use VHD of Windows 10 with Disk2VHD - Windows 10 Forums

 

I am trying to use Bluetooth mouse/keyboard in OOBE with Win 10 10130. I don't see any HID pairing page. Is there anything I have to do enable it?

 

Hi Krish, welcome to the Ten Forums.

Did you use the generalize switch with sysprep in Audit Mode? You should install the the drivers for your bluetooth devices in Audit Mode, then if generalizing use the PersistAllDeviceInstalls ​component in answer file which lets you generalize to copy the theme and customizations but keeps the installed drivers.

 

Hi Kari,
Thanks for the response. I didn't got into audit mode. I was talking about using BT HID devices in OOBE mode. Do I need to install BT drivers separately? My understanding is, its available as part of the install.

 

The whole idea of this tutorial is to customize the Windows image in Audit Mode, then sysprep it. As your issue is in no way related to this tutorial and this thread, and as I really do not know how you could get your Bluetooth devices to work during the installation (OOBE), I suggest you start a new thread in the Drivers & Hardware section, giving as much information as possible.

 

Kari,

I was wondering what your possible fix was. I have been fighting with this same issue for days now and some of the "workarounds" just don't seem to be working very well.

 

Hi McDougle, welcome to the Ten Forums.

The fix, workaround, was too unsure and did not work every time. All signs told that a new build will come any day, I decided to wait.

OK, we got a new build 10158 a few days ago and to my great pleasure I can tell that now most of the Sysprep issues seem to be solved. I am still testing but I promise to post something conclusive this week.

At the moment I get CopyProfile=True, relocating Users folder, customizations, everything to work when testing Sysprepping in Audit Mode with various answer files in build 10158 every time when doing it on test Hyper-V virtual machines, but half of my sysprep tests fail when done on real physical hardware. I am still looking for the culprit and possible workarounds, puzzled about why doing this on vm works all the time but real machine fails quite often.

Anyway, we are getting back there, getting this to work as it did in previous versions of Windows. Personally I am so to say "half pleased", I know now that I can create my customized, sysprepped image in Hyper-V, capture it and deploy to real hardware. But, of course, it should also work on real hardware.

Now when most of the issues and bugs seem to gone I will be more active in this thread and post whatever I will find.

 

Seems 10166 has Sysprep issues.

1. When using Audit Mode as normal with CopyProfile setting:
A. Some apps, like 3D Builder, will not open at all and open the Store instead. Some other apps have random issues that only happen after Sysprep.

B. Cannot open apps in Audit Mode, so settings customizations are impossible. Bad for apps like Edge.
2. When going into Audit Mode, creating a local user for customization, and then using Sysprep:
A. Some apps, like 3D Builder, will not open at all and open the Store instead. Some other apps have random issues that only happen after Sysprep.

B. The Store (unsuccessfully) tries to update all apps over and over, for no apparent reason.

C. All pinned icons to the taskbar are reset to default. This is a different behavior than in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. In those, if you made a user account before generalizing the machine, the taskbar was left alone. The taskbar was only reverted for new accounts.
So, Microsoft has a lot of work to do.

 

.. and that's the main reason why I have been so silent *Wink

Sysprep works in 10162 and 10166 without issues, subject to installing Windows without any network connection and connecting it only when arrived to Audit Mode. But, as you have also noticed, Windows when finally booted to OOBE might have some functionality issues.

In my sysprep tests I mostly get a fully working system, customized as I wish, but occasionally there will be some issues. The most annoying one is that if local accounts are created in the answer file, quite often the Start and Search do not work at all. Any subsequent MS or Domain accounts will have a fully working Start and Search / Cortana but the local accounts created in answer file don't.

 

Yeah, I had those issues, too.

Does 3D Builder work for you when you Sysprep? If I don't Sysprep, 3D Builder works. Once I Sysprep, 3D Builder gets corrupted, and the Store opens in its place.

 

10240 is out. I can't test Sysprep at the moment. Hope someone can do tests with user accounts created before and after generalization.