Windows 10: Question about customizing default profile in Audit Mode

I am creating a new image for my company from a clean Windows 10 installation, and I want to use Audit Mode to set up the default profile.

One of the programs we are required to have on all computers is Symantec Endpoint Protection which is pushed out as a remote installation. These were our previous steps to installing on our image computer without customizing a default profile, as they pertain to SEP installation.

• Enable Remote Desktop connections
• Join computer to domain
• Turn off Windows Firewall
• Push Symantec installation from server with domain admin credentials
• Disjoin computer from domain
• Create Image

The problem we are running into with trying to set up our software from audit mode is that, while in audit mode, the computer is undetectable on the network. We can attempt to ping by computer name and the DNS server displays the IP address, but all ping attempts time out.

If we try to connect to the computer via Remote Desktop Connection, we get an error that Remote Desktop cannot connect to the remote computer because remote access is not enabled, the remote computer is off, or the remote computer is not available on the network. None of that is true.

Is this a security measure that a computer in audit mode can't be reached over the network, or is there something that I can configure to allow remote connections so that we can push the Symantec installation?

:)

 

Customize Windows 10 Image in Audit Mode with Sysprep  

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

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:

Code:

%windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit / reboot

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.

 

Audit mode

Hi Diane,

Windows boots into Windows Welcome Mode and Audit Mode. Windows Welcome Mode
is the first user experience while the Audit mode is used to add customization to Windows images. Sometimes, Windows keeps running in Audit Mode and user has no idea about it, just like in your case. While your machine is running Audit
Mode when upgrading or reinstalling Windows 10, the upgrade won’t progress.

Here's how to exit from Audit mode to reinstall Windows 10:

• Open the administrative or elevated Command Prompt. Type cmd in the
  Search field at the taskbar.
• Type the following command and press Enter key: sysprep /oobe /generalize
  DISCLAIMER: Running sysprep command each time resets Windows licensing state to default. So if your Windows is activated and you run this command, you’ll need to reactivate Windows after executing this command.
  
  
• Once the command IS successfully executed, you’ll be out of Audit Mode. Now you can re-try to upgrade to Windows 10 and it should work.

Let us know if the steps above worked for you.

 

Customize Windows 10 Image in Audit Mode with Sysprep  


Hi,

I have the same Problem like CanadianGooses with the Search-Bar using the LTSB-Release and the audit-mode.

(Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Page 32 - Windows 10 Forums)

But only, if the image is deployed as a part of a iso-file. How do you deploy your wim-file? Has anyone found a solution?


Thanks und greetings from Germany - .