Windows 10: Updating Windows 10 in Audit Mode

We have a Windows 10 WIM configured with the required software. When I pull down the pre-Syspreped image (which was captured while in Audit Mode), I am unable to use Windows Update to patch the image.
How are you folks handling the updates to your gold Windows 10 images?
Thanks.

:)

 

I cannot reset my windows 10 Computer

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:

1. Open the administrative or elevated Command Prompt. Type cmd in the Search field at the taskbar.

2. 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.

3. 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.

 

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.

 

Really does not matter as it will update itself automatically once installed and a user account is setup. This is quite quick due to the cumulative update mechanism.

This is going to happen even if you install updates or not in audit mode.

 

No, I disagree. Installing 1511 is not quick.

 

I've not seen Upgrading to Version 1511 nor to Version 1607 to be nearly as quick as the Build updates to those Versions.

 

Your reply makes no sense.

You do not same to understand the difference between a build upgrade and normal updates. They are delivered by different mechanisms.

Any sysprep image you create has to be a particular build.

You can slipstream in normal in-build updates to a particular build (those that that change the number after the build decimal point) if you download them offline but it is not that easy, and as I said not really worth it as each time there is a cumulative update, the cumulative update file is downloaded anyway regardless of whether previous updates are installed. The only minor saving of not starting from XXXXX.0 is the intallation may be slightly quicker but this is only a few minutes.

Build upgrades are delivered in a completely different way, and I cannot see for the life of me why you would start with an older build and slipstream in the build upgrade files and allow the build to autoupgrade afterwards even if you could do it.

 

A case in point: the stand-alone download of the 64-bit Build 14393.693 update is just a bit over 1GB while the stand-alone download of Build 14393.442 Upgrade is just over 4GB. The 32-bit bit files are a bit smaller, update is about 900MB and the Upgrade is just under 4GB. It's all in the details, Win10 Upgrading or updating is more complicated that previous versions of Windows in getting the terms correct. Obviously some downloads will take more time and the users Internet connection speed affects it.

 

Quoting a reply I posted in another thread last night:

 

That reply explains how to update an oobe install upgrade very well.

Basically confirms my earlier point that you cannot upgrade directly in audit mode - you have to upgrade in normal mode, then oobe - I more or less do the same thing with macrium and viboot, except I do not bother deleting the local account from oobe version, just simply changing it to an MS account later.

Of course, your method is cleaner though *Smile.

 

Deleting existing user accounts when returning to Audit Mode after a build or feature upgrade as mentioned in that post I quoted is of course not necessary if and when the image is for your personal use only. The thread where I posted that is however about how to do this in corporate network environment, deploying to 100 laptops and possibly re-deploying an upgraded image when next LTSB version will be released.

When doing this for your own private deployment image keeping existing user accounts there are additional steps required because when sysprepping Windows installation with existing user accounts, active user accounts lose Start and Cortana / Search functionality due Windows SID / GUID being changed. Therefore for you and other private users, disabling all user accounts before sysprep is strongly recommended:

• Upgrade Windows in normal mode
• Run net user Administrator /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
• Sign out from all user accounts
• Sign in to built-in admin
• Run net user USERNAME /active:no in elevated Command Prompt to disable each existing user account
• Restart to Audit Mode with %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit /reboot
  [*]When in Audit Mode, change / add / remove what you want to / need to
• Run Disk Clean-up
• Place your answer file unattend.xml in %windir%\system32\sysprep\ folder
• Run %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe
  [*]Boot from WinPE, capture the image
• Boot from HDD, let Windows go through OOBE
• In OOBE you must create a new admin user, use any temporary name (can't use names of existing users even when they are disabled)
• When on desktop activate your old existing users with net user USERNAME /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
  [*]Sign out from temporary admin user, sign in to your old admin user
• Remove the temporary admin user

Repeat steps 13 through 16 on each machine you deploy this image. Steps 2 through 5 and 13 through 16 are not required if all existing users will be removed in Audit Mode.

Sounds and looks more complicated than what it is *Smile

 

Thanks - I was unaware of the search issue as I rarely use it anyway, or I search from from file explorer (force of habit).