Sysprep tool windows xp

Double-click the Deploy. On the Edit menu, click Select All. On the Edit menu, click Copy To Folder. Click Make New Folder. Click Copy. Open the new folder that you created, and then double-click the Setupmgr. The Windows Setup Manager Wizard starts. Follow the instructions in the wizard to create an answer file.

Use this parameter only if you have activated the Windows installation in the factory. Important The product key that you use to activate the Windows installation must match the product key that is located on the COA sticker that is attached to that particular computer.

Use this command-line parameter only if the computer is already in Factory mode. This parameter is useful for updating drivers, running Plug and Play enumeration, installing programs, testing, configuring the computer with customer data, or making other configuration changes in your factory environment.

For companies that use disk imaging or cloning software, Factory mode can reduce the number of images that are required.

When all the tasks in Factory mode are complete, run the Sysprep. Note: that if you plan to use the Sysprep. This parameter is mainly used for testing, specifically to see if the registry is modified correctly. Microsoft does not recommend this option because making changes to a computer after the Sysprep. Do not use this parameter in a production environment. You must use this parameter if you are not duplicating the computer where you are running the Sysprep.

In this article, I will outline how you can use Sysprep to perform disk duplication. This blog post was originally published as a TechRepublic article on September 14, One of the benefits of using disk duplication is that it makes installing an operating system, such as Windows XP, on multiple computers more efficient.

It is a welcome alternative to manually installing the operating system on multiple computers and configuring identical settings. Instead, the operating system, any service packs, configuration settings, and applications can be included in the image and copied to the target machines.

What Sysprep does is prepare the system running Windows XP to be duplicated. Once the image is created, you must then use a third-party utility to deploy it. Using a utility like Sysprep offers several advantages. Although some time must be spent preparing the image, it will obviously speed up future installations as well as reduce the amount of user interaction required.

The size of the hard disk on the destination computer must also be the same size or larger than the reference computer.

All plug-and-play devices are redetected after Sysprep has run. The general steps that must be completed when using disk duplication to deploy an operating system include:. The first step in using Sysprep to create a disk image is to set up the reference computer.

This entails installing the operating system, any service packs, software applications, and configuring settings that you want applied to the target computers. Once you've tested the image and are confident that it's configured the way you want it, you are ready to being the cloning process.

After completing the steps outlined in the previous section, you are ready to launch the Sysprep utility to clone the reference computer.

From the command prompt, change to the Sysprep directory and type in the following command:. Once Sysprep has successfully duplicated the reference computer and shutdown remember the computer can be shutdown automatically by using the -reboot optional parameter , you can remove the hard disk and clone it using third party disk-imaging software.

When you restart a computer from a cloned disk for the first time, two events will occur. First, the Setupcl. Second, the Mini-Setup Wizard will start, allowing you to customize the computer. You can also automate this event by creating and using a Sysprep. The first time a computer reboots after being cloned by Sysprep, a Mini-Setup wizard starts.

The Mini-Setup wizard prompts the user for information to customize the installation on the target computer. However, if you want to automate the Mini-Setup wizard, you can use a Sysprep.

The Sysprep. In order to use the sysprep. The first time the computer is restarted, it will automatically look for the sysprep. Creating the Sysprep. One of the most popular and efficient methods is referred to as disk duplication where a pre-configured operating system is cloned and copied onto another computer.

This method is an ideal choice when you need to install Windows XP on a number of systems that all require an identical configuration.

The System Preparation tool Sysprep , included with Windows XP, can be used to clone a computer and automate the deployment of the operating system. In this article, I will outline how you can use Sysprep to perform disk duplication. One of the benefits of using disk duplication is that it makes installing an operating system such as Windows XP on multiple computers more efficient.

It is a welcome alternative to manually installing the operating system on multiple computers and configuring identical settings. Instead, the operating system, any service packs, configuration settings and applications can be included in the image and copied to the target machines.

What Sysprep does is prepare the system running Windows XP to be duplicated. Once the image is created, you must then use a third party utility to deploy it.

Using a utility like Sysprep offers several advantages. Although some time must be spent preparing the image, it will obviously speed up future installations as well as reduce the amount of user interaction required.

The size of the hard disk on the destination computer must also be the same size or larger than the reference computer. All plug and play devices are redetected after Sysprep has run. The general steps that must be completed when using disk duplication to deploy an operating system include:.

The first step in using Sysprep to create a disk image is to setup up the reference computer. This entails installing the operating system, any service packs, software applications, and configuring settings that you want applied to the target computers.

Once you've tested the image to and confident that it's configured the way you want it, you are ready to being the cloning process. At this point you are ready to run Sysprep. In order for the utility to function correctly, the Setupcl. So your first step will be to create a Sysprep directory in the root folder of drive C on the reference computer. You can create the folder using Windows Explorer or the command prompt.

With the second method, open the command prompt and change to the root folder of drive C. Type md Sysprep as shown in Figure A to create the new directory.

Your next step will be to copy the files required to run the utility from the Windows XP CD to the Sysprep directory you just created. Open the Deploy. After completing the steps outlined in the previous section, you are ready to launch the Sysprep utility to clone the reference computer. From the command prompt, change to the Sysprep directory and type in the following command:.

Once you launch the utility a warning message will appear.