Deploying PCs with Sysprep

Sysprep XP Style
The XP version of Sysprep is included in the \support\tools\deploy.cab file on the XP installation CD-ROM. Registered Microsoft OEM system builders can also find the utility in the XP OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK). For information about the OEM System Builder Program, go to http://www.microsoft.com/oem. For more information about the XP and Win2K versions of Sysprep, see the sidebar "XP and Win2K Sysprep Resources."

The general capabilities and usage of Sysprep 2.0 are much the same as with the Win2K version, although Microsoft has thrown in a few new goodies. One such improvement is the ability to add new or upgraded drivers to an installation image. The XP version of Sysprep also includes several new modes of operation: Factory, Audit, Reseal, and Clean. Although Microsoft designed these modes primarily to meet the needs of OEM system builders that preinstall XP on their systems, the modes will also appeal to some enterprise IT departments.

Factory mode. Factory mode is designed for OEMs and lets them customize Windows OS installation in a manufacturing environment by using a Bill of Materials (BoM) file. The BoM file, winbom.ini, contains multiple sections (similar to sysprep.inf) whose parameters let OEMs automate activities such as software installation, driver updates, registry modifications, PnP enumeration, and configuring a computer with customer-specific data. Factory mode reboots the system into a network-enabled state under which OEMs can automate building and changing the winbom.ini file. Before OEMs ship the machine to a customer, they must use Reseal mode to invoke Sysprep and complete the system-building process. The flexibility of Factory mode lets OEMs reduce the number of master disk images needed to support their customers.

Audit mode. Audit mode lets OEMs run auditing and testing tools on an XP system while they're preparing the system in the manufacturing environment. Audit mode is designed to run after Factory mode. Unlike Factory mode, Audit mode doesn't generate new SIDs or process items in the [OemRunOnce] section of the winbom.ini file. Audit mode also provides a system reboot (after Factory mode customizations are complete), which might be necessary to complete hardware and software installations that OEMs invoked in Factory mode.

Reseal mode. Reseal mode is a companion mode to Factory mode that OEMs invoke after they've completed the changes in Factory mode and are ready to prepare the computer for delivery to a customer. When resealing the machine for delivery to a customer, OEMs can specify whether the user will see XP's new Windows Welcome Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE) screens (the new wizard-based setup screens that XP users typically see when they first boot their systems) or the Mini-Setup Wizard (the first-boot setup screens users see on Win2K systems prepared with Sysprep). You specify the first-boot screen by adding either the -msoobe parameter (for the XP-style setup wizard) or the -mini parameter (for the classic Win2K-style setup wizard).

Clean mode. Clean mode forces Sysprep to clean the critical device database, a registry listing of devices and services that must start before XP can boot successfully. After the setup process is complete, Sysprep clears the database of any devices that it determines aren't physically present on the system. To invoke Clean mode, you use the command

sysprep -clean

If you're an OEM system builder or would simply like more information about these new OEM-centric modes, check out the ref.chm file, which resides in the XP installation CD-ROM's \support\tools folder, as well as the documentation that accompanies the XP OPK.

To support its new operational modes and assorted other new features, the XP version of Sysprep also provides a larger array of command-line parameters than previous versions do. I covered some of these new parameters earlier; here's a rundown of the others.

• activated. The -activated parameter forces Sysprep not to reset the grace period for Windows Product Activation (WPA).
• forceshutdown. The -forceshutdown parameter shuts the computer down after the Sysprep process is complete. This option is intended for use with systems containing an Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) BIOS that doesn't shut the system down properly during the Sysprep process.
• mini. The -mini parameter configures XP Professional Edition to present to the user the Win2K Sysprep-style Mini-Setup Wizard welcome screens rather than XP's new Windows Welcome screens during the first boot. (This parameter has no effect on XP Home Edition, in which the first boot always displays the XP Windows Welcome screens.)
• noreboot. The -noreboot parameter modifies various system registry values (e.g., the SID, the OemDuplicatorString) without rebooting the system or preparing it for duplication. You typically use this option to test whether the registry is being properly modified. Microsoft doesn't recommend using the -noreboot parameter in production environments because the resulting changes can invalidate the Sysprep preparation.
• reseal. Use the -reseal parameter to complete the factory preinstallation process. This parameter clears the system NT Event Viewer logs and prepares the system for customer delivery. If you run Sysprep in Factory mode, you must reseal the installation as the last step in the preinstallation process, either by running this option or by clicking Reseal in Sysprep's GUI, which Figure 2 shows.

An Invaluable Deployment Tool
Sysprep is a useful tool if you regularly perform disk-image cloning of your XP and Win2K systems. In addition to being the Microsoft-supported and recommended method for using disk and system cloning, Sysprep is complementary to most disk-imaging and cloning tools and works with these tools to prevent the duplication of unique information that could potentially lead to functionality or security problems. If you use disk cloning as part of your deployment methodology, I highly recommend checking out Sysprep.