Using Setup Manager to Create a Sysprep.inf File

The easiest way to create a sysprep.inf file for your environment is to use Microsoft's Setup Manager program. On a Windows XP system, you can open the deploy.cab file located in the \Support\Tools directory on the XP CD-ROM. Copy the Setup Manager executable file, setupmgr.exe, to your hard disk. When you run the program, the wizard will ask whether you want to create a new answer file or modify an existing one. Choose the option to create a new answer file, specify that it will be for a Sysprep install, and select the platform that you'll be deploying with the newly created answer file. You can also select the level of automation you want in the answer file before you enter specific information to populate the General, Network, and Advanced settings, which Figure A shows. After you enter your information, click Finish; Setup Manager creates the sysprep.inf file and prompts you for a location to save the file. Exit the application and open your new sysprep.inf file in Notepad to examine or edit its contents.