winoutreach5

Worf, I’m trying to understand specifically what it is that you are asking. If you are going through the standard process of using Sysprep to prepare an installation of Windows for duplication, by default the Plug and Play drivers are removed. If you are asking how to prepare an image with injected drivers for use with deployment you might want to consider the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). MDT combines all of the official tools above into a single workbench interface that can help automate the entirety of the process. Additionally, it is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2, which means learning one utility to do all of your deployments. Furthermore, it is exceptionally useful in creating “universal” images as it can easily add or remove both drivers and applications from the deployment images. MDT is free and can also be used in conjunction with Windows Deployment Services (WDS). You might also benefit from the TechNet library article Automated Installation to Upgrade to Windows 7: Step-by-Step Guide for getting started with MDT as well as how to use it to automate a Windows 7 installation. Also, there is also a helpful video on the Microsoft TechNet blog here that walks you through the process of setting up Windows Deployment Services, installing Windows AIK and installing and then using MDT. The video demonstrates the process of creating a deployment share, injecting drivers, setting up a task sequence and then updating the deployment share for use with your deployments. From there, you could refer to the Step-by-Step Guide for assistance with creating boot media. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro P.S TechNet is having a webcast – Everything You Wanted to Know and Ask about Windows Deployment On May 15th and 17th. Registration for the 15th is here, and registration for the 17th is here.

Fred2k3, Tripredacus is correct – you might want to consider using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) which can be used in conjunction with WDS. However, I also did some searching for a specific resolution / step-by-step guide for what you’re trying to do. I did come across this TechNet thread in which Mervyn Zhang provides the steps to successfully perform an unattended installation for Windows XP Embedded. He notes that one unattend file is not enough – you will need “one for the Windows Deployment Services UI screens, and one for the latter phases of Setup.” If you would like to consider using MDT for your Windows XP embedded deployment you might also find this TechNet thread helpful as it provides the steps necessary to do so. One more thing: There is a Webcast coming up on May 15th and May 17th entitled "Everything You Wanted to Know and Ask about Windows Deployment" (Part 1&2). To register for this event, click here. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

Re - this "Team" - I found this.It would be nice if you introduce yourself as I have found a lot of info on other sites regarding your legitimacy. I also found this. It would have been nice to indicate that as well... Hmmm, NBD, but.... My sincerest apologies. I have made my introductory post here. Thank you! Jessica Windows Outreach Team -- IT Pro

Hello there! I just wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself, my name is Jessica, and I work with the Windows Outreach Team for IT Professionals. Our goal is to answer questions and provide sought after resources for the Windows client on communities across the web and, where appropriate, to help make people aware of the free tools and resources on TechNet which help to address their situation or issue. We work in conjunction with the Springboard Series on TechNet, a great resource for IT pros to explore the features of Windows and educate themselves on piloting, deploying, and managing Windows. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions about myself or the Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro. Per a member of this forum, submix8c, I also would like to site this thread in which our team was verified as legitimate by Tony Mann and others associated directly with our Microsoft Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro. A page for our team is in the process of being added to the Microsoft site. Upon creation of that page, I will definitely post the corresponding link in this thread. Thank you! Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

As specified in the TechNet library Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Deployment Services in Windows Server 2003 the following steps contain the recommended process to associate a client unattend file by architecture. I believe you have already done this but just be sure: 1. Create an Unattend.xml file with settings applicable to the Windows Deployment Services screens. 2. Copy the client unattend file to a folder within the RemoteInstall directory. For example RemoteInstall\WDSClientUnattend. 3. Open the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, and right-click the server that contains the image that you want to associate the unattend file to, and then clickProperties. 4. On the Client tab, select Enable unattended installation, browse to the appropriate unattend file, and then click Open. 5. Click OK twice to close the Properties page. Next, you will need to associate the unattend file to the image in question. To do this you will do the following: • Save Unattend. xml files and then associate the file with an image. o To do this, open the MMC snap-in, right-click the image that you want to associate with the unattend file, and then click Properties. On the General tab, click Allow image to install in unattend mode, click Select File, browse to select the unattend file, and then click OK twice. The Unattend.xml file will be saved to the following location: \RemoteInstall\Images\<imagegroup>\<imagename>\Unattend\ImageUnattend.xml. My assumption is that your unattended installation is not working properly due to the fact that the above step has not yet been completed. The unattend file must also be linked to the image you are deploying. Another tip that might help you is to consider the use of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) which combines all of the official tools for imaging and deploying into a single workbench interface that can help automate the entirety of the process. Additionally, it is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2, which means learning one utility to do all of your current deployments as well as future. Furthermore, it is exceptionally useful in creating “universal” images as it can easily add or remove drivers or applications from the deployment images. MDT can also be used in conjunction with Windows Deployment Services (WDS). Finally, for step-by-step instructions to deploying Windows 7 I recommend this step-by-step guide from the Springboard Series on TechNet and the Build a better desktop image resource as it is a great article with additional detailed information on desktop image management. Also, you might want to check out the Deliver and Deploy Windows 7 page on the Springboard site on TechNet so as to better familiarize yourself with Windows 7 deployment. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

The integrated Sysprep utility is perhaps one of the more commonly used options to automate a successful deployment. The official Sysprep utility is located in the folder C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep of the Windows 7 environment. In addition to Sysprep there a few more tools you could use to create images and simplify your imaging and deployment process. Perhaps the best place to start would be on the Deliver and Deploy Windows 7 page on the Springboard site on TechNet so as to familiarize yourself with Windows 7 deployment. For now, there are some tips that I can give you to assist you both with the use of the Sysprep utility and creating unattend.xml files and then proceeding from there. The first tip is to use the Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK), which includes WSIM (Windows System Image Manager) to create unattend.xml files, or an answer file. The Windows Automated Installation Kit or Windows AIK includes several utilities that can help make using the official Sysprep utility easier than ever. Windows AIK also includes ImageX, which is the Microsoft cloning utility that creates file-based images (.wim) allowing the images to be modified after their creation to apply updates, new drivers, or applications. You can even automate the process of joining a domain. For more specific assistance on domain joining, please use the steps outlined in “Automating the Domain Join” from the TechNet site. The second tip is to use Audit Mode to customize the system as Tripredacus suggested and perform customizations to the default profile. By allowing you to log into the system as Administrator, Audit Mode can significantly simplify the customization process. In order to customize the default profile in both Windows Vista and Windows 7 you will need to make your customizations in Audit Mode, and then run Sysprep with an answer file that has the copyprofile setting enabled. The final tip I will leave you with is to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) that combines all of the official tools above into a single workbench interface that can help automate the entirety of the process. Additionally, it is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2, which means learning one utility to do all of your deployments. Furthermore, it is exceptionally useful in creating “universal” images as it can easily add or remove drivers or applications from the deployment images. For a step-by-step guide to deploying Windows 7 I recommend this step-by-step guide from the Springboard Series on TechNet and the Build a better desktop image resource as it is a great article with additional detailed information on desktop image management. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

While looking for a solution to your problem I came across this thread on the TechNet forum which suggests the problem may reside in the method in which you injected the drivers. I recommend considering the use of the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) to customize your image with additional drivers, applications, etc. MDT is completely free and many find it to be extremely beneficial as it combines all of the official Microsoft tools (Sysprep, Windows Automated Installation Kit (Windows AIK), and Windows System Image Manager (WSIM)) into a single workbench interface that can help automate both the imaging and deployment process. It is also compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2, which means learning one utility to do all of your deployments. Furthermore, as stated above, it is exceptionally useful in creating “universal” images as it can easily add or remove drivers or applications from the deployment images. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro

As cluberti suggested, I also recommend the User State Migration Tool (USMT) for profile migration from one computer to another computer. For more information on this tool please defer to the following resources Windows 7 Walkthrough: User State Migration Tool and Windows 7: Migrating to 64-bit. It’s a good idea to be sure of all that USMT migrates as can be found in What does USMT Migrate? This is an excellent read as it outlines default migration scripts, user data, operating system components, supported applications and even what USMT does not migrate. Another helpful video that outlines the efficiency of USMT’s Hard-Link Migration feature can be found here. A few points to note when copying user profiles is that it is important to verify the following: • You cannot copy or delete a user profile that belongs to the currently logged on user or any user whose profile is in use. • If you copy the profile to a new location, you must update the User Profile Path entry for the user's account to refer to this new location as well. • You cannot use Windows Explorer or any other file management utility to copy user profiles. Jessica Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro