Jim5506

The only problem with the Microsoft Deployment Tool Kit is that it is nearly unintelligible to anyone except those who already know how to use it. What do all those entrys do , which do I need for a Volume License install? It has been made so complicated that I gave up using it to create an install file and just do a manual install to set up my Reference computer. Then trying to figure out how to make sysprep create the default user I want is another PHD journey. Perhaps for security purposes all this crap is necessary, but a comprehensive guide would help and I have not found one.

I self taught how to create and deploy images with Windows XP. My methods also worked on Vista, but Windows 7 and Windows 8 have exponentially complicated the process by requiring tools to create multiple .xml files that either build your install for you ( I prefer to manually set up my own) or regulate what sysprep does or doesn't do. Windows 7 sysprep allows me to use the unattend.xml file when running sysprep and everything appears to copy correctly - WONDERFUL! But Windows 8 has "improved" to the point that not everything seems to copy to the cloned image. Does there exist a dummy's guide to successfully sysprepping a windows 8 image so the clone computers are identical to my reference? I have mostly succeeded in assembling a CopyProfile.xml file and everything seems to copy except my system tray icons - they all disappear and I'm left with a system tray with the default icons. I used the Windows 8 AIK to create my .xml files, is there an item I'm missing that would successfully replicate my taskbar? I've read that the DoNotCleanTaskbar item has been depreciated from Windows 8 sysprep, so what is left other than manually pinning items after image restoration? Product key is X'd out, my Windows 8 is a Volume License version, so I had to put the Key in the specialize pass, the one in the windowsPE pass is probably redundant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Here is the CopyProfile.xml file I use: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="specialize"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile> <DoNotCleanTaskBar>true</DoNotCleanTaskBar> <ProductKey>XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX</ProductKey> <RegisteredOrganization>Lubbock Christian University</RegisteredOrganization> <RegisteredOwner>Technology Services</RegisteredOwner> </component> </settings> <settings pass="windowsPE"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <SetupUILanguage> <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage> </SetupUILanguage> <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale> <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale> <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage> <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <UserData> <ProductKey> <Key>XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX</Key> </ProductKey> <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula> </UserData> <UseConfigurationSet>true</UseConfigurationSet> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/users/tech/desktop/install.wim#Windows 8 Pro" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend>