Sysprep and prior installed Microsoft Updates

[homeskillet]

Hi all. I hope this is the right forum for this question and if it isn't, I apologise. Please move if necessary.

I am using the MDT to create a Windows XP image. I have created my image and set the lite touch deployment to capture my image at the end of the process. Part of the process (the Task Sequence) prior to 'sysprep' went out and dl'ed updates from Microsoft Update. A check of Add/Remove programs verified that IE7, WMP11, and other updates were, in fact, installed.

The process then syspreps the machine and I go ahead and 'capture' the image to upload to my WDS server. I get through all of that without issue.

Then I blow the image from WDS back to the PC (after a format of the drive) and find everything is there that I originally installed EXCEPT IE7, WMP11, and all sorts of other updates that were there prior to sysprep.

Does sysprep strip all Microsoft Updates out as part of it's process? I cannot find (and I've Googled the heck out of it) what exactly sysprep removes or if there is a switch that I was/wasn't using that caused this. The other question is if it isn't stripping them... what is? What would be the point of the Windows/Microsoft Update Task in the Task Sequences if the're going to be stripped out in the final product?

Any ideas? Thanks.

Anthony

[Jazkal]

Did you reboot the system after installing updates, and before running sysprep?

[homeskillet]

It does on it's own between the Windows Update (Pre-Application Installation) task and the (Post-Application Installation) task, but I have not setup a exclusive reboot task after the Post-App task.

If that was the case (just needs a reboot), wouldn't the updates installed prior to the 1 automatic reboot that occurs on my system between the tasks still be there even if there was only 1 reboot in the whole Task Sequence?

I understand the reboot would make sure the system files in use were writen, but I know there's at least 1 reboot occuring between those tasks, and no Updates remain after sysprep.

Anthony

[homeskillet]

The PC reboots twice in between the two Windows Update tasks and I forgot I do have 1 final reboot at the end of it all. The only other mod I did to the Task Sequence is put the install of Apps prior to any Windows Update tasks as I'm installing mulitple .net Frameworks and I want WU to patch them after the fact.

So I take it sysprep does not uninstall Windows/Microsoft Updates for whatever reason, by design...

If so, any ideas why my update dissappear before they get sent to a .wim file, or after that .wim file has been deployed to a box?

EDIT: I ran Microsoft Update just before LTI would run Sysprep and noticed that it didn't install WGA during the Task Sequence. Could this be why before I waste the time in running sysprep again and find nothing has changed?

Edited September 8, 2008 by homeskillet

[homeskillet]

Sorry to bump, but I could really use some ideas here!

[Tripredacus]

Check out your exclusions list, first off.

Also there are some instances where Windows will hide the entries for the updates from Add/Remove Programs (or Programs and Features) but the actual program should still be there if you open IE, for example, and do the Help->About to see the version.

[homeskillet]

The only exclusion I have in customsettings.ini is: WUMU_ExcludeKB1=940157 (Windows Search).

I have fired up the box, post sysprep, and ran IE and it's version 6. Same with WMP. Version 10.

I checked the "Show updates" check box in Add/Remove Programs. Nothing other than the Client Side Extensions I am installing as an application showed up (as far as Windows Updates).

Thanks for the suggestions... keep 'em coming!

Anthony

Edited September 9, 2008 by homeskillet

[Tripredacus]

Can you confirm that prior to running Sysprep that you can open IE and it is the newer version?

[homeskillet]

I have. It asked me to setup the Phishing Filter and such on the intro page. WMP 11 asked for what kind of setup I wanted to do, etc. Plus the other updates MU installed were on the Add/Remove Programs list.

I'm going to try it again and post on Technet to see what they have to say. Any info I get I'll post here.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Anthony

[TheReasonIFail]

Have you tried comparing the contents of the image and the HDD before formatting the HDD? Are they the same?

I actually have no idea what could be wrong but that's what I would look at if I were experiencing this problem.

Also, care to show us what your sysprep.inf file looks like?

I've never used MDT and WDS but what if you remove these two things from the equation and just run sysprep and image the drive with imagex? I assume the image files you are creating are *.wim.

Edited September 22, 2008 by TheReasonIFail