I run Sysprep after an unattended Windows XP installation.

Can Sysprep be automated?

Yes. It has command line switches. Just run it from a batch file or RunOnceEx. e.g.

sysprep -mini -reseal -reboot

would be all you needed.

Where do I put that batch file or RunOnceEx?

I created a batch file “Sysprep.cmd” and put it in “$OEM$\$$\sysprep” folder. My winnt.sif has

[GuiRunOnce]

%Systemdrive\Sysprep\Sysprep.cmd

Sysprep.cmd contains

Sysprep –factory –quiet

When I installed Windows, the batch file ran at T12 minute and gave an error message

“Invalid combination of parameters”

I used Sysprep without any switch and got the same message.

Any suggestion or recommendation?

Run the batch file from RunOnceEx. Make it the last item to process.

Also, I will have to double check, but did you also create a sysprep.inf file and put it in the %systemdrive%\sysprep folder? I believe you may need to create one if you want a completely unattended sysprep deployment. It's similar to an unattend text file. You can use setupmgr to create this. Look in the support\tools\deploy.cab for setupmgr if you've never used it before.

Can sysprep be run handsoff .... everytime I run mine, I have a minisetup to appear. I have to enter in the product id, machine name , user name etc. ... How can I make it handsoff from boot to desktop?

thanks for any suggestions.

If I understand correctly, the RunOnceEx executes at T12 minute not at the end of Windows installation.

http://unattended.msfn.org/xp/runonceex.htm

Can sysprep be run handsoff .... everytime I run mine, I have a minisetup to appear. I have to enter in the product id, machine name , user name etc. ... How can I make it handsoff from boot to desktop?

thanks for any suggestions.

You will need to add a sysprep.inf file that contains your product key and specifies fullunattended setup.

;SetupMgrTag
[Unattended]
    UnattendMode = FullUnattended
    NoWaitAfterTextMode = 1
    NoWaitAfterGUIMode = 1
    OemSkipEula=Yes
    InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep\i386

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword="xxxx"
    EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    TimeZone=35
    OemSkipWelcome=1

[UserData]
    ProductKey=xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
    FullName="Your Name"
    OrgName="Your Company"
    ComputerName=*

[Display]
    BitsPerPel=32
    Xresolution=800
    YResolution=600
    Vrefresh=75

[TapiLocation]
    CountryCode=107
    Dialing=Tone
    AreaCode=705

[SetupMgr]
    DistFolder=C:\sysprep\i386
    DistShare=windist

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[sysprepcleanup]

If I understand correctly, the RunOnceEx executes at T12 minute not at the end of Windows installation.

http://unattended.msfn.org/xp/runonceex.htm

RunOnceEx.cmd runs at T-12 when it is loaded by cmdlines.txt and places the registry keys there for the actual RunOnceEx commands. The commands run after the first logon. Thus, if you add a batch file to run sysprep at that point, Windows will have been installed. The keys in RunOnceEx should not be processed at T-12, only placed in the registry.