Sysprep And A Common Image

[rmarsico]

I Am Working on a common image for various workstations, the problem i'm having is driver installation during Sysprep. Can anyone give me advice or point me in the right direction Sysprep wont run correctly

[un4given1]

Lose sysprep and just use an unattended install with all of the proper drivers. If you have access to a Windows 2000 or 2003 server I recommend using RIS.

[Radimus]

RIS is a waste of time... takes forever to install a client and then deploy apps.

Put no drivers on the UA CD, put no drivers in the $oem$ folder of sysprep. just place the drivers in the root of C (or whereever you want them) and make sure the sysprep.inf has the correct location.

run sysprep, let it shutdown, and ghost it.

If you have other model PCs BSOD or fail to run after applying the image, you will need to check the HAL and ensure the HAL from the first PC is the same (or compatable) with all the targets

[un4given1]

RIS is a waste of time... takes forever to install a client and then deploy apps.

Boy are you delusional. I used to install XP on clients in about 45 minutes and another 30 to install all apps. All unattended and when it was all said and done I could box a PC and send it away. I could do 30 or more at a time and it only required me to spend 2 minutes at the start of PC on each PC. Waste of time? I am offended as a systems administrator who spent 2 years of his life learing everything about RIS.

[Radimus]

You can be offended if you want to be (It is Christmas), but once sysprep is configured right, a PC can be imaged in 5 minutes, and mini-setup only takes 3 or 4 minutes to run and have a completely configured PC sitting on a users desk

I had a sys admin (for a different agency) visit an office where he had brought his own RIS server to hook up to that office's LAN... He started up 10 PCs at a time (which he had to preconfigure the MAC addresses and names), Let them install (about an hour each), and then come back and tweak them. Waste of time.

a ghost image on a few CDs or on a network share or on an external dvd drive, images a PC in 5-8 minutes, the mini setup only takes 3 or 4 minutes, and then you are DONE...

you say it only takes 2 minutes of YOUR time to start RIS setup, but then you have an hour or hour and a half to sit around drinking coffee... well you also have the user there that is doing nothing. Try that with an exec... tell them you could be done with them in 15 minutes or in 90 and which one will they pick

Now if you want to use RIS to deploy PE to start ghost32 and deploy an image that way... or if you have 24 hour operations and can RIS client PCs overnight, that might be an alternative

[un4given1]

Different situations warrant different needs. I have no clue why an exec would ever be standing over your shoulder while you reimage their PC. With RIS I can build a PC, add it to the domain, and install and configure any software I want. The images I created were completely configured and required NO manual work when done. Upgrading the image was as easy as just dropping files into a directory on the server. RIPrep requires remaking a disk. While I see why someone might use RIPrep, I don't believe it's as administerable as RIS. You use your RIPrep, I'll keep using RIS.

[un4given1]

I had a sys admin (for a different agency) visit an office where he had brought his own RIS server to hook up to that office's LAN...  He started up 10 PCs at a time (which he had to preconfigure the MAC addresses and names), Let them install (about an hour each), and then come back and tweak them.  Waste of time.

Also... RIS doesn't require you to preconfigure machines. You can if you wish, but that option can be removed very easily. Also, with RIS I was able to setup a menu, select different versions of software pieces or even select an employees position through custom CIW menus and it would install exactly what I asked for. If you wanted this ability you would have to carry around a case of disks and rummage out the one that had the EXACT image you wanted. Also, try fitting Windows XP, Office XP, Norton Corporate, and any other custom software you wanted onto one disk. Sure, you could always use DVD, but that isn't even a standard on most office PCs at this time. Also, RIS is great for more than that. How about the ability to run the console without having to run halfway across your office looking for a Windows XP disk, just simply boot to the network and go. Like I said, many different situations warrant different needs. I am not saying RIPrep is a complete waste of time, I was just simply making a suggestion. Admit it, your real hatred for RIS is because you just haven't figured it out yet...

[Radimus]

not at all... after all it took you 2 YEARS to figure it out

I mastered Ghost in about 2 hours

Figuring out the HAL issues took about a week of testing

You have no idea that a manager will want a machine back as fast as possible, a sales rep, customer service staff, laptop user etc is on a tight schedule... they wouldn't even bother to come in if the problem wasn't a showstopper, and then tell them that they have to wait an hour or 2...

a ghost image can span multiple CDs, or dvd's if necessary, or sit on a network share waiting for a pxe boot, WinPE, or floppy based network boot.

The amount of time it takes to update an image isn't much more that the amount of time that it would take one of your RIS installs to complete (plus sysprep)

Face it, you spent 2 years learning a procedure that has very little real merit... a multicast ghost or powerquest image can do the same thing in a tiny fraction of the time... and quite frankly a stack of UA cds can do the same thing without spending 2 years trying to figure it out.

[Radimus]

BTW... the ONLY justification for doing RIS, is that it is free.

However, if you figure that it takes an hour or so to setup a PC 1 time, and the average tech makes about $20-$25 per hour ( or if you want to use the end user's hourly wage) a corp license for ghost or drive image costs about $10-$15 depending on quantity. It is pretty obvious that the 10 minutes of down time for a ghost install is far more economical that the RIS.

If your techs works 24 hours (or after hours shifts) then RIS makes only a little more sense... but not much more.

BTW 2: if you are GOOD at your job, and it took you 2 years to master RIS, how useful is that for other networks that may not have your genius there to assist them

If you aren't that good, and it took you 2 years to figure it out because your skills are lacking, then how good is your opinion on this subject

[un4given1]

First off, I said I have spent 2 years working with it. The greater part of that time was spent learning unattended methods (I dare you to tell anyone here that's a waste of time). And, I like to believe I am good at my job, after all I am now the Director of IT for the company I work for. Must have done something right, huh? I have worked in multiple corporate environements and have come across almost any situation you could imagine. I have worked on the client level and the server level, and now the management level. I have experience with just about every piece of software out there. I am familiar with the many different ways to push software including AD, SMS and through using batch scripts and task scheduler. And, RIS is not free... It's the cost of your Windows server. Now, while I respect your way of doing things, I think you need to broaden your horizons. You seem like a headstong individual who, like me when I was younger, thinks he knows everything.

[un4given1]

Also, I encourage you to take a second and search back through my posts over the last year and a half. You will find that I bring a great deal of experience with me and that I know what I am talking about, (not trying to sounding too cocky) most of the time.

[Incroyable HULK]

@un4given1

Since you have experimented a lot, can you tell me if it is simple to switch from an Unattended CD to a RIS method?

[sixpack]

@un4given1

Since you have experimented a lot, can you tell me if it is simple to switch from an Unattended CD to a RIS method?

like to know also

[DLF]

@rmarsico = bet your glad you asked now!

@un4given1 & radimus = you are both clever and educated guys who both contribute enormously to this forum with quality posts, but 'tis the season of goodwill and your rantings at each other are enough to dissuade a junior poster from ever posting again. Please calm down gentlemen.

[Incroyable HULK]

I think they are having a mature conversation... I've seen worse recently