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Hi all...

(Just joined the forum after reading through replies, but I've got a couple of questions I've not seen addressed and nobody around here seems to be trying any of this yet, so...)

With build 5728, I've started looking at imaging/sysprep so I can make a Vista load to install on other machines (hopefully).

However, I've run across a couple major issues that I'm hoping somebody can comment on:

1) I have an "unattend.xml" file. I can manually modify a shortcut to sysprep to use it with the /unattend flag, but is there a location on the drive that I can put this file that sysprep *automatically* finds if I use the GUI version?

2) "sysprep" seems to only allow me to run it 3 times (!). After that, I get a dialog box about "A fatal error occurred while trying to sysprep the machine". Anybody know if this is intentional behavior? Or something limited to the betas (for some reason?) If so -- why? How is anybody supposed to debug their .xml files if they can only run sysprep 3 times?

3) In my 3 successfull syspreps, when I log back into the account on the machine, I'm asked to -- again -- set my "Network Location". I'm also informed that Automatic Updates isn't set on.

Which is odd in that using WAIK, to make the "unattend.xml" file puts this part in it:

<OOBE>

<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>

<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>

<SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>

<SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>

</OOBE>

The "ProtectYourPC" flag -- should that be "3" to have Automatic updates turned on?

Thanks to all! Glad to see there's a forum somewhere where people are actually trying all this and commenting on what does/doesn't work!

- Steve

Edited by stevemaser
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This is my "unattend.xml" file, btw. This is basically exactly what this KB article said to do:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvi...3dd53bc3fa.mspx

with the exception that I just renamed it "unattend.xml" as I was trying to see what sysprep would do *first* rather than continue on to use PE/ImageX, etc...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<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">

<DiskConfiguration>

<Disk wcm:action="add">

<CreatePartitions>

<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">

<Order>1</Order>

<Type>Primary</Type>

</CreatePartition>

</CreatePartitions>

<ModifyPartitions>

<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">

<Active>true</Active>

<Extend>false</Extend>

<Format>NTFS</Format>

<Label>OS_Install</Label>

<Letter>C</Letter>

<Order>1</Order>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</ModifyPartition>

</ModifyPartitions>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>

</Disk>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

</DiskConfiguration>

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

<UserData>

<ProductKey>

<Key>ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXY</Key>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

</ProductKey>

<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>

</UserData>

</component>

</settings>

<settings pass="oobeSystem">

<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">

<OOBE>

<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>

<ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC>

<SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>

<SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>

</OOBE>

</component>

</settings>

<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/documents%20and%20settings/admin/desktop/install.wim#Windows Vista ULTIMATE" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />

</unattend>

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Steve,

to add the file to your DVD to auto unattend you will have to rename the file autounattend add add it to the same folder as your setup.exe, once setup is started it will check that folder for the AutoUnattend file, if found it will read and prepare setup from that file

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This site explained my "3 times" issue:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopde...s/013106ds.mspx

We have a VL version of XP -- you'd think that the Vista product keys would be VL versions so you could *fully* test stuff, but apparently not...

Anyway...

If anybody has any thoughts about why sysprepped machines are popping up with that "set network location" and "automatic updates aren't on" notices -- I'm all ears!

- Steve

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The WAIK User Guide (found in the help of Windows SIM) has a section called "Methods for Running Windows Setup". It explains the valid locations of autounattend.xml. Here is the part of the section that describes the implict search order.

Implicit Answer File Search Order

Windows Setup identifies and logs all available answer files based on the search order. The answer file with the highest precedence is used. The answer file is validated and then cached to the computer. Valid answer files are cached to the $Windows.~BT\Sources\Panther directory during the windowsPE and offlineServicing passes. After the Windows installation is extracted to the hard disk, the answer file is cached to %WINDIR%\panther.

The entire search order is listed in that section of the WAIK user guide.

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OK, reading the documentation...

I figured out that I had the wrong "ProtectMyPC" flag -- it should be "1".

But I can't figure out why it's asking me to "set network location" again.

I'm still looking for clues on that behavior. Nothing in the documentation is jumping out about this one...

- Steve

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Now that I read up a bit more (and experimented with WAIK a bit further)

my "unattend.xml" file now contains:

<settings pass="oobeSystem">

<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">

<OOBE>

<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>

<ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC> (***WAS "3" but is now "1"***)

<SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>

<NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation> (***ADDED THIS***)

<SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>

</OOBE>

</component>

Upon reboot after sysprepping with this, it's still coming up after I log in that I have to set the network location and that automatic updates is still not configured.

But all the other Welcome dialog boxes are being bypassed as expected...

Am I missing something here?

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it isn't a Vista issue as much as unattend issue, the propblem lies with the code that deals with your sysprep, it will be fixed but i am sure not till RTM, did you post the bug to the BDD 2007 forums on connect?

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