Why sysprep image

After you install a prepared reference Windows 10 image and configured in the correct way with certain installed software, with the operating system settings, with the specified permissions and restrictions , you can deploy it to all computers of the company using MDT, WDS, SCCM or manually take a look at Deploying Windows 10 with MDT and WDS.

You need to customize your reference Windows 10 Image in the Audit Mode. You can also enter Audit Mode using the Sysprep. To do this, run the command:. The computer will automatically restart and boot to the Audit Mode. Windows 10 automatically boots and logs in with the built-in administrator account when in the Audit Mode. Further, this account will be disabled. Windows 10 will boot in this mode no matter how many times you rebooted your computer until the Sysprep is running.

Do not close the Sysprep utility window—you will need it at the end of the configuration step. Minimize it. In Audit Mode, you can configure your Windows 10 reference image. We will take a look at several popular steps that sysops configuring in their reference image most often.

You can set your company branded info in the computer properties windows. The easiest way to configure these settings is through the registry. Create a text file oem. To apply the reg file, double-click on it, and accept registry changes. As a result, these settings will be imported into the registry. You can install drivers and third-party programs you would like to see in your Windows 10 image. You can install programs manually, or using the integrated Windows 10 package manager— Chocolatey.

Now install the Chocolatey. To do this, run the PowerShell console with administrator privileges. Enter the following commands:. Run the command:. You can find packages by their names with the command choco search opera. You can also install drivers for all computers and laptops models on which you want to deploy this reference Windows 10 image. Download and extract the driver packages to a specific directory. If you need to reboot the Windows to install the application or update, you can do it.

After reboot, the system will return to audit mode. You can clean up your driver repository from driver duplicates using our script. Windows 10 collects information about the operation of users on the computer. Examples of handwriting and voice samples, location information, error reports, calendar contents—all of these can be sent to Microsoft servers.

Why Is Sysprep Required? Before running Sysprep, ensure that Windows is activated. Restrictions on Running Sysprep Sysprep can only be used for configuring a new Windows installation. Parent topic: Image Creation. Did you find this page helpful? Submit successfully! Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. Sysprep can remove PC-specific information from a Windows installation generalizing so it can be installed on different PCs.

To allow enterprises to efficiently and continuously roll out up-to-date Windows 10 and Windows 11 deployment images, beginning with Windows 10, version , Sysprep can be used to prepare an image that has been upgraded.

For example:. Beginning with Windows 8. The Sysprep UI opens when you start Audit mode, but it may be removed in a future release.