New Installation: How to Create a General System Image in Audit Mode

I completed this tutorial and it works great - thanks for that..

Now we have received some newer models and I do not want to create multiple images but use one for all computers, so when done imaging the system a bunch of drivers are missing.

I downloaded the driver package from the manufacturer but where do I copy these to on the image so when the computer loads it will detect and load all the drivers?

If I created an image like this on one W7 computer, could I use that same image on another W7 machine? Or is this similar to just using the built-in W7 "Create system image," but it is instead just creating an image before any user accounts are created? It seems like it's the latter if I'm understanding things correctly.

Thanks.

To create a hardware independent system image which can be used to deploy Windows 7 to any computer, simply add /generalize switch to sysprep command told in Step 3. In that case the command would be:

Code:

%windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown

Generalizing will remove all hardware related data and drivers from the image. When you then create the image and restore it to any machine Windows will install default device drivers used in normal clean install.

Kari

Ah. Thanks, Kari. This is a great tutorial. I'm using your other tutorial on the System Prep Tool since I had already created user logins and such, but am going to store this one away for future use.

Superb tutorial. Thank you for the time you have put into this.

I only wish I'd have seen this before doing a clean install this morning (for the 4th/5th time). Been having random crashing issues from clean install.

For my future reference, does this and your other hardware independent tutorial work when clean install is performed from an upgrade disc?

I was searching for info on using Windows Create System Image option and ended up reading this post. So glad I did.

Brilliant, brilliant work!

I think this answers my question.

Found on another tutorial:-


An upgraded Windows cannot be sysprepped. As this method is based in sysprepping, this tutorial is valid only for Windows setups which have not been upgraded.

This means that if you have for instance in-place upgraded Vista to Seven, you cannot sysprep. The same applies if you have upgraded from a lesser edition to a better edition, for instance from Windows 7 Home Premium to Professional.

Notice that a repair install is also an upgrade install, so if you have ever done a repair install (= in-place upgrade to same edition), you cannot sysprep.

In other words, when sysprepping an existing Windows setup it only works if the Windows was installed clean and has never been upgraded or repaired using repair install, or if it is the original pre-installed Windows.

Using this method causes Windows 7 to lose activation information, and it needs to be reactivated afterwards. If your Windows 7 is an OEM version, you might not be able to reactivate it, at least not without phone activation option.