Hello. We work in a work environment where we have to continually rebuild computers to pass around from employee to employee. We are now all on Windows 7 and we want to make a basic image of each Latitude series model we have which we just have preloaded dell software and its drivers. How would we go about sysprepping the machine and then making a image of it with the built in Backup from Windows 7? We dont want to use any third party software, but Im not sure if that's possible to do with sysprepping it. Let me know your thoughts, thanks!
Windows 7 Backup and Sysprep
- Thread starter cyclones
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Joe C
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You cant Image using Windows Backup. They are 2 completely different technologies and the names alone tell you what they are capable of. You want a System Image, that cant be created using a backup.
So either your going to have to budge and use 3rd party software, or continue to do things the hard way.
Now SysPrep is something completely different than Windows Backup. So please be sure to be clear as to what you want. If you want backup, then say backup. If you want sysprep, then say sysprep.
I can tell you from your first post, you cant take a Windows Backup and generate a Image with sysprep.
How Sysprep Works
What is Sysprep?
Those will be of use understanding SysPrep and how to achieve it.
So either your going to have to budge and use 3rd party software, or continue to do things the hard way.
Now SysPrep is something completely different than Windows Backup. So please be sure to be clear as to what you want. If you want backup, then say backup. If you want sysprep, then say sysprep.
I can tell you from your first post, you cant take a Windows Backup and generate a Image with sysprep.
How Sysprep Works
What is Sysprep?
Those will be of use understanding SysPrep and how to achieve it.
WinOutreach2
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While like KSoD mentions, you cannot use Windows Backup to create an image for deployment purposes, there are certainly utilities provided freely by Microsoft to accomplish the task you've described. Your best bet would be to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit which would allow you to capture drivers and applications from the different models and apply them to a single image with your corporate customizations. Since it sounds as though you have already customized the systems, you could also capture separate images for each model rather than separating applications and drivers to be configured by MDT.
A very high level overview of the process would be:
[FONT="]1. [/FONT]Install MDT on a workstation or server to host the deployment share.
[FONT="]2. [/FONT]Import the operating system files from media.
[FONT="]3. [/FONT]Configure capture task sequence.
[FONT="]4. [/FONT]Generate Windows PE/ MDT media, either for PXE boot from a server with WDS or to be burned to disk or put on a USB.
[FONT="]5. [/FONT]Boot the destination computer, which is already prepared with Sysprep and shut down, to the Windows PE/ MDT media.
[FONT="]6. [/FONT]Run capture task sequence.
[FONT="]7. [/FONT]Create deploy task sequence.
[FONT="]8. [/FONT]Boot other systems to Windows PE/ MDT media and run the deploy task sequence.
There is a video reviewing the deployment workbench in MDT available from the Springboard Series on TechNet, as well as a wide variety of articles, guides, and other videos from the Deliver and Deploy Windows 7 Page.
Alternatively, you could manually use the separate deployment technologies to accomplish your goal. Since you are already familiar with Sysprep, the process would essentially involve creating Windows PE media with ImageX, the Microsoft imaging technology, capturing the image using ImageX, and deploying that image using ImageX on a new computer. This process is outlined in the Basic Windows Deployment for IT Professionals step-by-step guide.
Brandon
Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet
A very high level overview of the process would be:
[FONT="]1. [/FONT]Install MDT on a workstation or server to host the deployment share.
[FONT="]2. [/FONT]Import the operating system files from media.
[FONT="]3. [/FONT]Configure capture task sequence.
[FONT="]4. [/FONT]Generate Windows PE/ MDT media, either for PXE boot from a server with WDS or to be burned to disk or put on a USB.
[FONT="]5. [/FONT]Boot the destination computer, which is already prepared with Sysprep and shut down, to the Windows PE/ MDT media.
[FONT="]6. [/FONT]Run capture task sequence.
[FONT="]7. [/FONT]Create deploy task sequence.
[FONT="]8. [/FONT]Boot other systems to Windows PE/ MDT media and run the deploy task sequence.
There is a video reviewing the deployment workbench in MDT available from the Springboard Series on TechNet, as well as a wide variety of articles, guides, and other videos from the Deliver and Deploy Windows 7 Page.
Alternatively, you could manually use the separate deployment technologies to accomplish your goal. Since you are already familiar with Sysprep, the process would essentially involve creating Windows PE media with ImageX, the Microsoft imaging technology, capturing the image using ImageX, and deploying that image using ImageX on a new computer. This process is outlined in the Basic Windows Deployment for IT Professionals step-by-step guide.
Brandon
Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro
The Springboard Series on TechNet
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