Sysprep

Sysprep (System Preparation) prepares a Windows client or Windows Server installation for imaging. Sysprep can remove PC-specific information from a Windows installation (generalizing) so it can be installed on different PCs. When you run Sysprep you can configure whether the PC will boot to audit mode or to the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) . Removes PC-specific information from the Windows image, including the PC's security identifier (SID). This allows you to capture the image and apply it to other PCs. This is known as generalizing the PC. Uninstalls, but doesn't remove, PC-specific drivers from the Windows image. Prepares the PC for delivery to a customer by setting the PC to boot to OOBE. Allows you to add answer file (unattend) settings to an existing installation. Manage multiple PCs by creating a generic image that can be used across multiple hardware designs. Deploy PCs by capturing and deploying images with unique security identifiers. Fine-tune setup of individual PCs by adding apps, languages, or drivers in audit mode. For more information, see Audit Mode Overview . Provide more reliable PCs by testing in audit mode before delivering them to customers. You can start with a computer that runs Windows 10, version 20H2. Upgrade the computer to run Windows 11. Run Sysprep generalize on the upgraded image, re-capture the updated image, and deploy the image to new devices. : Microsoft does not support the use of Sysprep on Windows that has been already deployed, or for purposes other than image creation. Beginning with Windows 8.1, the Sysprep user interface is deprecated. The Sysprep UI opens when you start Audit mode, but it may be removed in a future release. Update your deployment workflow to use Sysprep from the command line. For more information, see Sysprep Command-Line Options . You must run Sysprpep from command line and specify the /quiet switch when running on Windows Server deployed in Server Core installation option. Otherwise, the Sysprep UI won't show, and the process will fail silently. You must run Windows Setup before you use Sysprep. You need a tool to capture an image of the installation, such as DISM - Deployment Image Servicing and Management Technical Reference for Windows or other disk-imaging software. When you copy Windows images between PCs, the reference and destination PCs may not have to have compatible hardware abstraction layers (HALs). The /detecthal option in the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) enables a system that has already run Sysprep to install the correct HAL. The security identifier (SID) is only replaced on the operating system volume when you execute Sysprep. If a single PC has multiple operating systems, you must run Sysprep on each image individually. In some cases, customized applications that you install before you recapture the Windows image may require a consistent drive letter. Some applications store paths that include the system's drive letter. Uninstallation, servicing, and repair scenarios may not function correctly if the system's drive letter does not match the drive letter that the application specifies. The Plug and Play devices on the reference and destination PCs do not have to be from the same manufacturer. These devices include modems, sound cards, network adapters, and video cards. However, the installation must include the drivers for these devices. Not all server roles support Sysprep. If you generalize a Windows Server installation that has specific server roles configured, those server roles may not continue to function after the imaging and deployment process. For more information, see Sysprep Support for Server Roles . If you run Sysprep on an NTFS file system partition that contains encrypted files or folders, the data in those folders becomes completely unreadable and unrecoverable. The Sysprep tool runs only if the PC is a member of a workgroup, not a domain. If the PC is joined to a domain, Sysprep removes the PC from the domain. If a PC is