Nt1310 Unit 3 Research Paper 1

Published: October 22, 2009 Updated: July 8, 2010 Applies To: Windows 7 Note This content applies to Windows 7. For Windows 8 content, see Windows Deployment with the Windows ADK. The System Preparation tool, Sysprep.exe, is used to prepare an installation of Windows® for imaging or delivery to a customer. This topic includes: Sysprep Executable Sysprep Process Using Answer Files with Sysprep Resetting Windows Activation Booting to Audit Mode or Windows Welcome Detecting the State of a Windows Image Sysprep Log Files

Sysprep Executable
Sysprep.exe is the main program that calls other executable files that prepare the Windows installation. Sysprep.exe is located in the %WINDIR%\system32\sysprep directory on all installations. Sysprep must always be run from the %WINDIR%\system32\sysprep directory and must run on the version of Windows with which it was installed.
Verifies that Sysprep can run. Only an administrator can run Sysprep, and only one instance of Sysprep can run at a given time. Also, Sysprep must run on the version of Windows with which it was installed. 2. Initializes logging.

3. Parses command-line arguments. If no command-line arguments were provided, the Sysprep window appears that enables users to specify Sysprep actions. 4. Processes Sysprep actions, calls appropriate .dll files and executable files, and adds actions to the log file. 5. Verifies that all .dll files have processed all of their tasks, and then either shuts down or restarts the system.

Using Answer Files with Sysprep
You can use an answer file with Sysprep to configure unattended Setup settings. The following sections describe some of the considerations and processes for using answer files with