Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Sysprep Image Installs
Article: 20000037
Applies to: All releases
Windows Server 2008 Sysprep Image Capture
When a Windows Server 2008 Sysprep image capture job is deployed to a reference server,
the server will reboot into Sysprep audit mode for driver integration.
It is important not to force the server into PXE by pressing F12; this will cause the image to be captured prematurely.
When the target server is in audit mode, an Altiris temporary user will be logged in and a Sysprep dialog box will be visible.
Do not close or use the dialog box. Wait for the Altiris Dagent service to start and connect back to the Deployment Server.
Indications the Sysprep process did not complete successfully before capturing the image:
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An Altiris temporary user account has been added but not deleted.
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When the image is deployed, domain controllers report duplicate SIDs on the network.
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When the image is deployed, duplicate hostnames are reported on the network.
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NOTE: After a successful Sysprep image capture, you will be prompted to set the Administrator password.
This is correct and is only necessary after the image capture on the reference server.
Windows Server 2008 Sysprep Image Deployment
Most Windows Setup errors that occur during a Windows Server 2008 Sysprep image deployment result from missing or
incorrect information in the unattend file. It is important to create or modify a Windows Server 2008 Sysprep
unattend file with the Windows System Image Manager utility included in the Windows AIK install.
When a deployment is unsuccessful, a generic error message will be displayed on the target server during Window setup that defines
only the configuration pass that failed. When troubleshooting problems with Sysprep and Windows setup, you can
open the log files for more detailed information.
Files on the target server that can be useful for troubleshooting Sysprep deployment problems:
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Answer file used during Windows Setup, e.g. c:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml.
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Sysprep setup actions log, e.g. c:\windows\system32\sysprep\panther\setupact.log.
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Sysprep setup error log, e.g. c:\windows\system32\sysprep\panther\setuperr.log.
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Since the target is probably not bootable after the error, the best way to acquire these files
is to boot into WinPE using a Wait task and copy over the files to the Deployment Server.
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