Sysprep

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Sysprep is a utility program from Microsoft for the automated distribution of the Windows operating system .

history

Sysprep was first shipped for use with Windows NT 4.0 . Later versions were compatible with Windows 2000 , Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 . The latter can be downloaded free of charge from Microsoft's homepage, and they are also included on the installation data carrier. Windows Vista contains a further development of the program.

Usage

Operating systems are typically distributed in larger networks via third-party programs for cloning a complete operating system installation. Sysprep is used to prepare the operating system for distribution via what is known as a system image.

Windows contains a large number of user and computer-related settings, which must be brought to the most "neutral" status possible before the image is created so that use on different computers is possible without errors. These include the computer name, membership of a domain, the user profile of the local administrator and the security identifier . Sysprep uses the / generalize parameter to remove this information, as well as drivers for plug-and-play devices that were added during Windows setup.

For Windows 2000 , Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, for example, an administrator uses B. the also supplied SetupMgr.exe or from Windows Vista the System Image Manager to create a response file which the installation routine reads out during the installation. This allows the installation to run automatically, as no user entries have to be made during setup.

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