Sysprep Windows 10 and 11 Machine: Step by Step Guide

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With SysPrep (System Preparation Tool), you can generalize your Windows 10/11 installation and create a customized reference Windows image for deployment to computers in your organization. Such a Windows installation image will contain all the necessary apps, drivers, settings, and security updates that your users need to get started.

In this guide, we’ll show how to use SysPrep to create a reference Windows image that is ready to be deployed to physical or virtual machines (VDI solutions).

What is SysPrep?

Before deploying a Windows image to new computers, configure a reference computer. Download the latest Windows build (you can use the Media Creation tool to make Windows installation media) and perform a clean Windows installation on a reference computer or virtual machine. Install the necessary drivers, applications, and configure other Windows settings. The resulting image must be generalized by deleting computer-specific information (SID, GUID, etc.). You can generalize the Windows image using the SysPrep tool.

Everything configured in Windows before running SysPrep remains untouched. This includes the installed software, personalization and network settings, installed and pinned Microsoft Store apps, File Explorer, and other parameters.

You can find the sysprep.exe executable in the %WINDIR%\system32\sysprep folder.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Using Sysprep

Syprep’s benefits:

• Customized Windows 10/11 reference image allows you to quickly deploy a ready-to-work environment on a user’s computer. You do not need to install drivers, programs, or security updates. Also, no need to configure custom Windows settings on each computer;
• It is possible to deploy the Windows image using the answer file (unattended.xml). It allows you to pre-configure all the setup steps and perform Windows installation completely automatically;
• You can extract the image, make changes to it, and update it at any time using the deployment tool.

Disadvantages of Sysprep:

• The size of the Windows reference image can be significantly larger than the clean Windows 10 or 11 installation ISO image;
• You will need to periodically update the versions of programs and drivers injected into the reference image, and install the latest security updates;
• You cannot use the Sysprep tool on domain-joined computers. Sysprep will remove the computer from the AD domain;
• Sysprep can be run up to 1001 times on a single Windows image. Once this limit is reached, you should re-create your Windows image from scratch.

How to Create a Windows 10 or 11 Reference Image?

You can create your Windows 11/10 reference WIM image by following these steps:

1. Perform a clean installation of Windows 10/11 from the original ISO image or installation USB stick, then put it into Audit Mode;
2. Install apps, drivers, patches, and language packs. Then configure user personalization options, configure desktop, create shortcuts, set files and folder permissions, etc.
3. Generalize the image using the SysPrep;
4. Boot into Windows PE and capture an image using the DISM tool;
5. Copy the resulting WIM image to the installation media or use the deployment tools to install it on the users’ computers (such as MDT, WDS, DISM, or ImageX).

The reference builds for this article are Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 22H2.

Background updates to Microsoft Store apps can break the SysPrep process on modern Windows 10/11 builds. To avoid this, you need to disable automatic updating of Store apps.

1. Unplug the Internet connection (Ethernet) or disable your Wi-Fi adapter on your computer;
2. Run the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store;
3. Enable the policy Automatic Download and Install of updates;

Then configure the ImageState registry parameter:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\State" /v ImageState /t REG_SZ /d IMAGE_STATE_GENERALIZE_RESEAL_TO_OOBE /f

And make changes to the file C:\Windows\Setup\State\State.ini

[State]

ImageState=IMAGE_STATE_SPECIALIZE_RESEAL_TO_OOBE

This will prevent Sysprep from failing when processing Microsoft Store apps.

Customizing Reference Windows Image in Audit Mode with SysPrep

You need to customize your reference Windows Image in the Audit Mode. You can boot into Audin Mode from the OOBE screen (run CTLRL+Shift+F3) or open an elevated PowerShell console and run sysprep command:

C:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe

Select the following options in the System Preparation Tool window:

• System Cleanup Action: Enter System Audit mode;
• Shutdown Options: Reboot;
• Press the OK button.

Sysprep on Windows can be run from the command line with basic options:

sysprep.exe [/oobe | /audit] [/generalize] [/reboot | /shutdown | /quit] [/quiet] [/unattend:answer_file_name]

• /audit — boots Windows into audit mode. In this mode, you can install additional apps and drivers;
• /generalize — preparing Windows for image capture. All identifiers, logs, Event Viewer logs, and restore points are removed;
• /oobe — restarts the Windows in the Welcome screen mode. The Windows Welcome screen allows users to configure Windows operating system, create new accounts, rename the computer, and perform other tasks;
• /unattend:answer_file_name — allows you to apply the settings from the answer file to Windows during an unattended installation.

Note. In some cases, SysPrep returns the error: unable to validate your Windows installation. The cause of the error is listed in the %WINDIR%\System32\Sysprep\Panther\setupact file.

Refer to the article for other possible sysprep errors and fixes: Sysprep was not able to validate your Windows installation.

For other SysPrep errors, you can check the log files. Depending on the stage, Sysprep may write information to one of the directories:

• Generalize — %WINDIR%\System32\Sysprep\Panther.
• Specialize — %WINDIR%\Panther.
• Windows Unattended installation — %WINDIR%\Panther\UnattendGC.

The computer will automatically restart and boot into Audit Mode. Windows automatically logs on using the built-in administrator account (even if it was previously disabled). Until you explicitly switch your computer to Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), Windows will always start in Audit Mode.

The Sysprep dialogue box in the center of the screen is the only visible sign that you’ve entered the Windows Audit Mode desktop. Do not close the SysPrep window, just minimize it.

Configure your Windows in the Audit Mode. We will take a look at some popular steps that sysops most often configure in their reference image.

Step 1: Install OEM Information and Logo

You can set your company branding info in the Computer Properties windows. In this example, we will set the OEMLogo, Company name, tech support website, and working hours. You can set these through the registry. Create a text file oem.reg, and copy the following code into it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OEMInformation]

“Logo”=”C:\\WINDOWS\\oem\\OEMlogo.bmp”

“Manufacturer”=”TheITBros, LLC”

“Model”=”Windows 10 Pro 21H1”

“SupportHours”=”9am to 5pm ET M-F”

“SupportURL”=”https://theitbros.com”

Note. Create the graphic file C:\WINDOWS\oem\OEMlogo.bmp with your company logo.

To apply the REG file, double-click it, and accept the registry changes. This will import these settings into the registry.

After rebooting, you will see the following branding information in the System Properties:

Step 2: Install the Drivers and Apps

You can install drivers and third-party programs you would like to see in your Windows 10/11 image.
You can install programs manually, or using the built-in WinGet package manager. Use the WinGet package manager to install the software that you need. (about 5000 programs available in WinGet repo).

Let’s say, we want to install Opera, Google Chrome, VLC media player, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, 7Zip, K-Lite Codec Pack Full, and Zoomit. Open the elevated PowerShell prompt and run the command:

winget install --id=7zip.7zip -e && winget install --id=Opera.Opera -e && winget install --id=Google.Chrome -e && winget install --id=VideoLAN.VLC -e && winget install --id=Adobe.Acrobat.Reader.32-bit -e && winget install --id=CodecGuide.K-LiteCodecPack.Full -e && winget install --id=Zoom.Zoom –e

Tip. You can use the WinGet online repository browser (https://winstall.app/) to select the programs you want to install and generate the WinGet installation script.

Note. Don’t install or update any Microsoft Store apps on a reference computer.

You can also install drivers for all the computers and laptop models that you want to use this reference Windows image on. Download and extract the driver packages to a specific directory. Then search for all *.inf files, and inject all the drivers from the source folder into the Windows image with the PowerShell command:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Drivers\" -Recurse -Filter "*.inf" |

ForEach-Object {PNPUtil.exe /add-driver $_.FullName /install}

If you need to reboot Windows to install the application or update, you can do so. After reboot, the system will return to audit mode.

Step 3: Disable Telemetry and Data Collection in Windows 10/11

Windows 10 and 11 collect information about how people use computers. Examples of handwriting and voice samples, location information, error reports, calendar contents – all of this can be sent to Microsoft servers.

If you do not want the OS sending data to Microsoft’s telemetry servers, you can disable the Telemetry and Data Collection services. Run the following commands:

sc delete DiagTrack

sc delete dmwappushservice

echo ““ > C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Diagnosis\ETLLogs\AutoLogger\AutoLogger-DiagTrack-Listener.etl

REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection" /v AllowTelemetry /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Also, you can disable tracking in Windows 10 and 11 using the DisableWinTracking tool from GitHub.

Step 4: Install Windows Security Update in Audit Mode

Windows will not allow you to install updates in audit mode by using the Windows Update section of the Settings panel. The Windows Update checks if the system has completed the OOBE phase. If not, the update won’t be installed.

You can install the security updates from the command prompt using the PSWindowsUpdate Module from PowerShell Gallery. Install the PSWindowsUpdate module on Windows using the command:

Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate

Run the following commands to download and install all available Windows updates:

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Command Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate;

Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot

That’s all! Any updates that are available will be downloaded from the Windows Update servers and will be installed automatically.

Step 5: Uninstall Built-in Microsoft Store Apps

Also, you can uninstall built-in Microsoft Store (UWP apps), but it’s really up to you. So, if you don’t want to uninstall built-in apps, just skip this step.

You can remove pre-installed Microsoft Store apps in Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 using the following PowerShell commands:

#AV1 Codec

Get-AppxPackage *AV1VideoExtension* | Remove-AppxPackage

#News app

Get-AppxPackage *BingNews* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Weather

Get-AppxPackage *BingWeather* | Remove-AppxPackage

#PowerShell

Get-AppxPackage *PowerShell* | Remove-AppxPackage

#WebP image support

Get-AppxPackage *WebpImageExtension* | Remove-AppxPackage

#HEIF image support

Get-AppxPackage *HEIFImageExtension* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Windows Terminal

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsTerminal* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Music app

Get-AppxPackage *ZuneMusic* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Movies and TV

Get-AppxPackage *ZuneVideo* | Remove-AppxPackage

#MS Office

Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftOfficeHub* | Remove-AppxPackage

#People app

Get-AppxPackage *People* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Maps

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsMaps* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Help and tips

Get-AppxPackage *GetHelp* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Voice Recorder

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsSoundRecorder* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Notepad

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsNotepad* | Remove-AppxPackage

#MS Paint

Get-AppxPackage *Paint* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Sticky Notes

Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftStickyNotes* | Remove-AppxPackage

#PowerAutomate

Get-AppxPackage *PowerAutomateDesktop* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Xbox and related apps

Get-AppxPackage *Xbox* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Feedback Hub

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsFeedbackHub* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Microsoft To-Do

Get-AppxPackage *Todos* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Calculator

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsCalculator* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Alarms and Clocks

Get-AppxPackage *WindowsAlarms* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Teams/Chat

Get-AppxPackage *Teams* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Microsoft Edge

Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftEdge* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Your Phone

Get-AppxPackage *YourPhone* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Spotify

Get-AppxPackage *SpotifyAB.SpotifyMusic* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Screen & Sketch/Snipping tool

Get-AppxPackage *ScreenSketch* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Solitaire Collection

Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftSolitaireCollection* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Photos

Get-AppxPackage *Windows.Photos* | Remove-AppxPackage

#OneDrive

Get-AppxPackage *OneDriveSync* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Skype

Get-AppxPackage *SkypeApp* | Remove-AppxPackage

#Xbox Console Companion

Get-AppxPackage *GamingApp* | Remove-AppxPackage

Note. An error may occur during Sysprep after you removing some of the built-in Microsoft Store apps (check c:\Windows\Panther\setuperr.log):

Error SYSPRP Package <PackageFullName> was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep image.
Error SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2.

This is a known Windows 10/11 issue and you can fix it according to the guide.

Generalizing Windows Image Using Sysprep

If your computer has a static IP address configured, specify that the address should be obtained automatically (from a DHCP server). You can do that in the network adapter settings.

Or, you can use the following PowerShell script to automatically get an IP address from a DHCP server:

$IPType = "IPv4"

$adapter = Get-NetAdapter | ? {$_.Status -eq "up"}

$interface = $adapter | Get-NetIPInterface -AddressFamily $IPType

If ($interface.Dhcp -eq "Disabled") {

If (($interface | Get-NetIPConfiguration).Ipv4DefaultGateway) {

$interface | Remove-NetRoute -Confirm:$false

}

$interface | Set-NetIPInterface -DHCP Enabled

$interface | Set-DnsClientServerAddress -ResetServerAddresses

}

Now cleanup your image:

1. Use the Disk Clean-up tool (cleanmgr.exe) to remove junk and unnecessary files from your computer’s hard disk;
   
2. Empty the Recycle Bin;
3. Remove temporary files and folders (%LocalAppData%\temp, C:\Windows\Temp, etc.);
4. Before running Sysprep, delete all user profiles, except for the Administrator and Default profiles.
5. Clean up the Web Cache files in the Administrator and Default profiles:

   rd /s /q "C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCache"
   
   rd /s /q "C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache"
   
   del /f /q /a:sh "C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCacheLock.dat"
   
   rd /s /q "C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCache"
   
   rd /s /q "C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache"
   
   del /f /q /a:sh "C:\Users\Default\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\WebCacheLock.dat"

After everything is configured, you can expand the SysPrep windows and select the options:

• System Cleanup Action: Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE);
• Shutdown Options: Shutdown;
• Check the Generalize option.

After generalizing the Windows image, it will start from Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) mode and reassign unique SIDs during the first boot.

Using Answer Files with Sysprep for Unattended Windows 10/11 Installation

You can use an answer file together with the Sysprep tool. It allows configuring unattended Windows Setup settings. This step is optional (used to specify various image deployment options). You can skip this step, and go straight to the step of capturing a Windows image.

The answer file may contain the answer to each question. You choose this options when performing Windows Setup (region, language, product key, keyboard, account, and privacy setting, etc.). You can use the answer file to skip some of the steps during the out-of-box experience (OOBE).

How to Create Windows Answer File Using Windows System Image Manager

You can create an answer file manually (this is simple XML file). But it’s more convenient to generate the correct answer file using the Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) tool.

Download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 or ADK for Windows 11. Use the ADK version for the Windows version you want to deploy.

Run the adksetup.exe file as an administrator. Then select Deployment Tools to install (it includes the latest version of DISM and Windows SIM).

You will need the install.wim file with the Windows image you want to deploy. You can copy the install.wim file from the sources directory on the installation Windows ISO image. If only the install.esd file is available in the sources directory, you can convert ESD to WIM to get install.wim.

Let’s create an answer unattended file for Windows 10 22H2.

Run the Windows System Image Manager as an administrator (C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Assessment and Deployment Kit\Deployment Tools\WSIM\imgmgr.exe). Select File > New Answer File.

Specify the path to your install.wim for which you want to create an answer file for.

Wait for the SIM to mount the Windows installation image and create the catalog file (.clg). This will take some time, after which the install_Windows 10 Pro.clg file will appear in the directory with the install.wim file.

Note. If you try to open the install.wim file of your Windows 10 build using WSIM from an older version of the ADK, you may receive an error message:

Windows SIM was unable to generate a catalog.

In order to fix this error, you need to install the latest ADK and WSIM available for your Windows build.

Select your Windows 10 edition. If there is only one edition of Windows in your install.wim file, it will be selected automatically.

Using WSIM, you can configure various parameters for the answer file. For example, you can configure the Windows product key (if you are using KMS server or MAK keys), time zone, organization and owner info, default language and region settings, input locales, etc.

First of all, we need to do the most important thing: tell Sysprep to copy all our customizations to the default user profile.

To do this, find the amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup__neutral in the Windows Image section. Right-click on it and select Add Setting to Pass 4 specialize.

Then, in the Answer File panel, expand section 4 Specialize > amd64_Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup__neutral. Set the CopyProfile value to TRUE.

Additionally, you can configure the following options in the Answer file.

Pass 1 Windows PE

Choosing an installation language in WinPE:

Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE

InputLocale: en-US;

SystemLocale: en-US

UILanguage: en-US

UserLocale: en-US

The Windows 10 Product key:

Microsoft-Windows-Setup -> UserData -> ProductKey -> Key = {specify your MAK or GVLK key}

To automatically accept user agreement:

Microsoft-Windows-Setup -> UserData -> AccepptEula = True

Pass 7 oobeSystem

Skip Microsoft account creation screen (MSA):

Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup –> OOBE -> HideOnlineAccountScreens = True

Do not ask 3 security questions for your local account:

Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup –> OOBE -> ProtectYourPC= 3

Create a local administrator account and set a password for it:

Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup –> UserAccounts –> LocalAccounts -> Insert New Local Account

Name: admin

Group: Administrators

All empty (blank) answer file parameters must be removed.

To check the settings in answer file, select in Tools > Validate Answer File option. If you configured everything correctly, a message should appear in the Messages console: No warning or errors.

Save the answer file by choosing File > Save Answer File As > autounattend.xml.

Now you can close WSIM.

Generalize Windows Image Using Answer File

Now you can use your autounattend file to Sysprep your Windows image. Run the command in the the elevated command prompt (replace the path to autounattend.xml with yours):

c:\windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:C:\ps\autounattend.xml

Hint. If you want to capture a Windows image running in a virtual machine, you can use the special Sysprep switch /mode:vm:

C:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /mode:vm /shutdown /unattend:C:\ps\autounattend.xml

This mode allows you to generalize the OS for deployment on other VMs. Virtual machine mode only works if you are running Sysprep on a Windows running in a virtual machine. Virtual machine mode generalizes a virtual hard disk (VHD) to be deployed as a VHD within the same virtual machine or hypervisor. The hypervisor and hardware profile must be identical to those on which the image was created.

With the /generalize option the Sysprep will remove unique computer data. This allows you to safely deploy this reference Windows image on other workstations or laptops. After executing the command, the computer will shut down.

Capture Reference Windows 10/11 Using DISM after Generalize

After shutting down your computer, you can capture a customized Windows image using MDT. You can also use other special tools for capturing a Windows image or using DISM. Below we will consider the DISM option.

Boot the computer with the Windows reference image into Windows PE. The easiest way to access WinPE is to boot the computer from the Windows 10/11 installation media, or recovery disc.

Press Shift + F10 on the first setup screen.

Type Diskpart command. Use the list vol command to identify the drive letters. In our example, the installed Windows image is located on drive D.

Capture the image with the command:

dism /capture-image /imagefile:E:\win10referenceimg.wim /capturedir:d:\ /name:"Win10 Pro reference image"

• /Capturedir — the reference Windows folder.
• /imagefile — the target WIM image file you want to create. Connect an additional disk or USB flash drive to the computer and save the image to it (do not specify the Windows partition drive letter here);
• /Compress — use the /compress:maximum option for best WIM image file reduction (this will increase the image capture time, but save a disk space).

Hint. You can capture your reference Windows image and immediately save it to a shared network folder on your file server (or MDT host). To do this, you need to mount a network drive in WinPE before running the dism /capture-image command:

1. Initialize network in WinPE and get IP address from DHCP server:
   wpenit
2. Map a shared network folder using the net use command:

   Net use E: \\192.168.31.20\share

   

3. Provide user credentials to access shared folder;
4. Now you can capture an image to a shared folder over the network.

Copy the reference WIM image you’ve got to the installation drive media (copy and replace file ..\sources\install.wim), or put it into your deployment software (MDT, SCCM).

Now you can deploy your customized Windows image to computers across the company using MDT, WDS, SCCM, etc.