The sysprep.inf file contains network names and passwords in plain text, which might seem like a big security problem. However, the Mini-Setup Wizard automatically deletes the folder that sysprep.inf resides in on the target computer.
[Networking]. In the [Networking] section, setting the InstalldefaultComponents = parameter to no causes the Mini-Setup wizard to leave the network stack alone. The master disk image has all the network settings, but if you find that you have machines with different NICs, you can set parameters in this section.
Now that the FinalSetup.vbs script and the Sysprep utility are ready, you need to add them to the master disk image to prepare it for cloning. To add the files to the disk image, you must first copy them to the computer that you used to make the initial disk image, then create a second disk image. I created a batch file named prepsys.bat, which Listing 3 shows, to copy FinalSetup.vbs to the computer's C:\winnt\system32 directory, copy the Sysprep utility and supporting files to the Sysprep directory on the system drive's root, and run the Sysprep utility. When you run Sysprep with the /forceshutdown switch, the computer should shut down automatically. If it doesn't, turn off the power manually when the hard disk light goes out. Don't restart the computer yet.
To make a second image of the computer's disk, insert a network boot disk as before, boot the computer, and connect to the network share. Run the disk-imaging software and create the second disk image, giving it a new name. You'll use the new image to clone workstations. When you load this image on a computer and boot the computer, the image will perform all the setup steps I've discussed. Save the first image in case you need to make changes.
If you do need to modify your master image, load the first master image onto a computer. Make any necessary changes to the configuration or applications, and clean the disk as I instructed earlier. Make any necessary changes to the FinalSetup.vbs script or sysprep.inf file, and use prepsys.bat to copy the script and the Sysprep files to the computer. Prepsys.bat will also run Sysprep to create a new disk image for cloning.
You can modify a disk that you've prepared with the Sysprep utility, but I don't recommend doing so. When you booted the computer for the first time, the Mini-Setup Wizard would run and perform setup tasks. You would then have to "undo" the Mini-Setup Wizard's work before making the modifications you needed. Making a mistake would be too easy.
Clone the Master Image to a Workstation
To clone the second master disk image to a target workstation, you can use one of three methods: Use a network boot disk to boot the workstation, then load the disk image from the network share; use a bootable CD-ROM that contains the image; or use a disk duplicator to copy the master disk to several hard disks at once. You might find that you need to use one method for some workstations and another method for other workstations.
I think the most efficient approach is to use a bootable CD-ROM that contains the disk image. The CD-ROM lets you copy the image to a computer without network connectivity (which the network-share approach requires) and without removing the computer's hard disk (which the disk duplicator requires). The CD-ROM (and disk-duplicator) approach also doesn't consume network bandwidth.
After you've loaded the disk image on the target workstation, restart it. When the computer runs for the first time, Sysprep starts the Mini-Setup Wizard, which prompts the user for any information not in the sysprep.inf file. In my company's case, the computer name was the only information the user had to enter. The operator used the company's standard naming convention to give the computer a unique name based on the end user's name, department, and physical location. The Mini-Setup Wizard also adds an entry to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce registry subkey. Win2K will run the FinalSetup.vbs script when someone logs on to the computer the first time.
Planning ahead can give network administrators and support staff a painless way to upgrade or reinstall a client's computer in place in minutes. Disk-imaging software, WSH scripting, and Microsoft's Sysprep utility are tools anyone deploying desktops should learn to use. In the time it would take you to install and configure a dozen desktops the old-fashioned way, you could master these new tools.
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Sandy Wood January 14, 2002