Sysprep question, is it necessary in my situation?

[alkemyst]

I am in the process of updating our system images. We have 3 hardware setups, I'd make an image for each.

In the past the previous person in charge of this would sysprep. For the last few one-offs I have simply just ghosted a current machine down, re imaged the new one.

I then took it off the network, unjoined the domain, renamed the PC and then connected back up and rejoined the domain.

From my understanding the SIDs are then reset (which is the problem doing this in a WORKGROUP).

Am I missing anything?

Thanks

 

[Trader05]

We use sysprep at my work, we image the refurbish pc's and sysprep>factory reseal them all before sending out. After sysprep, on the next reboot it comes up to the same screen after a clean install: Agree to license agreement>product key>User Name>Network IDs>Activate/Register with Microsoft. I'd try both and see which process is easier and faster.

 

[alkemyst]

🙂 well not syspreping and just renaming/joining the domain is much faster and easier 🙂

I just don't know if I am doing something that is causing issues.

 

[MadRat]

I never liked sysprep, but it does a necessary evil if you manage machines in an enterprise. Inventory software tends to be sid-centric, which can play hell with the master db.

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: MadRat
I never liked sysprep, but it does a necessary evil if you manage machines in an enterprise. Inventory software tends to be sid-centric, which can play hell with the master db.

Very much so. We always have to sysprep if we don't want ungodly nightmares with out software inventory

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
🙂 well not syspreping and just renaming/joining the domain is much faster and easier 🙂

I just don't know if I am doing something that is causing issues.

How is it faster? You'll have to unjoin, rename and join again. Sysprepping isn't that hard. sheez. Build a template file that has your volume key and Company name and settings ect, one time, then when you syspred, all you do is select regenerate SID on 1st boot (can't remember the exact name of the check box) click on reseal and ghost an image.
Now when you put the image on a new machine, you just ghost, rename and set it on the domain.

 

[MadRat]

You have to sysprep after reimaging or you're just duplicating sid's again.

 

[armstrda]

or you could use this sys internals tool if you didn't want to sysprep - you would just run this on each imaged client:

http://technet.microsoft.com/e...nternals/bb897418.aspx

Of couse they say they don't support systems that use this rather than sysPrep, but you can still use it 🙂