anybody use sysprep successfully?

i asked this question in a previous post and did not get a reply. i would like to give it another shot.
in a previous post i stated that i tried to create an image for installation on a new system. i used sysprep as per instructions on acronis site and microsoft article. when i rebooted the source system a setup menu appeared which i wasnt expecting. i feared i would loose my setup so i did a repair install of xp pro.
big hassle but im back to normal.
my question is has anybody done this before and can you tell me what steps the windows setup took you through when you booted your source system ?
i have read every post on this forum regarding sysprep and none are specific enough for me.
i use a pc with xp pro.

 

i can use sysprep very well, what exactly do you want to do?

 

i want to make an image of my current system and put it on a new machine.
i also want my source machine to be usable as it was before.

 

well the only way to do this is to make a image of your system before you sysprep (Once you run sysprep it resets your current system). Once you have done a sysprep you will need to image your system again this time this will be a sysprepped image of your system.

Once done your free to restore the image onto another machine! But remember to restore the image of your system before the sysprep to your original machine.

The setup screen which appears on your pc is because you havent read the sysprep information correctly

 

thanks for your help. im embarrassed to say im totally confused.

 

Forget about sysprep. Just do a repair install on the new machine once you've cloned or restored an image to it.

 

you need to read the sys prep manual instead of trying to jump to stage 2 before we can continue,

 

can you tell me where i can find that info ?

 

In your original post you mentioned the microsoft article so i assume you are on hte microsoft site?

 

Will someone who knows the location of the so-called "sys prep manual" be kind enough to share that location with us?

 

i am having problems understanding how none of you can find it?

ok this is what i did to get it, i went to microsoft which is microsoft.com went to support -> search

typed system preperation tool and found:

http://search.microsoft.com/search/results.aspx?st=b&na=88&View=en-gb&qu=System Preparation tool

Sorry but i dont do spoon feeding but ALL the information is on the microsoft web site. Once you have the sysprep tool use the help LOCATED IN THE PROGRAM!!!!

if you dont know where this tool is, either use the link above or look on your windows cd under development tools.

if your not willing to read the help provided with the sysprep too your better of just forgetting the whole sysprep thing. you need to read and understand how to use it before actually running it or your going to be going round in circles all the time.

if you sysprep and hit restart when its booting thats your whole OS down the drain!!!!

 

alex,
i dont need to be spoon fed. all i want is an answer to my original post.........

 

i have provided you with information and direction to go, what else do you need? the question has been answered several times your just not reading the answers correctly.

 

i dont recall your answering this question.
" what steps the windows setup took you through when you rebooted your source system ?"
if you think you answered it already dont bother to reply.

 

i answered it, the steps which its prompting you for is because you sysprepped wrong. maybe because you didnt read the documentation online for sysprep.

your sysprep.inf file is probably wrong but without being able to view it i cant help point out which line or where it is wrong

 

bkw

My experience has been that you generally find helpful people on forums like this, who are eager to help when they can, knowing that others will be willing to help them in return. Every now and then there are those who come along needing to demonstrate how much they know and to demeanor the knowledge and approach of others. We seemed to have reached just such a situation here. My suggestion is wait a day or so, and pose your question in another thread. Your question is a good one. I think that a lot of users are unclear whether they need to use sysprep, and when and how to use it. Hopefully, next time you'll get something more helpful than go to the MS knowledge base and read everything there on the subject.

 

Hi, foolproof

I think your about right.

As the thread poster asked a question, and someone say they know how to do it, and does not bother with leading them through it, just say go read the Manual, which is wrote by Microsoft and never easily understood.

Your answer was what I say to most to do, A Repair Install.

Take Care,
TheQuest

 

Go here and read about this alternative for sysprep, it's a freeware from Sysinternals!!!

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/newsid.shtml

 

Hello bkw,

The sysprep tool cancel the individual settings of your operational system. This allows you to trnsfer the system to other hardware configuration. Of course, it won't work for any configuration change.

After you boot your old or new system (they are absolutely similar after cloning) you will have to input some setting again. For example your keyboard layout, time zone, network settings and Windows license number.

In your case you just had to input all this data once again and you wouldn't have lost your data.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

Correction Acronis Support, the sysprep can be used to RESET hardware configuration as well as device support and its possible for you to use the same image on a totally different configuration. Its all down to how well you know windows and prepare it before you use sysprep.

If your scared of sysprep just make sure you create an image of your system before doing it.

Off course you will always have P4 > AMD issues when restoring or using sysprep

 

thanks for your reply,
acronis support gave me the answer to my question.
its good to know that a repair install will work if you dont mind reinstalling sp2. also when i freaked and did a repair install to my source system i had some problems like my programs were all gone from start menu and balloons were appearing in start menu.

 

You can avoid reinstalling sp2 by slipstreaming it into the WinXP install iso and then burning the modified image to CD and use it for installs/repairs. Step-by-step instructions are everywhere on the internet, including Microsoft's site. But if you prefer a direct link, here is an okay instruction set but not necessarilly the best: http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsXP/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html

 

It is no wonder I don't want to work in this industry after more than 20 years in it. So many people expect to find the exact answer to their exact scenario in lightning speed time.

What ever happened to the library or the support department at the company who wrote the product the question is about in the first place.

The Microsoft Knowledge Base really does have the answers if you take the time to learn how to find stuff there.

I have seen post like "I can't believe no one has replied yet...".

Did it ever occur to them that no one at this site has the answer to their question? Move on the other resources.

This internet thing has created monsters out of people who want answers now instead of cracking the books like I had to and learn it the proper way. By studying.

The sysprep question is answered in a least half a dozen books with step by step instructions and pictures & arrows that can be found at Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Go have a cup of coffee, look at a few of them until you find one you understand, and buy it. Then read it. And read it again. That is how some of us old dogs learned the stuff that so many people are in a hurry to get.

I've said my piece. I have the MCSE Exam 70-270 XP Pro Manual waiting for me on my nightstand.

 

"why when i was your age"
what the heck are you talking about!

 

I smell a rat. Why does someone, as his first post on a brand new forum, choose as the subject for a first post to rant about those who expect easy and quick answer about sysprep, without going to the knowledge base where, coincidentally, our friend A|ex developed his storehouse of sysprep wisdom. Indeed, if one reads their separate posts carefully, there is a syntactical similarity. I guess great minds think and express themselves alike.