New
#11
Thanks. I have an idea, but I need to go it through first. I'll be back later.
Kari
This is a tricky one. Manufacturer has pre-installed Windows, meaning that when devices are booted first time, they go straight to OOBE.
I have a solution for you, but I am afraid you are not going to like it. It will only take a few minutes per device, but sheer number of devices means you would need a full working day (or two!) to do this.
I tested this now a few times, works perfectly.
Boot a machine with pre-installed OEM Windows until it stops in OOBE region selection screen. Connect a USB containing your unattend.xml answer file. Press SHIFT + F10 to open Command Prompt. Notice that on some laptops you need to press SHIFT + FN + F10.
Run Sysprep with following command:
%windir%\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /shutdown /unattend:E:\unattend.xml
The/unattend
switch with path to your answer file forces system to use and apply it. Notice that E:\ in said switch in above sample refers to the drive letter of the USB flash drive. If you are unsure what drive letter it has, use DISKPART command LIST DISK to find it out, then exit DISKPART before running the Sysprep command.
In my tests now, on one physical mid-level laptop and couple of virtual machines, I needed less than three minutes a machine. Sysprep runs applying your answer file and shuts down the machine, which when booted next time will completely bypass OOBE.
Kari
Hi Kari
Thank you so much for proposing this valuable solution.
I was able to further enhance the automation by executing the proposed Sysprep command from within a provisioning package. To be more specific, I created a CMD script containing the command and added it as a ProvisioningCommand in Windows Configuration Designer.
The provisioning package is automaticallly consumend from the external usb drive on the first OOBE screen. The system then restarts and successfully applies the unattend.xml as defined in the Sysprep command.
Thanks again!
Manuel