Customize Windows 10 Image in Audit Mode with Sysprep  

MikeNomad said:

Does removing the apps prior to install cause a problem or removing IE 11?

No. Windows activation has nothing to do with apps and software removed or installed.

I can think of only three logical explanations:

1.) Original, replaced Windows was version 1507 build 10240

Windows introduced digital licensing (also called digital entitlement) first in November 2015 update, version 1511 build 10586. When Windows 10 is reinstalled on a machine which previously had an activated Windows 10 with a digital license, new installation will be automatically activated based on the machine's hardware signature.

If the original Windows version was 1507 build 10240, the machine had no digital license available therefore a clean reinstall will not be automatically activated. Activation requires a product key or a volume license. To keep version 1507 activation you should use in-place upgrade install method, not clean install.

2.) Wrong edition

If the replaced Windows installation is version 1511 build 10586 or later but different edition than the new installed Windows it would not be automatically activated. Digital licenses are edition but not language or bit version specific.

3.) Not enough patience

For the digital license to be checked and Windows activated, you sometimes have to wait. I have had one reinstall I remember very well because of how long the activation took; keeping the machine on and online only rebooting it occasionally after clean reinstall of Swedish Windows 10 Education version 1607 on a previously digitally activated machine, doing the reinstall early in the morning, it took to next afternoon and several reboots before Windows was automatically activated.

Having to wait an hour or two and a few restarts is not uncommon.

That being said, I would never in any circumstances use a production machine in active use with a previously activated Windows 10 as a technician machine to prepare Windows! This whole tutorial and method told in it is based on that fact: use a specific non-activated technician machine (in case of this tutorial I use a Hyper-V virtual machine) to prepare Windows image, then deploy it to production machines. Windows does not need to be activated when preparing it in Audit Mode.

When install image has been prepared and sysprepped, capture the image and deploy it. In this tutorial I use somewhat unorthodox deployment method, capturing the image as a Macrium system image then deploying it by using Macrium image restore function. Reason this tutorial tells about the Macrium method is that I tried to keep this somewhat complicated process as simple as possible to suit needs of private users.

For more professional approach, to capture and deploy the image on corporate / organisational networks you can and should of course use more professional tools and methods, like for instance capturing image with DISM and deploying with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

Anyway, if I should make a bet now my money would go to option 3 in above list :)

Kari

MikeNomad said:

I will take a look today and see if the machines are activated, I hope it is your 3rd suggestion.

A fact: when a PC has a digital license for a specific Windows 10 edition, the same edition will be automatically activated when reinstalled or re-deployed, regardless of install or deployment method. Hard disk can be completely wiped clean or existing partitions replaced by restoring a deployment image, when new installation gets online and can check activation servers for existing digital license, Windows will be activated.

Sysprep is not, basically cannot be the reason why your test machine was not activated. Activation has nothing to do with if Windows has been sysprepped or not.

A test you could make if you have patience and time: make a system image of a digitally licensed production PC, not the one you used for creating deployment image. Now deploy it to this test machine and see the activation status.

When done with test you can restore the system image you made to restore test machine as it was before deployment test.

Since reading your post yesterday I have done some testing. I can't replicate your activation issue. Of course I have to admit my tests have not been very extensive, I only tested following four scenarios on a physical machine which originally had Windows 10 PRO x64 UK English version 1607 build 14393 (in all tests I skipped the product key when prompted). After each test I restored a system image to be sure all tests could be compared, starting situation being the same.

Test scenarios 1 & 3 were done being all the time connected to network / Internet, tests 2 & 4 are otherwise identical scenarios as 1 & 3 only difference being they were made disconnecting machine from network only reconnecting network when new install finally arrived to desktop. All tests done creating initial user as local admin account instead of Microsoft account.

• Test 1:
  
  • Clean installed Windows 10 PRO x64 EN-UK version 1607 replacing original installation but not wiping HDD, booting to Audit Mode from OOBE, did some basic desktop customisations, sysprepped and finalised setup resulting fresh clean installed Windows with Windows.old folder containing the previous installation allowing roll back to previous installation if needed
• Test 2:
  
  • Same as Test 1. but network disconnect until installation was done
• Test 3:
  
  • Clean installed Windows 10 PRO x64 EN-UK version 1607 replacing original installation wiping HDD empty, booting to Audit Mode from OOBE, did some basic desktop customisations, sysprepped and finalised setup resulting fresh clean installed Windows with no possibility to roll back to previous installation
• Test 4:
  
  • Same as Test 3. but network disconnect until installation was done

In tests 1 & 3 Windows was automatically activated as soon as the initial user was signed in to desktop. In tests 2 & 4 activation status was shown as not activated 15 minutes after reconnecting network at which point machine was rebooted. After reboot Windows was shown as activated immediately when on desktop, in both scenarios.

I know that's not extensive but it's enough for me to say I really can't replicate your issue.

I'm online all weekend, do not hesitate to post whatever results you get when trying to fix this :)

Kari

@MikeNomad I am happy everything is OK.

ragazzo said:

Any help would be very, very much appreciated. Right now, I am creating the partitions myself when deploying the image, but I'd like to eliminate that.

Find time enough to read this thread through, in it we will discuss a totally unattended installation with creating partitions: Image Windows 10 laptops with DISM (or other free tool)

Kari

Hi Ximosam, welcome to Ten Forums.

Ximosam said:

What am I doing wrong? What did I forget?

You are doing nothing wrong, you didn't forget anything.

The default user profile is only used with local accounts in workgroup environment. In domain environment the domain default profile will be used.

It's about the same as default user profile in workgroup environment with Microsoft accounts. This note can be found at the very end of Part Four in this tutorial:

   Note

Please notice that all customizations work for local user accounts but some of them may be overwritten when using a Microsoft Account for signing in to Windows, depending on sync settings user has selected. Microsoft Account synced profile customizations void any default user profile customizations.

The same applies to a domain account; a domain default profile will be applied instead of local default profile.

Kari