Updating Windows 10 in Audit Mode

Really does not matter as it will update itself automatically once installed and a user account is setup. This is quite quick due to the cumulative update mechanism.

This is going to happen even if you install updates or not in audit mode.

mhsyn said:

No, I disagree. Installing 1511 is not quick.

Your reply makes no sense.

You do not same to understand the difference between a build upgrade and normal updates. They are delivered by different mechanisms.

Any sysprep image you create has to be a particular build.

You can slipstream in normal in-build updates to a particular build (those that that change the number after the build decimal point) if you download them offline but it is not that easy, and as I said not really worth it as each time there is a cumulative update, the cumulative update file is downloaded anyway regardless of whether previous updates are installed. The only minor saving of not starting from XXXXX.0 is the intallation may be slightly quicker but this is only a few minutes.

Build upgrades are delivered in a completely different way, and I cannot see for the life of me why you would start with an older build and slipstream in the build upgrade files and allow the build to autoupgrade afterwards even if you could do it.

Quoting a reply I posted in another thread last night:

Kari said:

I have to say I don't know about that.

As I mentioned I don't use ISO method to deploy, even on my home network I apply images with DISM. This makes updating image relatively easy and fast; I create a standard Hyper-V checkpoint on my technician VM just before sysprepping and occasionally just apply the checkpoint, run Windows Update and update installed software like browsers and Office, then remove all installers and run Disk Clean-up to remove temp files, sysprep again and capture new install.wim to replace my old one.

Although Windows Update works in Audit Mode, build and feature upgrades do not work. When I want to upgrade my image I sysprep it once with /generalize, /oobe and /reboot switches, create a dummy local admin account in OOBE, sign in to desktop to upgrade for instance with latest Insider build, when done run sysprep with /audit and /reboot switches to boot back to Audit Mode, remove the dummy user and its profile folder, remove all installers and run Disk Clean-up to remove temp files, sysprep again and capture new install.wim to replace my old one.

Kari

Kari said:

Quoting a reply I posted in another thread last night:

That reply explains how to update an oobe install upgrade very well.

Basically confirms my earlier point that you cannot upgrade directly in audit mode - you have to upgrade in normal mode, then oobe - I more or less do the same thing with macrium and viboot, except I do not bother deleting the local account from oobe version, just simply changing it to an MS account later.

Of course, your method is cleaner though :).

cereberus said:

That reply explains how to update an oobe install upgrade very well.

Basically confirms my earlier point that you cannot upgrade directly in audit mode - you have to upgrade in normal mode, then oobe - I more or less do the same thing with macrium and viboot, except I do not bother deleting the local account from oobe version, just simply changing it to an MS account later.

Of course, your method is cleaner though :).

Deleting existing user accounts when returning to Audit Mode after a build or feature upgrade as mentioned in that post I quoted is of course not necessary if and when the image is for your personal use only. The thread where I posted that is however about how to do this in corporate network environment, deploying to 100 laptops and possibly re-deploying an upgraded image when next LTSB version will be released.

When doing this for your own private deployment image keeping existing user accounts there are additional steps required because when sysprepping Windows installation with existing user accounts, active user accounts lose Start and Cortana / Search functionality due Windows SID / GUID being changed. Therefore for you and other private users, disabling all user accounts before sysprep is strongly recommended:

1. Upgrade Windows in normal mode
2. Run net user Administrator /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
3. Sign out from all user accounts
4. Sign in to built-in admin
5. Run net user USERNAME /active:no in elevated Command Prompt to disable each existing user account
6. Restart to Audit Mode with %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit /reboot
7. When in Audit Mode, change / add / remove what you want to / need to
8. Run Disk Clean-up
9. Place your answer file unattend.xml in %windir%\system32\sysprep\ folder
10. Run %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe
11. Boot from WinPE, capture the image
12. Boot from HDD, let Windows go through OOBE
13. In OOBE you must create a new admin user, use any temporary name (can't use names of existing users even when they are disabled)
14. When on desktop activate your old existing users with net user USERNAME /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
15. Sign out from temporary admin user, sign in to your old admin user
16. Remove the temporary admin user

Repeat steps 13 through 16 on each machine you deploy this image. Steps 2 through 5 and 13 through 16 are not required if all existing users will be removed in Audit Mode.

Sounds and looks more complicated than what it is :)

Kari

Kari said:

Deleting existing user accounts when returning to Audit Mode after a build or feature upgrade as mentioned in that post I quoted is of course not necessary if and when the image is for your personal use only. The thread where I posted that is however about how to do this in corporate network environment, deploying to 100 laptops and possibly re-deploying an upgraded image when next LTSB version will be released.

When doing this for your own private deployment image keeping existing user accounts there are additional steps required because when sysprepping Windows installation with existing user accounts, active user accounts lose Start and Cortana / Search functionality due Windows SID / GUID being changed. Therefore for you and other private users, disabling all user accounts before sysprep is strongly recommended:

1. Upgrade Windows in normal mode
2. Run net user Administrator /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
3. Sign out from all user accounts
4. Sign in to built-in admin
5. Run net user USERNAME /active:no in elevated Command Prompt to disable each existing user account
6. Restart to Audit Mode with %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit /reboot
7. When in Audit Mode, change / add / remove what you want to / need to
8. Run Disk Clean-up
9. Place your answer file unattend.xml in %windir%\system32\sysprep\ folder
10. Run %windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe
11. Boot from WinPE, capture the image
12. Boot from HDD, let Windows go through OOBE
13. In OOBE you must create a new admin user, use any temporary name (can't use names of existing users even when they are disabled)
14. When on desktop activate your old existing users with net user USERNAME /active:yes in elevated Command Prompt
15. Sign out from temporary admin user, sign in to your old admin user
16. Remove the temporary admin user

Repeat steps 13 through 16 on each machine you deploy this image. Steps 2 through 5 and 13 through 16 are not required if all existing users will be removed in Audit Mode.

Sounds and looks more complicated than what it is :)

Kari

Thanks - I was unaware of the search issue as I rarely use it anyway, or I search from from file explorer (force of habit).