Using Sysprep on custom-built Windows VMs

This article describes how to complete the Sysprep process on Windows virtual machines.

These instructions apply to newer Windows operating systems (for example: Windows 2008, Windows 2008 R2, Windows 2012) installed on empty Skytap VMs, as well as newer Windows VMs built outside of Skytap.

The steps listed below must be performed in the order they appear. Otherwise, the VM may not function properly.

Build the VM

If you’re building a new VM from scratch, follow the steps below. If you’re updating VMware Tools on an existing VM, skip to Prepare Skytap Helper utility below.

To build the VM

Deploy an empty Windows image from the Skytap public templates and install your operating system. For more information, see Building a VM from an ISO.
Make sure your template’s Guest OS Type on the Hardware Settings page matches exactly the operating system you’re installing. For more information see Overview of VM hardware and guest OS settings.
Optional:
- Update your VMware hardware version to the latest version. For more information about checking your hardware version, see Checking VM hardware version
- Edit your automatic network to use the following network settings; for instructions about editing these settings, see Editing an automatic network.
  - Network Name: Default Network
  - Network Type: Automatic
  - Subnet: 10.0.0.0/24
  - Visible to other networks: No
  - Customer DNS: No for both
  - Domain Name: skytap.example
- If you want to edit the hostname, edit the hostname in Skytap before powering on the VM for the first time.
Change the hostname within the guest OS to match the hostname that is set in Skytap. Then, restart the VM to force the hostname change to take effect.
Install the current version of VMware Tools from the Skytap public assets library; for more information, see Installing and upgrading VMware Tools on Windows VMs.
Run all Windows updates; you may need to run Windows Update several times to install all updates.
Power off the VM.
Save the VM as a template. This creates a backup copy that you can restore from later, if necessary.

Prepare Skytap Helper utility

If you’re building a new VM, follow the steps below. If you’re updating a VM that already has the Skytap Helper installed on it, uninstall Skytap Helper, and then follow the steps below.

To prepare the Skytap Helper utility

Download Skytap Helper from the Skytap public assets library. Save it to the C:\ directory, but don’t install it yet.
Create a script to run Skytap Helper at the end of the setup process during the first boot. Follow the steps below:
1. Navigate to C:\windows\setup
2. Create a new directory named “scripts” inside the current directory. For example C:\windows\setup\scripts.
3. Navigate to the new directory. For example: cd scripts.
4. Create a new text file (.txt) and edit it to add the following lines:
```
 C:\skytaphelper.msi /quiet
 del /q c:\skytaphelper.msi
 rmdir /s /q C:\Windows\Setup\scripts
```
  If you want to delete the user account you used to set up the VM, add this line to the script:
```
 net user TempUser /delete
```
  Change TempUser to match the name of the user you want to delete.
Expose the file extension (.txt) so that you can edit it. To expose the file extension in Windows, adjust the View settings:
1. Click Organize, Folder and Search Options, and then click the View tab.
2. Ensure that Hide Extensions for Known File Types isn’t checked, and click OK.
Change the file name to SetupComplete.cmd.

Make sure the .txt extension is changed to .cmd.

Prepare to Sysprep

Create an unattend.xml file in the Sysprep directory:
1. Navigate to the following location within your VM: c:\windows\system32\sysprep
2. Right-click within this folder, and select New > Text Document
3. Name the new file unattend.xml
4. If Windows asks if you’re sure you’d like to change the file extension, click YES.
5. Right-click your new file, and select Open With > WordPad

Paste the following text (from the appropriate answer file below) into your file, and save:

Windows 10 32-bit and 64-bit

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
  <settings pass="windowsPE">
      <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="AMD64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
          <Display>
              <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
              <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
              <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
          </Display>
        </component>
  </settings>
  <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows 10 Enterprise"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows 8 64-bit and Windows Server 2012 R2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>true</DefaultThemesOff>
                <ScreenSaver>Off</ScreenSaver>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>nt63</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows 8 Enterprise"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows 8 32-bit

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>true</DefaultThemesOff>
                <ScreenSaver>Off</ScreenSaver>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>win8ult32</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows 8 Enterprise"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows 2008 R2 64-bit SPLA (doesn’t re-arm activation period)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <SkipRearm>1</SkipRearm>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>true</DefaultThemesOff>
                <ScreenSaver>Off</ScreenSaver>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>w2k8r2ent</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows Server 2008 R2 SERVERENTERPRISE"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows 7 64-bit and Windows Server 2008 R2

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>true</DefaultThemesOff>
                <ScreenSaver>Off</ScreenSaver>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>win7ult64</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 ULTIMATE"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows 7 32-bit

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>true</DefaultThemesOff>
                <ScreenSaver>Off</ScreenSaver>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>win7ult32</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows 7 ULTIMATE"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows Server 2008 64-bit

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>false</DefaultThemesOff>
                <CustomDefaultThemeFile>
                     C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Windows Classic.theme
                </CustomDefaultThemeFile>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>vistault64</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="oobeSystem">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Sidebar"
           processorArchitecture="amd64"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <SidebarOnByDefault>false</SidebarOnByDefault>
           <SidebarVisible>false</SidebarVisible>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows Vista ULTIMATE"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Windows Server 2008 32-bit

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="generalize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpSysprep"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <PersistAllDeviceInstalls>true</PersistAllDeviceInstalls>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="specialize">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <Display>
                <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth>
                <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution>
                <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution>
           </Display>
           <Themes>
                <DefaultThemesOff>false</DefaultThemesOff>
                <CustomDefaultThemeFile>
                     C:\Windows\Resources\Themes\Windows Classic.theme<
                /CustomDefaultThemeFile>
           </Themes>
           <ComputerName>vistault32</ComputerName>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <settings pass="oobeSystem">
       <component
           name="Microsoft-Windows-Sidebar"
           processorArchitecture="x86"
           publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35"
           language="neutral"
           versionScope="nonSxS"
           xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
           <SidebarOnByDefault>false</SidebarOnByDefault>
           <SidebarVisible>false</SidebarVisible>
       </component>
   </settings>
   <cpi:offlineImage
       cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Windows Vista ULTIMATE"
       xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

Change the ComputerName section to be the same as the hostname you’ve set in Skytap:
```
 <ComputerName>PUTYOURHOSTNAMEHERE</ComputerName>
```
Save your VM as a template. This creates another backup copy that you can restore from later, if necessary.

Run Sysprep

Click Start > Run and type the following command:

 c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:c:\windows\system32\sysprep\unattend.xml

When Sysprep is finished, your VM shuts down automatically,
Save your VM as a template before powering the VM back up.

Test the master template

After running Sysprep and creating your new master template, create a new environment from the template and run the VM to test it:

If you didn’t delete the user account during the Sysprep process, check that your password still works.
Confirm that you have both mouse and keyboard control, and that the VM has networking connectivity. If you experience an issue, this might indicate a problem with the unattend file. Confirm that persistalldevices is included in the unattend file, and that the unattend file is in the right place.
If you want to preserve the Windows activation grace period, check that the activation grace period has been reset. In most versions of Windows, you can find the grace period by right-clicking Computer and selecting Properties. If the grace period hasn’t been reset, remove the <skiprearm> line from the Sysprep unattend file.

Then, create a new environment and add two copies of the same VM to it for additional testing:

Access the first VM. The OS should prompt you to complete an “out of the box” initial setup, including entering your country or region, entering the time zone, creating a new user password, and other initial user tasks. Repeat this process for the second VM. If the OS doesn’t prompt you to set up the second VM, confirm that /oobe is included in the sysprep command.
After logging in for the first time, check to ensure the hostname within the guest OS matches what is set in Skytap; this can be done from the command line or within System Properties.

If you adjusted the computer name in the Prepare to Sysprep section above, Skytap may initiate a reboot and rename the VM hostname to match what is set in Skytap. This may not happen for the first VM if the hostnames already match, but it will occur for all other VMs where the hostname in Skytap is different than the one defined in your answer file.
Install PsGetSid on each VM in your environment. Ensure that the SID for each of the VMs in this environment are different; if the SID is the same for both images, make sure /generalize is included in the Sysprep command

You can download PsGetSid as part of the PsTools package at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897417.aspx. We recommend that you unzip this download and place it in your Skytap Assets page for easy access between all VMs.