Creating the Sysprep Image
1. Open :\Support\Tools\Deploy.cab and extract setupcl.exe, setupmgr.exe, and sysprep.exe to C:\Sysprep. (N.B. C: is your system drive. If you installed Windows to another drive letter, use that drive letter rather than C:.)
2. Run setupmgr.exe from C:\Sysprep.
3. The Setup Manager wizard starts. Click Next...
4. Create new... Next...
5. Select "Sysprep setup". Next...
6. Select the correct OS version... Next...
7. Select "No, do not fully automate the installation"... Next...
8. Enter Name and Organization, Time Zone, Product Key, and Workgroup or Domain. The other settings can remain defaulted. Note that you don't want to specify the computer name since you will be creating multiple computers from the base image and you don't want to specify the admin password, even encrypted. If the sysprep program can extract the password from the answer file, so can any hacker worth their salt. Click Next... through to the end.
9. Finish... Save to C:\Sysprep\sysprep.inf. OK...
10. Wait while Setup Manager finishes. Cancel... (Yes, odd way to exit a program that has completed successfully.)
11. Run sysprep.exe.
12. Click OK.
13. Ensure that "Don't regenerate security identifiers" is UNCHECKED. You want to regenerate the SIDs when each new clone boots.
14. Click Reseal, OK to confirm that you want to regenerate SIDs, and wait for the system to shut down.
Creating a Cloned Server
1. If you're using VMWare Workstation, create a linked clone of your Sysprepped server. (You can also create a new linked disk using VirtualPC using File... Virtual Disk Wizard and then creating a new VM using the linked disk.)
2. Change any VM settings such as memory. DO NOT change number of processors from 1 to 2 as the HAL (hardware abstraction layer) for uni-processor vs. multi-processor Windows is different. Your system will blue screen if you do this.
3. Boot the cloned server.
4. The Windows Setup wizard will appear. Next...
5. Accept the license agreement. Next...
6. Enter a new computer name and administrator password. Next...
7. Windows will boot and you can log in with the administrator password you just entered.
8. When prompted, click "Yes" to update your product activation.
9. Select "Yes, let's activate Windows over the Internet now". Next...
10. Select "No, I don't want to register now; let's just activate Windows". Next...
11. OK...
12. Update this server... to go to Microsoft Update.
13. Once you're ensured that your patches are up-to-date, you can close the browser and click Finish... then Yes... on the dialog to start using Windows.
