Microsoft KB Archive/928386

= Sysprep functions and known issues =

Article ID: 928386

Article Last Modified on 4/17/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002
 * Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)

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INTRODUCTION
This article discusses the following:
 * Settings that are restored to the default setting when you use the System Preparation (Sysprep) tool to deploy a computer
 * Sysprep functions and restrictions
 * Known issues that occur when you run Sysprep

For more information about Sysprep, see the OEM Preinstallation Kit User's Guide.



Settings that are restored to their default settings
The following settings are restored to their default settings when you use Sysprep to deploy the computer.

System properties

 * Computer name
 * Active Directory directory service or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 domain membership status
 * Drive letter assignment

Note The drive letter is assigned to the first recognized partitions in the order that they appear during installation.
 * Settings in the Startup and Recovery area on the Advanced tab of the computer properties dialog box
 * Duration of time to display the dump configuration and the operating systems list
 * Virtual memory settings in the Performance area on the Advanced tab of the computer properties dialog box
 * Drive settings that are related to the system restore operation on the System Restore tab of the computer properties dialog box

Disk and file systems

 * All functions that are stored in Storage Provider
 * User rights settings in the Documents and Settings\Default User folder
 * Disk quota settings for local users
 * Hard-coded values that are stored for drive letters
 * Short file names for paths

Network and dial-up connection settings

 * Modem settings
 * Wireless network connections
 * Network bridge connections
 * Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server
 * Network adapter settings in the virtual PCI bus

Applications that are embedded together with Windows settings

 * Subscription information in Internet Explorer
 * Autocomplete information in Internet Explorer
 * Saved passwords in Internet Explorer
 * Microsoft Outlook Express mail server or directory server passwords that are initialized
 * Settings for Internet Options on the Security tab in Internet Explorer

Regional and language options

 * Input language settings
 * Keyboard in the Installed services settings on the Languages tab of Regional and Language Options
 * Languages that do not support Unicode settings on the Advanced tab of Regional and Language Options

System-specific settings

 * Private database files
 * Stored computer-specific information
 * Active Directory information that is stored on the local computer
 * Local computer information that is stored in Active Directory
 * Unique certificate information to install each Windows-based computer
 * Digital Rights Management (DRM) information
 * Other items, such as Windows-specific variables in the private data store that are unique for each computer and for each installation or variables that change when you transfer Windows to different hardware

Hardware and device drivers

 * Network adapter drivers without digital signatures are replaced by the latest drivers that have a digital signatures
 * Power options
 * Other information about peripheral equipment that is installed on a computer, such as serial numbers, asset tags, or vendor tags
 * Network hardware information, such as media access control information, GUID information, or serial numbers

Other settings

 * Desktop icons
 * Screen saver settings
 * Start settings for a service
 * Service pack source paths
 * Local user names or group names that are hard-coded
 * %systemdrive%, %userprofile%, or other values that are hard-coded

Other modifications that are made by Sysprep

 * Shortcuts may be added or removed from the desktop
 * Old fonts, such as the Gulim.ttf and Simsun.ttf fonts, are replaced by the .ttc format font file
 * Real-time clock in the BIOS may be set back one hour

Known issues


How to use Sysprep
