Install xp from image

[alo_10]

hi i have 20+ computers for internet cafe runing xp pro,it takes a lot of time to make fresh installtion od OS and applications when one of the fails,is there a way i can put ths OS(XP pro) plus the applications(skype;yahoo messenger etc) in CD/DVD and install the whole thing once from dvd/cd at once

 

[PhilFrisbie]

What you need is called SYSPREP, but it is up to you to insure you are using it legally.

 

[hang-the-9]

sysprep and an imaging software, you can use clonezilla, it's free and pretty powerfull. If the systems are all identical, it's easy to do. You will just need to enter the product key for the systems when you run the image.

 

[winoutreach5]

PhilFrisbe is correct to suggest Sysprep as the sysprep / generalize command will remove unique information from your Windows installation so that you can safely reuse that image on a different computer, even if it has the same hardware configuration.

When it comes to deploying, attempting to deploy, or simply refreshing any Windows media, you first might want to check out the reimaging rights document available from Microsoft here. The document reviews the rights of creating images and using those images for deployment scenarios.

With that said, you will want to use Windows Volume License media to create a reference machine, install all necessary software, proceed to capture your image and save it to your server. Typically speaking, many users utilize Windows Deployment Services (WDS) for this step. To capture your image, you could use ImageX and then proceed push it out to the respective systems. There is a great walkthrough video from the Springboard Series on TechNet demonstrating the use of Sysprep and ImageX for system capture and deployment. As you will see in the video, the walkthrough does apply to Windows 7 but it is still a recommended walkthrough overview to watch.

Alternatively, you might want to take a look at the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT). It’s free and it can handle all your deployments including Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2008 and Windows 2008R2. Using MDT, you can easily add both applications and drivers, create task sequences, join a domain, add a KMS or MAK product key, create an administrator account, specify time zone, etc. You can also import all user data into the new environment using the User State Migration Tool (also free), if needed. To become familiar with the process of using MDT, you might want to check out these videos from the Springboard Series page on TechNet:

• Deployment Day Session 1: Introduction to MDT 2012
• Deployment Day Session 2: MDT 2012 Advanced

You can even tie MDT into Windows Deployment Services if you wish to help streamline the deployment / refresh process.

Finally, anytime someone is attempting to do a capture process and deployment I always recommend the following videos:

• Alphabet Soup Deployment: Understanding MDT, WDS, MAP, ACT, SCCM, and USMT
• Deploy Windows 7 The Easy Way: Using WDS, MDT and AIK – Step-By-Step

Hope this helps!

***EDIT*** One more thing I did want to remind you of is that Windows XP End Of Support (EOS) is on April 8th, 2014 and it would probably be a good idea to begin planning your migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 or Windows 8. There are several resources available to assist with this process on either the Windows 7 Springboard Series page or the Windows 8 Springboard Series page.

Jessica
Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro