How can I capture Windows 7

[anyweb 480]

As this is requested a lot, here's how to make it easier for you to Capture Windows 7. Note that this method is not recommended as you should use the Build and Capture method to capture Windows 7 and the computer should not join the domain, that said, if you still want to capture a domain joined computer and you are willing to deploy that captured image (with registry settings from Domain Joining, gpo's etc...) then read on...

 

Import the following Task Sequence into ConfigMgr by right clicking on the Task Sequences node of Operating System Deployment in ConfigMgr, and choose Import.

 

capture Windows 7 X86.xml

 

Once Imported you will have to supply it with two packages namely your X86 boot image and a new package called AutoLogin_windows7

 

The Autologin_windows7 packgage contains a registry file and a program

 

the Program is as follows:

 

reg import "autologin_windows7.reg"

 

 

the properties are as follows:

 

 

and the autologin_windows7.reg registry file contains the following

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]

"AutoAdminLogon"="1"
"DefaultUserName"="Administrator"
"DefaultPassword"="password"

 

replace password above with the local admin password...

 

once done, make sure to edit your task sequence so that it's using your X86 boot image by right clicking on the Task Sequence, select properties and select the correct boot image,

 

 

then make sure that the Task Sequence is using your new autologin package by right clicking on the Task Sequence and choose Edit,

 

 

finally advertise it to a capture windows 7 collection and add a computer to that collection using direct membership

 

 

After you've added the computer to the collection, start it up, login to Windows, open control panel, open the RAP (run advertised programs) and kick off the Capture windows 7 task sequence.

 

Side note: you'll need to create a step in your deploy task sequence to remove the registry autologin values otherwise the deployed image will attempt auto login on first boot..

 

Further Reading:

 

1. Auto Login as part of OSD Task Sequence

2. Login Single Domain User for Caching After Imaging via Task Sequence

[chiners_68 0]

Why do you need the autologin procedure during ths TS when its not required in a capture & build?

 

Just a bit conceren having a reg file with my local admin password in plain text sitting on a share.

[anyweb 480]

the standard build and capture task sequence uses registry 'hooks' to do its hidden magic (auto login and all that), if you can find a way of accessing them to get around this workaround then please share

 

cheers

niall

[chiners_68 0]

Hi niall,

just wasnt sure of the requirment but now youve explained.. ill follow your siple route

[anyweb 480]

well i'm not 100% sure, read this

 

and i quote from the technet link

 

Restart Computer

 

Updated: December 1, 2008

 

Applies To: System Center Configuration Manager 2007

 

Use the Restart Computer task sequence step to restart the computer running the task sequence. After the restart, the computer will automatically continue with the next step in the task sequence. This task sequence action can be run in either a standard operating system or the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). For information about task sequence variables for this task sequence action, see Restart Computer Task Sequence Action Variables.

 

in my testing it doesn't autologin, hence the registry hack

 

feel free to find out how to get it to work though i'm as interested as you in this

 

cheers

niall

[sccm_freak 0]

ok anyweb now my concern is as follows

i have an OS here already used with one of the customers and he installed on it 22 different applications like msn messenger , skype , yahoo, adobe , chrome , an antivirus and more

 

 

my question is :

is there anyway to CAPTURE the above OS as a full image by itself ( usually in all the guides i saw that we can have the image based on the OS itself then we attach with it some packages to be installed when deploying the captured OS ) then deploying that captured image to several computers

 

 

so ill have an image captured including those apps already ( like norton ghost images as an example ) then simply i just target a computer and deploy ?

 

is that possible ?

if yes then how can it be done please

thanks

[anyweb 480]

yes of course it can be done and the answer is this topic, try it !

cheers

niall

[sccm_freak 0]

can you explain more please coz i didnt understand anything to be honest

[anyweb 480]

what OS are you trying to capture ?

[sccm_freak 0]

i am capturing vista with 2 apps , one is adobe 8 and the other is office 2007

[anyweb 480]

ok have you tried capturing it using the task sequence provided in this topic ?

[sccm_freak 0]

no as i have a prob with capturing currently

 

http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1827-pxe-e53-no-boot-filename-received-funny-but-interesting-story-p/

 

any help would be appreciated

[anyweb 480]

ok, well this topic is about Capturing Windows 7, so really you should only be asking about Capturing Windows Vista in the vista section, this is to avoid confusing the topic, confusing others, confusing me.....

[sccm_freak 0]

dude , you told me to post here

http://www.windows-noob.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1191-capturing-windows-vista-sp2/

i already posted in vista section

[meFromIT 0]

Hi All,

I tried this and I am getting an error when executing the auto login registry task. 0x00000032. I even tried to use the Run command line task and that failed as well.

 

I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I built the Autologin via registry package/program/distribution points.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

UPDATE: I was trying to do this trough winPE and finally read something that way would never work. I ran it in windows...machine rebooted and just sat at the login prompt for a while. After nothing happned, I rebooted it but I can no longer login as administrator.

 

I used - ophcrack to see what the password is set to but...it says empty. I can't login.

 

UPDATE2: Turns out account got dissabled??? it's the same account I logged in as to run the advertisement. Side note: Couldn't you just set the password to blank and just do auto login?

 

UPDATE3: Finally got it to run but now it fails at sysprep with error error 0x00004005. I even tried with a disk and got the same result.

[suisse 0]

same error here.

[anyweb 480]

as you guys are having so many problems with capturing windows 7 I will try and do a webcast to explain it better, watch this space....

[hiattech 0]

I work at a college and we are going to be migrating from XP to Windows 7 soon via SCCM. While the labs should be fairly simple to setup (just install the software needed and pull the image), I do have one question in regards to it. In XP we would create a default profile for all students to speed up login and such. Windows 7 doesn't use the same method of pulling a default profile. I've read that when using AIK, one can pull a profile and make it use this profile as the default when imaging, though I am uncertain as to how to go about doing this with SCCM.

 

My second question is in using SCCM to upgrade the instructor machines. In the Task Sequence is the ability to capture the User State. This can be done with USMT but I haven't yet used it. Do you have any instructions in regards to this as well?

[MarcoX 0]

good topic,

but how it works for Win7 x64 ?

what i need to modifiy ?

 

 

cheers

[MarcoX 0]

good topic,

but how it works for Win7 x64 ?

what i need to modifiy ?

 

 

cheers

 

 

I tried to capture x64 system (and then an x64 Boot image)..it doesn't work... ;(

[lee-bowman 0]

I have followed your guide for Capturing Windows 7 (I also followed your guides for setting up SQL and SCCM so many thanks for that!)

 

After numerous small problems, mostly being new to SCCM the task sequence of yours that I imported is now showing in RAP and working. The machine removes itself off the domain, reboots and seems to config the ConfigMgr client successfully. The next stage is the Sysprep stage, but here the TS fails with error code 0x00000057.

 

The SMSTS log shows some lines as follows

 

Local machine is not part of a domain

Emptying Recycle Bin failed

Administrator Account name = 'Administrator' (This is not the account set up for auto login, a seperate local admin account was setup)

Reset Password Operation successful

Failed to pre-stage the WINPE image

Unable to sysprep the machine

Sysprep'ing the machine failed

Exiting with error code 87

 

Failed to run the action: Prepare OS. The parameter is incorrect (Error: 00000057; Source: Windows

 

Any information would be greatly appreicated.

 

It is difficult to extract the full log as the machine is on a seperated VM Network within our corporate network

[anyweb 480]

did you add a BOOT image to your task sequence ? right click it and choose properties

[ShocKer 0]

K so first post. Will start with an easy question in regards to the new package called AutoLogin_windows7.

 

So after I create the package I right click the Programs and create new program called autologin_enable and fill in the command line as deecribed, so where do I place the autologin_windows7.reg? And then I have to push it to the distribution point right?

 

Thanks

[anyweb 480]

you create the reg file and stick it in a folder, called 'autologin_win7' or similar, you then create a package and when it asks you for package source you point to the dircetory called autologin_win7 or whatever you called it, once the package is made, create the program and then distribute the package to distribution points

[PhilippeMasse 0]

you create the reg file and stick it in a folder, called 'autologin_win7' or similar, you then create a package and when it asks you for package source you point to the dircetory called autologin_win7 or whatever you called it, once the package is made, create the program and then distribute the package to distribution points

 

I'm also a bit new to SCCM and I am trying to run the Task Sequence you provide here but I can't make it happen. One thing that I don't understand is when I reboot the computer, wich is a VMware 4 virtual machine, it's booting to a a PXE boot but as soon as the task sequence begin it's job it's crashing saying that the autologin_enable reg program needs to be run in a Full OS environnement. As far as I know SCCM, all the task sequences that I've created are for PXE boot and so on so I really don't know how to proceed to capture my Windows 7.

 

Can you help me with this ? How this task sequence needs to be triggered ?

 

Thanks !