Many of you know that I've used to managed a very large quantity of Computers including Desktops, Laptops and Network printers in a large companies.
There is one common problems in managing such a large scale of computers, is the consistency and quality of deploying Windows 7 or 10 (back in those days). Its a very time consuming process whereby the Engineer needs to perform formatting, installing Windows, install Drivers, install Software, join to Domain, install Printers, configure Scanners, customized Corporate Wallpaper, Screensaver, Fonts etc. All those steps consumed roughly 3-4 hours and maybe more, mind you we didn't have the luxury of SSD during that era and it was an expensive component back then.
To cut short all these time consuming steps, it make sense to create a "Master Image" and use a cloning procedures to clone to all Computers, including the settings and configurations. But mind you that not all installations, configurations and settings are still intact after "Sysprep" process.
So some steps still required an Engineer's intervention or input, but we managed to cut short from 3-4 hours or more into just a mere 1-1.5 hours.
This what we called "Consistent Operating Environment (COE)" where all computers have the same Operating System, same Updates, same version of Drivers, same version/edition of Software, same configuration of Policy, and same Settings of Wallpaper etc.
So I'm sharing on how to create the COE image, but instead of using Windows 7 or 10, I'm going to use the latest Windows 11. To be more specific it will be Windows 11 Pro edition. Also note that this is for "Advanced User" or "Advanced Engineer" as there will not be any screenshots available.
Preparation.
1. Download the latest version of Windows 11 Media Creation Tool from Microsoft website.
2. Download the latest version Rufus (a utility to create a bootable USB drive).
3. Create an "ei.cfg" file using notepad. Refer here for more information.
4. A minimum of 8GB USB Flash Drive, ensure its blank as Data will be wiped.
Create Bootable USB Drive.
1. Run "Media Creation Tool", it may take some time to load and ensure your computer is connected to the Internet.
2. Select "ISO" when prompted and ensure to "Untick: Use recommended settings of this PC" to avoid the ISO file created with the current computer's settings.
3. Run "Rufus" tool, select the newly downloaded ISO file and click "Start" button, you will be prompted for Windows 11 setup (eg. remove requirements for Secure Boot & TPM2.0). Select at your own discretion. Just the simple remove TPM2.0 and Microsoft Online Account will suffice. Others will be based on your own requirements.
4. Copy the "ei.cfg" file into the newly created Bootable USB Drive, assuming the drive is mounted as [D:] drive then copy the file into "D:\sources\*.*"
5. You can now remove the drive from this computer.
Installing Windows 11.
1. Boot the computer from the newly created Bootable USB Drive, on some computer you may need to invoke DEL, F2, F8 or F10 to select the boot medium.
2. Continue the installation wizard as shown on the screen until you see "Use previous version of Setup" under the dialog box. Where you will return back to good old and familiar Windows 10 like setup wizard screen.
3. Ensure you are NOT CONNECTED TO INTERNET to avoid Windows 11 downloading Updates & Drivers during the installation. As this will increase the speed of installation.
4. When prompted to connect to WiFi, just click "I don't have internet" option to continue. It may automatically restart the computer & re-prompt the same question again, just proceed with the same answer.
5. You will be prompted to key-in a Username, create any Username you deemed fit such as "PC Master" or similar. Leave the password blank for now.
6. When prompted for Privacy & Security settings, just "Untick" all available options and continue.
Windows 11 - Basic Configuration.
The following configurations although is Basic, but its also depends on your environment. Some configurations or settings may not apply to you or with changes that reflect to your environment.
1. Control Panel --> File Explorer Options --> General :-
1.1 Open File Explorer to: This PC.
1.2 Untick --> Show recently used files, Show frequently used folders, Show files from Office.com.
1.3 Click --> "Clear" button.
2. Control Panel --> File Explorer Options --> View :-
2.1 Untick --> Hide extensions for known file types.
3. Control Panel --> Power Options --> Power Plan :-
3.1 Select either "Balanced" or "High Performance" depending on machine type.
Note: Suggest "Balanced" for Laptops and "High Performance" for Desktop or Workstation.
4. Control Panel --> Power Options --> System Settings:-
4.1 Configure to your needs --> Power and sleep buttons and lid settings.
4.2 Disable / Untick --> Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. Control Panel --> Program and Features :-
5.1 Uninstall --> Microsoft OneDrive. (optional)
6. Settings --> Privacy & security :-
6.1 Disabled --> Recommendations & offers.
6.2 Disabled --> Inking & typing personalization.
6.3 Disabled --> Diagnostics & feedback.
6.4 Disabled --> Location.
6.5 Disabled --> Voice activation.
6.6 Disabled --> Account info.
6.7 Disabled --> Contacts.
6.8 Disabled --> Calendar.
6.9 Disabled --> Phone calls.
6.10 Disabled --> Call history.
6.11 Disabled --> Email.
6.12 Disabled --> Tasks.
6.13 Disabled --> Messaging.
6.14 Disabled --> Other devices.
6.15 Disabled --> App diagnostics.
7. Settings --> Personalization :-
7.1 Change --> Background Wallpaper.
7.2 Change --> Lock screen background and behavior.
7.3 Change --> Start button behavior.
7.4 Change --> Taskbar look and behavior.
7.5 Change --> Themes and Enabled "Desktop icons".
8. Open --> Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
8.1 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> AutoPlay Policies :-
8.1.1 Enabled --> Turn off Autoplay : All drives.
8.1.2 Enabled --> Prevent AutoPlay from remembering user choices.
8.1.3 Enabled --> Disallow Autoplay for non-volume devices.
8.1.4 Enabled --> Set the default behavior for Autorun : Do not execute any autorun commands.
8.2 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Cloud Content :-
8.2.1 Enabled --> Turn off cloud optimized content.
8.2.2 Enabled --> Turn off cloud consumer account state content.
8.2.3 Enabled --> Do not show Windows tips.
8.2.4 Enabled --> Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences.
8.3 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Connect :-
8.3.1 Enabled --> Don't allow this PC to be projected to.
8.3.2 Enabled --> Require pin for pairing : Always.
8.4 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Maps :-
8.4.1 Enabled --> Turn off unsolicited network traffic on the Offline Maps settings page.
8.4.2 Enabled --> Turn off Automatic Download and Update of Map Data.
8.5 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> OneDrive :-
8.5.1 Disabled --> Save documents to OneDrive by default.
8.5.2 Enabled --> Prevent OneDrive from generating network traffic until the user signs in to OneDrive.
8.5.3 Enabled --> Prevent OneDrive files from syncing over metered connections.
8.5.4 Enabled --> Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage.
8.5.5 Enabled --> Prevent the usage of OneDrive for file storage on Windows 8.1.
8.6 Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Online Assistance :-
8.6.1 Enabled --> Turn off Active Help.
Windows 11 - Extended Configuration.
The following is the Extended configuration, usually this are optional but recommended and highly depends on your environment. The following scripts must be REVIEW and MODIFY according to your needs.
1. Run --> Powershell (as admin), Remove Appx Packages for All Users :-
Write-Host Write-Host Write-Host "**************************" Write-Host "* Removing Appx Packages *" Write-Host "**************************" Write-Host Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing MS Teams..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *MSTeams* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing ZuneMusic..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *ZuneMusic* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing YourPhone..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *YourPhone* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing XboxSpeechToTextOverlay..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *XboxSpeechToTextOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing XboxIdentityProvider..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *XboxIdentityProvider* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing XboxGamingOverlay..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *XboxGamingOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing Xbox.TCUI..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Xbox.TCUI* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing WindowsFeedbackHub..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsFeedbackHub* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing OutlookForWindows..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *OutlookForWindows* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing MicrosoftSolitaireCollection..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *MicrosoftSolitaireCollection* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing MicrosoftOfficeHub..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *MicrosoftOfficeHub* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing GamingApp..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *GamingApp* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing BingWeather..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *BingWeather* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing BingNews..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *BingNews* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing QuickAssist..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *QuickAssist* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing GetHelp..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *GetHelp* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing BingSearch..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *BingSearch* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing WindowsTerminal..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsTerminal* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing WindowsAlarms..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *WindowsAlarms* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing Todos..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Todos* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing ScreenSketch..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *ScreenSketch* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing PowerAutomateDesktop..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *PowerAutomateDesktop* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing Clipchamp..." Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers *Clipchamp* | Remove-AppxPackage Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host Write-Host "Uninstallation of AppxPackages Completed." Start-Sleep -s 5 |
2. Run --> Powershell (as admin), Remove Appx Provisioned Packages :-
|
Write-Host Write-Host Write-Host "**************************************" Write-Host "* Removing Appx Provisioned Packages *" Write-Host "**************************************" Write-Host Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned MSTeams..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName MSTeams_1.0.0.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned ZuneMusic..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.ZuneMusic_11.2509.7.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned YourPhone..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.YourPhone_1.25062.84.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned XboxSpeechToTextOverlay..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.XboxSpeechToTextOverlay_1.117.15001.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned XboxIdentityProvider..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider_12.130.2510.6003_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned XboxGamingOverlay..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay_7.325.7221.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned Xbox.TCUI..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI_1.23.28005.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned WindowsFeedbackHub..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub_2024.125.1522.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned OutlookForWindows..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.OutlookForWindows_1.0.0.0_neutral__8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned MicrosoftSolitaireCollection..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection_4.22.3190.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned MicrosoftOfficeHub..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub_19.2506.56051.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned GamingApp..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.GamingApp_2025.523.601.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned BingWeather..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.BingWeather_4.54.63017.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned BingNews..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.BingNews_4.1.24002.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned QuickAssist..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist_2025.331.2057.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned GetHelp..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.GetHelp_10.2407.22193.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned BingSearch..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.BingSearch_2022.1.43.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned WindowsTerminal..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_3001.18.10301.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned WindowsAlarms..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_2021.2510.4.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned Todos..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.Todos_2.120.7961.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned ScreenSketch..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.ScreenSketch_2022.2307.61.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned PowerAutomateDesktop..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop_11.2506.143.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host "Removing AppxProvisioned Clipchamp..." Remove-AppxProvisionedPackage -Online -PackageName Clipchamp.Clipchamp_4.3.10120.0_neutral_~_yxz26nhyzhsrt Start-Sleep -s 5 Write-Host Write-Host Write-Host "*******************************************************" Write-Host "* Uninstallation of AppxProvisionedPackage Completed. *" Write-Host "*******************************************************" Start-Sleep -s 5 |
3. Run --> CMD (as admin), install --> .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0).
dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /All /Source:E:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess |
Install Printer Drivers.
Majority printers can be pre-installed, but I would only recommend to only install printers that majority Users will be using. This may includes Multi-Function-Printer (MFP), Photocopier Machine (eg. FujiXerox, Canon), Dot-Matrix Printer (eg. Seikosha, Epson).
Those with desktop type Printers such as HP LaserJet P1102 series or similar are not recommended due to not all Users will have such printer thus it make sense to only install printers that are widely available to all Users.
Some printer drivers can be easily installed without network (eg. FujiXerox) while some really needs your computer to be connected to the network to detect the printer. In this case, you need to extract the drivers first into any folder and manually add the printer by manually specifying the IP Address of the printer as port.
Continue to add as many printers as needed and configure it accordingly.
Install Common Software.
Some software are very common and available to all Users or Company wide, this software can be tools such as 7Zip, Adobe DC Reader, Google Chrome Browser, Codecs, Microsoft Office, Anti-Virus etc.
Mostly I would recommend to pre-install everything but WITHOUT ACTIVATION. This is especially true if you install Microsoft Office as after Sysprep, the activation will be lost.
Some Anti-Virus may not works after Sysprep too, thus it is always recommended to only install during the actual deployment to User.
Most of the software I've encountered thus far have no issues with Sysprep, as long as the license is not activated. The below list may not be exhaustive and just to shed some lights of what I have tested to be working :-
- 7Zip
- Adobe DC Reader
- Adobe Flash Player
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe CS 6
- AutoCAD LT
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Silverlight
- SAP R/4
- Oracle 10g
- K-Lite Mega Codec Pack
- Google Chrome Browser
- Firefox Browser
- Microsoft SQL Client
- TeamViewer
- Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
Windows 11 - Tuning Up.
1. Manually download required Updates from (https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Home.aspx). You can check which Updates are required by comparing it to another computer. Search it by the KB codes.
2. Install the .MSU file type via CMD (as admin).
| wusa.exe [KB File Name].msu /quiet /norestart |
Example:
| wusa.exe windows11-kb5030219-x64.msu /quiet /norestart |
3. Install the .CAB file type via CMD (as admin).
| dism /online /add-package /packagepath:[Full Updates Path & KB File Name].cab /quiet /norestart |
Example:
| dism /online /add-package /packagepath:C:\updates\windows11-kb5030219-x64.cab /quiet /norestart |
4. Run --> Disk Cleanup --> Clean up system files --> Select all available options.
5. Settings --> System --> About --> Advance system settings --> System Protection :-
5.1 Click --> "Configure" button.
5.2 Enable --> Turn on system protection.
5.3 Max usage --> 10%
5.4 If there are any snapshot created automatically, you can "Delete" those snapshot.
6. Run --> Defragment and Optimize Drives.
6.1 Defrag and Optimize all installed Drives.
7. Do a clean Restart and Shutdown.
Windows 11 - Sysprep.
1. Run (as admin) --> C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe
2. Select --> Enter System Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE).
3. Enable --> "Generalize" option.
4. Select --> "Shutdown" option.
Note : If the "sysprep" process failed, means there are some applications installed or drivers is not compatible or not supported with "Sysprep". You need to figure out which software are not compatible and remove it accordingly.
Capture - Master Image.
You need to prepare another round of devices, this time you will need :-
1. A 16GB USB Flash Drive.
2. A 500GB or larger External USB Hard Drive.
3. Download latest Clonezilla tools.
4. Download latest Tuxboot tools.
5. Create a Bootable USB Flash Drive for Clonezilla using Tuxboot tools. Ensure the USB flash drive is blank as Data will be wiped.
6. Ensure the "Master PC" is in Shutdown condition or not Sleep mode, just to be sure ensure that "Fast Boot" was disabled.
7. Boot the "Master PC" with Clonezilla tool.
8. Start the image capturing process, you may refer here for more information and guides.
9. Finally Shutdown when done.
!!! HAPPY COMPUTING !!!
