Custom Windows 10 Installation Medium?

[ahuckphin]

I will be installing Windows 10 on around 50 identically speced Dell desktop computers. Instead of doing a fresh install whereby I will then need to set up user account, set up password, change wallpaper and install drivers 50 times, can I instead just do it once and create a custom Windows Installation Medium?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Yes, use sysprep.

 

As they're identical, you should read the documentation from MS in regards to retaining device drivers: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/sysprep--generalize--a-windows-installation

[Master Disaster]

Or there is a third party alternative called NTLite that does everything sysprep can do but with a nice fully featured GUI.

 

https://www.ntlite.com/

 

Also if you have a server available with SMB shares I'd look at PXE. Using it you can deploy a custom Windows image onto the server then PXE boot into WinRE on all 50 machines and load the image up (its possible to automate this using a batch script). This way you can do all 50 machines without needing to walk around booting each from a USB or DVD.

[homeap5]

Fastest way is to create image of fully configured system with programs using Macrium Reflect and then restore that image on different drives. If your image will be on ssd and drive to restore will be ssd too, whole process takes about 2 minutes.

 

If laptops have key stored in bios, install Windows on any other computer without key, so after first boot on laptop Windows adjust hardware and activates using bios key.

[ahuckphin]

Today tried out generalizing with sysprep, capturing and applying with WinPE as suggested by Oshino Shinobu. Due to my lack of understanding and experience, it did take some time. for example, I didn't know changing directories was a thing in WinPE. Eventuality managed to generate a 300 megabyte wim file. Looks to me like with this one wim file, I'll still need to install Windows 10 onto the 50 computers and then apply the wim file. I'm uncertain if this is the expected outcome of sysprep+WinPE  or I'm just doing it wrongly. 

 

Planning to try out Macrium Reflect soon as there is a free tier.

[homeap5]

Free version is enough. Just follow my advices and don't clone system - image it and then restore.

[ahuckphin]

Tried out Macrium Reflect today and am truly impressed at the speed. Able to restore a 6GB image from HDD to HDD in just 2 to 3 minutes. I do wonder what actually happening. 

[homeap5]

Magic.

 

One advice - made your image when system is not in use. You can prepare rescue usb (it's Macrium Reflect option) and boot from usb, then create image of that system. Or use second computer. And uninstall Macrium Reflect before you made image - you don't need it installed on every computer you restore image.